“My boyfriend’s family loves that I can finally join in their conversations” #BaseLangStories

As a Kiwi living in Europe, Viva was used to people around her switching to English, including her Argentinian boyfriend. She dove headfirst into learning her first new language through BaseLang during the covid lockdowns, and was soon having discussions with her boyfriend and his friends in Spanish.

BaseLangStories series puts the spotlight on BaseLang students – asking them about their motivations for learning a foreign language, what impact learning Spanish has had on their lives, advice they have for fellow students, and more.

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is Viva (yes, you might recognise it as a Spanish word, but I have no Spanish background!). I’m originally from New Zealand, but due to my job as a freelance dancer, I have been living in many different countries throughout Europe for the last eight years. These include: The Netherlands, England, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium and Spain (Gran Canaria).

Why did you want to learn Spanish?

While growing up in New Zealand, I never learnt a second language in school. This was never really an issue until I moved to Europe and it quickly became apparent that most people here speak at least two languages and often many more.

I felt awkward and embarrassed always being the one in a group of people that only spoke English. I also felt guilty that everyone would have to make an effort to speak English in order to include me in conversations. This became especially frustrating after meeting my Argentinian boyfriend while working together in Austria. His English is great (often better than mine!), but when socialising with his friends and family, of course the conversation would naturally and unintentionally always revert back to Spanish. I felt like I was missing out on the jokes and I couldn’t contribute anything to the conversation.

After a few too many dinner parties with Spanish speakers where I was smiling and nodding but with no idea what was going on, I thought “enough is enough!”, and I finally committed to learning Spanish.

In the past, what did you use to learn Spanish?

I started learning Spanish using various language apps on my phone (I even went through periods of paying extra money for premium benefits which now seems so ridiculous as I improved more after just one week with BaseLang!). I learnt some basic vocabulary and phrases like, “the car is red”, but the idea of being able to construct my own sentences one day seemed impossible.

I also tried practising with my boyfriend, but it wasn’t very successful. He would get impatient because I would always forget what he taught me, and I got frustrated because I could only communicate in a simplistic way. I have to give him some credit though, the very first thing he taught me in Spanish was “te amo”, which I think is pretty cute!

Before BaseLang, which part of learning Spanish did you struggle with the most?

As well as not learning a second language in school, I also didn’t learn much about English grammar, so when learning Spanish I struggled to understand grammar rules and then apply them when speaking. I tried learning from textbooks, but I got confused and quickly lost interest.

I am a very visual learner so after my first few lessons with BaseLang, I made hundreds of post-it notes with verb conjugations and I put them up all over the house to help me remember – it really worked… although I might need to repaint some walls now!

What obstacle would have prevented you from signing up for BaseLang before?

I think like most people, time was a big obstacle for me. A silver lining of the recent lockdown was that I suddenly had a lot more time. I don’t think I would’ve started Spanish classes if it wasn’t for that. I stumbled across BaseLang during a really low point for me –  it was the middle of a harsh European winter, I had lost almost all of my normal work and I was stuck in a small attic flat in Brussels. I thought, “if now isn’t a good time to learn Spanish, there never will be!”.

I really committed to my classes and did an average of two hours every day for a few months. I think this was really beneficial as I improved very quickly and this motivated me to keep going.

Now that I have started working full-time again, it is more challenging to maintain consistent classes and I really miss being able to dedicate so much time to learning. I have to focus on quality not quantity, I am grateful for every hour I manage to squeeze in and I try to make the most of every class.

What did you find as a result of signing up?

I was really surprised with how quickly I improved after signing up to BaseLang. After completing the first few levels and learning some grammar and verb conjugations, I was able to have more and more complex conversations in Spanish with my boyfriend. Now that I have the basics, I try to speak to his family and friends in Spanish. Of course, I make a lot of mistakes, but everyone really appreciates the effort and they encourage me to keep trying.

What specific feature did you like the most about the Real World program?

I love that you can select favourite teachers. This has enabled me to build a rapport with some amazing people who now feel as much like friends as they do teachers. I like the laid back feeling of the program and the ability for students to be able to choose what they want to practise. Learning Spanish with BaseLang keeps it fun. I look forward to my classes and they remain a hobby that I can enjoy, rather than another job that I have to tick off each day.

How has learning Spanish impacted your life?

As I am constantly living in different countries, not speaking the language can take its toll. I was so happy to be living in Spain recently because I loved doing simple tasks like going to the supermarket or taking a bus and actually being able to talk to people in their own language rather than relying on them to speak English.

Now that I am in Austria, I really miss being able to communicate with the locals as it made such a difference to my way of life in Spain. Now I need to learn German too, but one step at a time!

Would you recommend this course? If so, why?

Absolutely! I wouldn’t have continued learning Spanish if it wasn’t for BaseLang. It offers so much flexibility and choice to learn what really interests you. I recommend BaseLang to every person I meet who has even the smallest interest in learning. People often think I am an ambassador or promoter for the company because I talk about it with such conviction and enthusiasm! BaseLang is so easy to use and it is incredible value for money – signing up is a decision I will never regret!

Complete the following sentence: “After my first month of BaseLang, I realized that…”

learning a new language is actually possible and it’s never too late to start!

Anything else to add?

Consistency is key! Do something to practise everyday, no matter how big or small that is. Immerse yourself in different ways of learning – classes, exercise books, podcasts, songs, movies and television series. Also don’t be afraid to make mistakes, there’s no punishment or judgement and you can learn a lot from them!