What's the most important skill to develop when you are just beginning to learn Spanish?

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for taking the time to post your question!

The best starting point when you are just beginning to learn Spanish is to practice active listening. Beginning material like children’s cartoons, beginner-level videos with subtitles, or slow-spoken podcasts can be a great way to help you get acquainted with the foundational aspects of the language and help you move into more advanced topics like reading, speaking, and writing :)

Answer 2

To add to Nellium's answer - which is a great one by the way! - a key skill to have if you want to learn Spanish, any foreign language really, is to get comfortable with being wrong. That is, it is a given that you will make mistakes when you're newer off. A lot of people (including myself when I was first learning) get anxious when it comes to speaking the language, especially to native speakers, and fear messing up or embarrassing themselves by saying something wrong. And because of this, it will cause them to retreat a little back into their shell and it could keep you from learning and improving! So, it is important to frame your approach as that you are going to really put yourself out there to try to learn to speak and you're not going to care if you say something wrong! After all, nobody usually cares. Don't be embarrassed to say something incorrect or to be corrected! It's all part of the process. And again, Nellium gave a great answer which is to start listening. When I was learning Spanish I would watch YouTube videos in Spanish, listen to music, podcasts, watch movies and shows in the target language, etc. No subtitles, no stressing out about understanding everything that's being said... just exposing yourself to it and in doing so you will help train your ear for the language. :)

Answer 3

Let's dive into the world of Spanish! When learning this amazing language, you've got four essential skills to master: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. And guess what? Studies have shown that listening is usually the first skill you develop! It totally makes sense, right? You're basically soaking up the language like a sponge before you start speaking it yourself. You're consuming Spanish, getting a feel for the rhythms and sounds, and building a strong foundation for your language journey. ¡Excelente comienzo! (Excellent start!)