One of my top achievements of 2017 was learning Spanish after YEARS of laziness and procrastination. I attended a language school in Central America and Spanish became apart of my daily routine. I compiled a list of 4 resources that really helped me to enhance my Spanish skills.
- BBC Mundo — I have the app on my phone, it’s available on Android and iTunes. I read a news story aloud in Spanish every day. This helps me to practice my pronunciation and keep up with current world affairs. If you come across a word you aren’t sure how to pronounce, you can use Google Translate.
- Italki — This is a platform that connects you with language teachers across the globe. As I wanted to learn Latin American Spanish, I found a teacher from Colombia. It’s very affordable depending on your teacher’s rates. I would recommend using this platform, as I have lessons to practice my conversation skills.
- Duolingo — You probably have heard of Duolingo, I was wary about including it in my list because of this reason. However, it was definitely valuable, especially in the earlier stages. It helps with improving your vocabulary. I suggest joining a group this motivated me to keep using the app, as I wanted to be top of the leaderboard at the end of the week!
- Babbel — Once I had mastered the basics and I wanted to learn more about grammar and verb conjugations, I found Babbel. What I love about Babbel is the variety of courses available. There are courses on colloquial speech, food in Latin America and conversations at work, to name a few.
Bonus — WhyNotSpanish Youtube channel is great. Their listening activity videos are very well produced and the quizzes at the end really test your skills. They have helped me understand different Spanish accents from Colombian to Argentinian.
What are some of your favourite language resources?
