Learning Spanish and Dating a Native Speaker #BaseLangStories

At BaseLang, we have helped thousands of students accomplish their lifelong goal of speaking Spanish.

We invited some students to share their BaseLang Story, the impact that learning Spanish has had on their lives – and what advice for people who are also learning Spanish.

Meet Michaela, a Chicago-born nurse who is learning Spanish in order to cater to her Spanish speaking patients, and also be able to communicate with the family of her Spanish speaking boyfriend.

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Why did you start Learning Spanish?

I started learning Spanish because I love languages. I have learned German through self-teaching as well as through high school and college, and I studied abroad in Germany in high school for 10 months. I’ve always wanted to be trilingual and Spanish is a very useful, creative, expressive language that will allow me to communicate with many more patients in the hospital (yo soy una enfermera; I am a nurse), as well as communicate with my boyfriend’s family who is from Honduras.

Which part of learning Spanish have you struggled with most?

I have struggled most with speaking Spanish because I often hyper focus on learning the grammar structures and trying to understand what is being said to me. I have been teaching myself Spanish for the last year or so through various avenues, mostly grammar workbooks and Michel Thomas audio recordings, but I didn’t have a good way to practice speaking conversationally.

 

How long were you using BaseLang for?

I started Baselang at the beginning of this year! It has been about a month and I have been overwhelmed with how much progress I have made! I started as a beginner just piecing things together and through a little practice everyday (my goal has been to have one to two classes a day, so between 30 and 60 minutes) I have noticed my comprehension in conversations as well as speaking has significantly improved.

I now feel comfortable starting conversations and asking questions in Spanish! I am amazed. I have been a lifelong learner of languages and this is truly the first program I have found that is so comprehensive, thorough, and walks WITH you through each lesson as your own pace and schedule to help you succeed.

How has speaking Spanish improved your life?

Being able to hold conversations in Spanish has enabled me to form trusting relationships with my Spanish speaking patients at the hospital. It allows me to understand another culture in a deeper and more unique way. I am excited to see how I grow and learn in this language through BaseLang this year, I have very hopeful!

What do you wish you had known before you started to learn Spanish?

I wish I knew how fun it would be! I was intimidated at first because learning a whole new language can be daunting but it really just takes practice (and you MUST be having fun while you learn or it won’t stick), which is why learning with BaseLang is so effective! I would’ve started BaseLang sooner as well. At first it seems intimidating to have Skype sessions with a native speaker but every teacher I have had has been energetic, creative, and very friendly and they go at your own pace and track your progress for you! I also would recommend using the flashcards they provide on Memrise to really solidify the learning.

Favourite BaseLang Teacher and why?

My favorite teacher is Angel because he was my first teacher and made me feel very welcome and gave a really good overview of the program. He is very interactive and speaks mostly Spanish but then also translates some afterwards so you really start to pick it up quickly! He focused on conversation but also makes sure pronunciation and grammar aren’t missing either! He’s great:)

Advice for other BaseLang Students

Start now!

Seriously, if you are like me and are interested in being conversational or fluent in Spanish this is the place for you. I wanted to join a Spanish class but I work different days each week so I love that I can schedule classes to fit my schedule! I truly believe that this program helps me learn significantly more than in a classroom setting (and from the comfort of my house too!) because it is one on one and you learn what you want to learn! My advice would be to do just a little each day, don’t try to do 3 hours one day because you’ll be less likely to do it the following day and it won’t sink in ( kind of like training in the gym, you need time for your muscles/ brain to heal and let it sink in!). Also, you will progress as fast as you will let yourself, so dive deep! Write things down, get yourself a little notebook for Spanish and just jot some notes and phrases down.

Good luck

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Read BaseLang Story #1 here about Jacob, a BaseLang student who traveled Latin America while using BaseLang to learn Spanish

If you are serious about learning Spanish in 2018, then we would love to be part of your story.

At BaseLang, you get unlimited one-on-one Spanish tutoring with professional teachers, over video chat, for just $179 a month.

Your first week is just $1. And we have a negative-risk guarantee: if at any point in the first 35 days, you don’t absolutely LOVE BaseLang, we’ll give you a full refund plus $20 extra for wasting your time.

You can sign-up here