My Top Listening Tips
Can you read and write decently in Spanish, but feel hopeless when it comes to conversation? The conversation gap is a very common challenge for those who have taken a foreign language but haven’t had much practice.
After all, how do you have a conversation if you can’t understand the other person???
This blog post outlines my best tips for getting the right kind of practice to improve your listening skills.
The DuoLingo Spanish Podcast
I freaking LOVE this podcast. If you are at least an intermediate listener and you like good storytelling (think This American Life, Snap Judgement, etc.) and you want to practice your Spanish listening, try this one.
Real stories about real people are co-narrated by the host in English and the guest in Spanish. The Spanish-speaker usually speaks slowly and clearly, and the host won’t let you get too lost before jumping back in in English.
Even for advanced skill levels, this is a good one simply because the stories are so great!
Beginners Can Listen, Too!
I used to recommend the DuoLingo Spanish podcast to all my students who wanted practice listening until several of them tried it and then told me it was too difficult.
That is when I realized that I needed to create a separate listening resource for beginners, because there wasn’t anything out there that I liked.
In my free Facebook Group, and on the My Bilingual Heart membership site, I offer short videos to help beginners practice their listening skills on familiar topics. Most videos average about 2 minutes in length so you can fit them into your schedule until you feel more confident.
For Advanced Speakers
Are you a strong Spanish listener, and want to challenge yourself? TED en Español is a fantastic way to push yourself to the next level.
Just like TED talks in English, this podcast offers inspiring and technical speeches by scientists, designers, and educators … they just happen to be native speakers.
By listening to this podcast, you will expose yourself to technical and advanced vocabulary, complex grammar structures, fast speech, a variety of accents, PLUS the BEST part — fascinating information and ideas
I have more tips for you!
Speaking is the most intimidating skill to develop in Spanish, and typically the last to develop.
So if you feel like you haven’t “mastered” speaking yet, you’re not even close to being alone … and I have tips for you to help you improve!
But I won’t say any more … read my blog post to learn more! 😉
Practice speaking for FREE!
Twice monthly I offer a half-hour of free speaking practice to all My Bilingual Heart Members! These calls have no agenda other than to get you as much airtime as possible.
Once you are a member, you will have access to all the call information so you can join them whenever you like!
So come on in and get your speaking practice with me, personally!
Host a Bilingual Potluck at School
Most people wanting to learn a foreign language don’t have much access to native speakers with whom to practice. They have to wait until their next vacation just to have a conversation.
But not you, corazón! You already have access to Spanish-speaking families at school. Most foreign language learners would LOVE to have the opportunities to speak that you have!
The trouble is, you may not see your families often, and when you do it can feel rushed, pressured, or awkward depending on what is happening at the time.
So instead slow things down and host a bilingual potluck at your school. Half the time is English practice for parents and half is Spanish practice for teachers. Everyone is a teacher … everyone is a student … and no one has to be embarrassed.
It doesn’t take much to do this, but make your life easier by downloading my “Bilingual Bites” potluck guide.
5-Day Challenge to Get You Talking!
Speaking is a virtuous cycle of courage and confidence. The thing is, for a long LONG time, 99% of that cycle will need to be courage. No matter how strong your Spanish is, you will inevitably doubt yourself and the truth is … it is simply easier to stick to English. I’ve been there!
My job isn’t just to teach you Spanish, it is to get you out in the world SPEAKING IT. So I designed this 5-Day Spanish Challenge to get you speaking Spanish for five days straight, to step outside your comfort zone only to discover … speaking Spanish isn’t that scary after all.
This challenge is delivered to your in-box each day, and is good for beginners who want jumpstart their Spanish or for intermediates who haven’t spoken Spanish in a while and want to get started again.
Vocabulary Just for YOU
When you are acquiring new words, not all vocabulary is created equal.
The majority of your opportunities to practice will be about what is happening at school. So the generic vocabulary lists with the translations for “curtains” and “attic” or “clouds” and “trees” while nice to know, don’t meet your specific day-to-day needs.
