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Learning How to Speak Spanish? 5 Tricks for Beginners Nicole Canún Homeschool Spanish Academy

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These tricks to learn Spanish will be the extra push you need to master this wonderful new language!

Beginners can find learning Spanish a bit hard. You need a curriculum to follow, objectives, and mark deadlines on your calendar. 

Organization, self-motivation, and tenacity play a key role in this process.

We consider that the best incentive, and the inspiration for this post, is to speak a bit of Spanish from day one. 

Do you know someone that has studied a language for years but can’t handle basic conversations?

We put together a couple of extra links to help you hack this task, so be sure to read those articles too.

Follow these tricks to learn Spanish; they can help you speak any other language in no time!

Join 559 million people on the planet who speak Spanish!
Sign up for your free trial Spanish class today.

1. Tricks to Learn Spanish: Use Similar Words

Did you know many words are used both in Spanish and English?

These words can help you focus on grammar instead of vocabulary and spelling. Here are some of them:

Actor

Animal

Chocolate

Flexible

Hospital

Regular

These are called “perfect cognates” and are the same in Spanish and English. Just keep in mind that the pronunciation is different in Spanish. 

Read next: 35 Perfect Cognates in Spanish [Words You Already Know!]

Adjectives that end in -ous become –osa for feminine and –oso for masculine, like this:

Ambitious – ambicioso, ambiciosa

Anonymous – anónimo, anónima

Anxious – ansioso, ansiosa

Curious – curioso, curiosa

Delicious – delicioso, deliciosa

Disastrous – desastroso, desastrosa

Famous – famoso, famosa

Furious – furioso, furiosa

Generous- generoso, generosa

Glamourous – glamuroso, glamurosa

Glorious – glorioso, gloriosa

Harmonious – armonioso, armoniosa

Infectious – infeccioso, infecciosa

Ingenious – ingenioso, ingeniosa

Intravenous – intravenoso, intravenosa

Luminous – luminoso, luminosa

Luxurious – lujoso, lujosa

Malicious – malicioso, maliciosa

Meticulous – meticuloso, meticulosa

Monstrous – monstruoso, monstruosa

Mysterious – misterioso, misteriosa

Numerous – numeroso, numerosa

Ominous – ominoso, ominosa

Prestigious – prestigioso, prestigiosa

Religious – religioso, religiosa

Scandalous – escandaloso, escandalosa

Scrupulous – escrupuloso, escrupulosa

Spacious – espacioso, espaciosa

Superstitious – supersticioso, supersticiosa

Studious – estudioso, estudiosa

Tedious – tedioso, tediosa

Vicious – vicioso, viciosa

Victorious – victorioso, victoriosa

Vigorous – vigoroso, vigorosa

Rigorous – riguroso, rigurosa

See next: 11 Best Free Spanish Language Learning Websites

This trick to learn Spanish has a second part. There are adjectives that end in -ous that have the Spanish word hidden in it:

Ambiguous – ambiguo, ambigua

Analogous – análogo, análoga

Anomalous – anómalo, anómala

Autonomous – autónomo, autónoma

Barbarous – bárbaro, bárbara

Contiguous – contiguo, contigua

Continuous – continuo, continua

Credulous – crédulo, crédula

Erroneous – erróneo, errónea

Frivolous – frívolo, frívola

Heterogeneous – heterogéneo, heterogénea

Homogeneous – homogéneo, homogénea

Horrendous – horrendo, horrenda

Incredulous – incrédulo, incrédula

Instantaneous – instantáneo, instantánea

Notorious – notorio, notoria

Obvious – obvio, obvia

Precarious – precario, precaria

Previous – previo

Prosperous – próspero, próspera

Ridiculous – ridículo, ridícula

Serious – serio, seria

Simultaneous – simultáneo, simultánea

Spontaneous – espontáneo, espontánea

Superfluous – superfluo, superflua

Synonymous – sinónimo

Tremendous – tremendo, tremenda

Unanimous – unánimo, unánima

Various – varios, varias

Remember, we can’t forget to learn words that are similar but slightly different:

Academic – académico, académica

Aesthetic – estético, estética

Artistic – artistíco, artística

Chaotic – caótico, caótica

Civic – cívico, cívica

Democratic – democrático, democrática

Eccentric – excéntrico, excéntrica

Ethic – ético, ética

Epic – épico, épica

Fanatic – fanático, fanática

Lyric – lírico, lírica

Politic – político, política

Prophetic – profético, profética

Rhetoric – retórico, retórica

Your next read: 100+ Free Spanish Lessons Online for Beginners and Advanced Learners

