One of the most common questions when learning a new language is always “where can I practice it?” And, though there are tons and tons of resources out there, we seem to get a bit lost and don’t know what to choose or where to even start. Take into account that, yes you can learn it all by yourself, but it’s better to combine your personal learning with some online Spanish group classes, a conversational or language exchange, or immersing yourself in the culture (better when Covid-19 is fully controlled). With that being said, here we’ll give you some really good options of where to practice Spanish so you can keep up your learning journey and most importantly, have fun!
The first two things you need to have clear are the type of Spanish you want to learn and what particular thing you want to practice: is it grammar? Fluency? Vocabulary? Typical words? Pronunciation? These two things are important because they will narrow your options when you are looking for a place to practice Spanish.
For grammar, vocabulary, and culture: Whee Institute Spanish Tips
There’s no better way of learning than by having fun! With Whee Institute’s Spanish Tips you can practice grammar, vocabulary and get to know a lot about Spanish and Latin American culture. Whee’s focus is always to put the student and their happiness and learning, at the center of everything (aka happiness revolution). Our blog is full of super useful infographics, games, and quizzes that have been used by students of all levels in their Spanish online lessons, and that proves that online language education can be tons of fun. It’s divided into four categories that cover major topics: vocabulary, grammar, culture, and learning experiences. You can learn and practice basic verbs, words and expressions, everyday vocabulary, slang, and much more.
Visit the Spanish Tips blog here.
Aaand, in case you want to book a weekly class, visit our website www.wheeinsitute.com. You can also try the class before and see if it’s for you before committing to the week (which we are 200% sure you will love!).
Whee is always here for you!
Culture, slang and curiosities: Quora / Reddit
Within all the resources out there, online communities must be one of the most practical and effective ways to learn new stuff about a language. So, if you want to go deeper into the cultural aspect of a type of Spanish or if you want to learn more slang, we recommend you to join groups and discussion boards in Quora and Reddit. The best thing about these resources is that they give you tons of added value and knowledge from the same participants: it’s people talking directly to people. They could be experts in the field or just regular citizens, but everyone is willing to genuinely ask questions or answer based on what they know and on what they have experienced.
Go to Quora here and Reddit here.
If you haven’t found what you are looking for, we are pretty sure you’ll find it on Quora on Reddit, just take the step and ask anything, whether it is curious, weird, quirky, etc… Take advantage of this great tool to practice your Spanish and you can really get tons out of it!
Grammar rules and pronunciation: SpanishDict and Fluentu
Grammar is an essential part of Spanish or any other language; practicing it will not only help you to understand it better but to correct your mistakes and realize how words and sentences are formed. There are many many online resources to practice Spanish grammar between web pages, blogs, apps, courses, etc…, We recommend to try SpanishDict and FluentU, both cover a wide variety of grammar topics that you can practice such as subjunctive, irregular nouns, preterite, present tense, and much more. All these topics are displayed in a fun and clear way that makes it easier to practice and enjoy.
Go to SpanishDict by clicking here and FluentU here.
Grammar is all about consistent practice, and with time, you’ll notice that even the things that seem more difficult, become easier to grasp and master. Remember that this is part of the language learning journey it’s amazing when you see what you are capable of!
Conversational: Speaking communities and Facebook groups
There’s no complete language practice without speaking, and this is hard because it’s usually the most difficult part to practice online. Who can I talk with? Is somebody willing to have a conversation and practice? These are some of the questions that people think about. A good option if you want to practice conversational Spanish, is to join Facebook groups and speaking communities. You’ll find a lot of like-minded people that are looking for someone to practice and just have a conversation with. This will improve your speaking a lot because you’ll put it to the test while practicing accentuation, accents, intonation, and vocalization; plus, you can talk about interesting topics of any kind.
You can join groups such as:
– Learning Spanish
– Learn And Practice Spanish And English With Native Speakers
– I speak/learn/want to learn Spanish! 🙂
Remember that you can learn a lot of grammar and vocabulary, but if you don’t practice your speaking, you are not going to progress as far. Conversation enables you to assimilate and integrate knowledge in the form of oral communication, so don’t forget to give it a go!
BONUS: Whee also offers Spanish conversational classes! If you want to talk about various topics without being in a class per se, you can join for one hour each day (Monday to Friday) and talk with fellow learners about any topic that might be of interest while practicing Spanish.
Vocabulary: Duolingo
Learning vocabulary is one of the most important things you need to practice a language; without a good knowledge of it, you’ll not understand things as much and you’ll not communicate successfully because you won’t be able to express your ideas. However, vocabulary is much more than just learning words, it’s also learning how to use them in a sentence, and Duolingo is a good option for that. And, though it is not the only one, a language app like Duolingo offers you a good range of basic words and expressions while practicing and understanding their use in sentences and situations.
Go to Duolingo by clicking here.
Nonetheless, don’t just use Duolingo to practice your Spanish vocabulary, it’s great for basics, but mix it with other tools and options (refer to the point right below).
Vocabulary, slang, listening, and culture: Read books, watch series and listen to podcasts and music
Whether not “academic” per se, books, podcasts, movies, and series are probably one of the best ways (if not the best) to practice any language, including Spanish. You’ll not only be able to practice a wide range of vocabulary but also understand slang, cultural aspects and just listen and watch how people act and respond in different situations. All these are highly useful resources that enable you to “attack” a language on all fronts and master it with continuous practice; in other words, you’ll connect dots and see the “bigger picture”.
In the case of books, they contain such a rich language in the form of stories, that by reading just a few pages everyday, you’ll learn a lot of new vocabulary and how to apply it. With movies and series, you’ll get visual examples and cues that are going to help your brain remember more in an easier way. And with podcasts and music, besides hearing great stories, lyrics and melodies,, you’ll be able to listen to how native people express and talk about different topics or about their own feelings.
Here are some examples to use for your practice:
Books
- La Tortuga y La Libre by Tina Valles
- First Spanish Reader: A Beginner’s Dual-Language Book” by Angel Flores
- Enola Holmes y el sorprendente caso de Lady Alistair” by Nancy Springer
- Cuentos de la selva by Horacio Quiroga
Movies and series
- La Casa de Papel
- Distrito Salvaje
- No
- El Secreto de Sus Ojos
Podcasts
- 13%
- Coffee Break Spanish
- Notes in Spanish
- Diana Uribe
Remember that on Whee’s Instagram, we publish recommendations regularly for many different types of Spanish, and with a lot of cool and useful grammar, vocabulary, and cultural info 🙂 Check them all here.
We know it could be hard to find good resources to practice Spanish, but we also hope that we have given you some useful options that can boost your language learning. No matter if you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner, all these options will help you in your journey of conquering the amazing and interesting world of Spanish!