This is the only place you can go to not just get high frequency vocabulary (for any situation), but also school-specific vocabulary divided into your needs (e.g. classes at school like “Writing”, locations like “second floor”, people like “PE teacher” or materials like “folder” or “newsletter”).
Calm Down. Get More Time.
Whether it is learning Spanish or doing anything else that is important to you, finding the time can be a challenge.
As a teacher, and having coached several teachers, I often find that much of our time issues have to do with lack systems that MATCH OUR NEEDS. (And we have very unique needs.)
Before I began teaching, I was a highly organized person … the kind who had a meltdown when I lost my planner in the Student Center my junior year of college.
Yet teaching kicked my you-know-what when it came to time management and organization. The demands on my mind were so much more and so different from anything I had experienced, I had no systems and little skill to cope with it.
Lucky for me, in my 4th year of teaching I discovered Maia Heyck-Merlin, who helped me get my life together! She wrote an extremely useful book full of examples and ideas, and she also leads live workshops.
If you can get your school to send you to one of the live workshops, I cannot recommend it enough. It was life-changing for me. Check here to see if there is one near you.
But another fantastic alternative is to get her book, which is on my own bookshelf. I am confident that if you take her advice and implement your new system, you will be able to make the time for the things that matter to you … like learning Spanish (or exercising or cooking dinner).
For non-classroom teachers or administrators
Once you step out of the classroom, your time systems have to change again. Instead of the highly routine daily schedule that leaves very clear pockets of time, now all of a sudden you have to plan out all day every day with very little imposed structure.
It’s a challenge! When I transitioned from leading dual language reading groups all day in Austin to being Dean of Students in St. Louis, I once again had that feeling of not being in control of my time.
And again Maia saved me! I encourage you once more to ask your school to send you to an in-person session. Maia is incredibly personable and helpful.
That being said, she also created this fabulous, practical and easy-to-use book to help you create a system that matches your needs, whether you can go to a session or not! This book also sits on my own bookshelf, and I will never get rid of it.
Meditate with Headspace
The #1 reason people don’t get enough practice speaking is that they don’t speak. The #1 reason they don’t speak is they’re afraid to make a mistake … to sound foolish. All the “what ifs” and fears bubble up in your stomach, words get caught in your throat, and … before you know it, the opportunity to interact is gone. *Poof!*
There is a ton of research showing the benefits of meditation on the brain. But what persuaded me was my own personal experience with the Headspace app.
I have tried to get into meditation at different times in my life, starting in college, but it never stuck. In fact, meditating seemed like a frustrating chore.
I have been using Headspace, however, since January 1, 2018, and I am totally in love.
In fact, remind me to write a blog on all the reasons I love it and all the amazing ways I have benefited from this app more than anything else in at least the last year. You NEED to try this.
I predict that in addition to the benefits that only you will know, it will make you less stressed overall, and less of a perfectionist … which is GREAT for building your courage to speak Spanish.
You can try it for free, and upgrade later if you want to unlock additional meditation series. But the free “Basics” course is still one of my favorites 6 months in.
Find a Spanish Conversation Group
Meetup.com is a great resource for connecting with others with similar interests where you live.
This resource is straightforward. Just go to meetup.com and see if there are any Spanish conversation groups near you!
Chances are the other people will also be non-native Spanish speakers, which is often a good confidence bridge so that speaking with native-speakers later doesn’t seem so impossible.
Take a friend with you. (That is the only way I’ve ever had the courage to go to meet-ups in the past.)
You don’t have to go abroad to be immersed
One of my biggest passions is exposing my students to opportunities to immerse themselves in Spanish right here in our home city.
If you are local to St. Louis, or if you’d consider coming for a weekend, you can sign up for my immersion experience list.
Sometimes we will do an evening field trip. Sometimes we will do a half-day experience, and we are even working on some full weekend retreats in partnership with others (like my friend Jazmin over at EspañYOGA).
Not in St. Louis? No problem.
Apart from meetup.com, I have other ideas for you to investigate if you’d like to arrange for some Spanish language field trips in your own city. Read my blog post to get ideas!