There are also words that end in -tion which in Spanish end in –ción:

Action – acción

Animation – animación

Creation – creación

Deduction – deducción

Devotion – devoción

Digestion – digestión

Donation – donación

Duration – duración

Education – educación

Emotion – emoción

Evolution – evolución

Fiction – ficción

Friction – fricción

Mention – mención

Nation – nación

Nutrition – nutrición

Position – posición

Promotion – promoción

Salvation – salvación

Section – sección

Solution – solución

Station – estación

Vibration – vibración

More about “sister words”: 85 Common Spanish Words You Already Know

2. Tricks to learn Spanish: Train Your Ear Quicker

Sometimes traditional school learning is not enough. But fear not. You can find many ways to help you understand a new language in the modern world. 

Some of the best tricks to learn Spanish involve ear training. Why? Because Spanish phonetics is different from English phonetics. So, you need to educate your senses to mimic the sounds better.

If you do this right, you will sound like a native in no time. 

Music is a great way to start. Have you noticed that singers don’t really have an accent? Irish singers and American singers sound alike sometimes, don’t they? 

This happens with Spanish too!  

Here is a playlist with famous, easy-to-learn songs in Spanish that include bilingual subtitles.

While you’re at it, you might practice your singing as well!

Read ahead: 10 Top Online Classes You Can Take for Free

3. Tricks to learn Spanish: Watch Spanish-Speaking Shows

Some people learn Spanish by watching shows from Latin America or Spain. You’d be surprised how many Latin Americans have learned English watching Friends

You can do it too! Just look for shows that appeal to you. Studies have shown that the more you’re interested in a topic, the better you can engage and learn from it. 

If you’re into drama, watch Monarca, a series about a wealthy family and their eternal fight for money and public acknowledgment. 

Do you like sports comedies like Ted Lasso? Then, look for Club de Cuervos and see how two siblings try to manage a soccer club and control the team’s funny, iconic, and famous players.

Do you want to find some old-fashion drama? Then watch Velvet, a 1950s Spanish show where the main characters are part of the local fashion scene.

Click here for more ideas!

4. Tailor an Immersive Experience

“Immersion” means learning a new language the way you learned your mother tongue by being exposed to it constantly.

If you’re not planning to go to a Spanish-speaking country any time soon, remember that you can have an immersive experience at home.

Try watching shows, listening to music, or speaking at home by yourself. Or even better, speak with a native Spanish speaker for a set of hours every week. 

This will let your brain develop skills like contextualizing and internalizing information in an “unintentional” way.

Immersion also fundamentally impacts your confidence, making it easier for you to engage in casual conversations quicker and better.

5. Practice with a Native Speaker

We saved the best for the end! The best trick to learning Spanish is to practice with a native speaker.

Do you have any friends who speak Spanish? They can help you out!

Real Spanish will help you to train your ear, have access to a more immersive experience, and learn contextualization in the most natural way. 

We highly recommend signing up for classes with real humans who work with expert-certified curricula and can help you speak Spanish from day one. 

At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we provide native and authentic Spanish lessons with innovative, human-centered learning strategies.

Our student-tailored Spanish program with flexible scheduling will help you achieve your learner-specific language goals.

We’ve been teaching Spanish for over 10 years, which is why students love our 5-star Spanish program. We can’t wait for you to join us. So schedule a free class today!

Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these…

“This is the best way for your kid to learn Spanish. It’s one-on-one, taught by native Spanish speakers, and uses a curriculum.”

– Sharon K, Parent of 3

“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”

– Cindy D, Parent of 3

“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”

– Erica P. Parent of 1

Want more free Spanish lessons, fun content, and easy learning strategies for kids? Check these out!

Learning How to Speak Spanish? 5 Tricks for Beginners
Importance of Cultural Immersion for Children Learning Spanish
Child Bilingualism: Language Mixing vs Code-Switching
13 Ways To Mix Social Spanish Into Your Child’s Daily Routine
6 Benefits of Spanish Immersion for Children
Homeschool Spanish Academy vs the Cultured Kid 
How To Learn Spanish at Home for Beginners
10 Ways Learning Spanish Can Improve Your Child’s Behavior

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Read More These tricks to learn Spanish will be the extra push you need to master this wonderful new language! Beginners can find learning Spanish a bit hard. You need a curriculum to follow, objectives, and mark deadlines on your calendar.  Organization, self-motivation, and tenacity play a key role in this process. We consider that the best
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