Many readers of this site are from the U.S. or Canada, while others are in Colombia learning Spanish. Additionally, a significant segment visits to improve their Spanish and gain an outsider’s perspective. If that sounds like you, then this is for you too!

Techniques for Learning Spanish

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Recently, we shared an article with essential Spanish phrases to help travelers navigate Colombia. With over seven years of teaching English and more than a decade of studying Spanish, I’ve picked up some powerful language-learning strategies. Here are five key techniques to improve your Spanish skills quickly and effectively.

1. Use Visualization to “Think” in Spanish

You’ve probably heard that you should “think” in Spanish, but few explain how to do it. The trick? Create mental movies—or as they say in Spanish, hacer películas.

Whenever you have downtime, like on a bus or waiting in line, imagine yourself speaking Spanish. Visualize greeting people, having conversations, and asking for things. This trains your brain to react naturally in real-life situations, making it easier to switch into Spanish mode when needed.

2. Master the Spanish Alphabet and Sounds

Unlike English, Spanish letters have consistent pronunciation. If you can memorize the correct sounds of each letter, you’ll dramatically improve both your spelling and pronunciation.

Since Spanish vowels always sound the same, learning them early on will help you avoid common pronunciation mistakes and speak more clearly.

3. Practice Speaking Constantly

When we learn a language as children, we develop muscle memory for pronunciation. This is why it’s harder to lose an accent later in life. However, with consistent speaking practice, you can train your mouth, lips, tongue, and cheeks to form Spanish sounds more naturally.

There’s no shortcut—it’s all about listening and repeating. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to reduce your native accent and improve your fluency.

4. Sing Your Way to Better Pronunciation

Singing in Spanish can significantly improve your pronunciation. But there’s a right and wrong way to do it:

❌ Wrong way – Singing loudly and trying to mimic sounds without understanding the words.
✅ Right way – Reading the lyrics while carefully pronouncing each word as you sing.

Once you’ve memorized both the lyrics and pronunciation, then you can sing with confidence and impress those around you! Singing also helps you master tricky sounds that might feel unnatural in normal speech.

5. Watch Spanish Videos and Movies

Whether it’s YouTube or movies, watching Spanish content exposes you to pronunciation, cultural context, and body language.

Start with subtitles, but aim to phase them out as your listening skills improve. Over time, you’ll naturally pick up new words and understand native speakers more easily.

Final Thoughts

By incorporating these techniques into your daily routine, you’ll build confidence, improve pronunciation, and develop a more natural way of thinking in Spanish. Which tip are you excited to try first? Let us know in the comments!

Some well-produced movies in recent years have come from Colombian Cinema. Here are a few suggestions:

En Los Brazos del Serpiente

El Sendero del Anaconda

La Cara Occulta

If you have cinematic productions, and/or documentaries to suggest, from other Latin countries please leave a comment below. We will add your advice to this list both to help broaden our own horizons as well as those of our readers as they learn Spanish.

Basic Phrases in Spanish

Now that you have your technique down, here is an article we wrote recently to learn the basic phrases! Enjoy!

Conclusion

These Five Techniques for Learning Spanish are more than sufficient for the self-motivated and driven learner to begin their journey.

We offer a special Beginners Spanish program which features two elements:

Culture: Where we will actually discuss cultural norms, gestures, common sayings and wisdom which will help you integrate and adapt.

Language: We are not advertising this as a replacement for a native speaker. We can give you a unique introduction to speaking Spanish from the perspective of a foreign resident who has 10+ years of language study experience and exceptional pronunciation.

Coffee Axis Travel Urgently Needs Your Help!

As the pandemia, the protests, and so many other limitations we are facing takes their toll on the economy, many of us are struggling to keep it all together.

We have a two part project which we feel you are going to LOVE!

The first part of it, is selling nice prints of our photos that you can take home as a souvenir, or even print in a variety of ways.

The second part, is to open a museum-like gallery experience which offers not only nicely printed photos, but a pueblo experience which will immerse you in the coffee axis and inspire you to visit the top destinations of this region!

Click here to learn how you can help us do something unique to drive local economies of the Colombian Coffee Region!

Get ready for an epic adventure! Pre-order Passport to Passion on August 1st for just $9.99!  Dive into my wild telenovela-to-truth love story, learn how to master the secrets of Coffee Axis romance, and unlock friendship culture how-to guides for good living in Colombia!  Don’t miss out—grab it now at Gumroad (a secure payment portal for selling digital materials) for a secure checkout or support new dating content on https://coffeetraveler.gumroad.com/l/LoveDatingGoodLivingColombia  

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-erin-create-a-4d-photo-gallery-experience

By clicking the previous link you are helping us create a 4D Gallery Experience where visitors, and locals, can connect with distant parts of the Colombian Coffee Axis – and even bring it home as a memory!

If you still aren’t quite there, we also recommend a great school in Pereira, Colombia for learning Spanish! 

Mr. Fox Spanish School is our top pick!