The Secret to Learning Spanish Faster： Know Your Learning Type!

Hola amigos, my name is Gabby and I have a question for you. Have you been trying to learn Spanish and you feel bored, tired, sometimes you feel like you don't make any progress? Well, I have good news for you, in this video I'm going to show you that the problem is maybe not you, the problem is the way how you are learning. I've been a Spanish teacher for more than 18 years and I discovered that my students sometimes get frustrated because they know they learned a lot in Duolingo, but when they want to speak they cannot and they ask me why works for one and not for the other one. Well, it's very simple and because that person has a different style of learning, but no worries, in this video I'm going to help you to discover the reason. Why learning styles matter? Well, first remember that every person is different. You cannot do the same things, you don't like to do the same hobbies and you are not the same person as your classmate or your partner. Second, once you figure out the best way for you to learn the Spanish or any language, you will find it very fun and you enjoy it and the progress becomes natural. I remember one of my students told me, Gabi, I don't like grammar and I said, it's okay, I don't like it too. We need to figure out the best way for you to introduce grammar into learning style. Some other students find that once they found that reading is very helpful for them to increase vocabulary. Well, then let's do it. Now how to figure out your style? I've been researching some videos with people that speak more than five languages to figure out what is the techniques that they use to learn languages. I have it in another video, you can go and check this, the video, the three tricks to help you to learn Spanish easier and I tell you there how you can find a good way to improve your vocabulary and learn faster. But while I was watching these videos, I also discovered that some people have different styles and according to my students, I tried to make like a research by my own and I discovered the five fun learning styles and I'm going to explain it now to you. So please notice that this is not an official research, it's something that I figured out with my experience, watching some videos, reading. So let's figure out what is yours and use it in the best practical way. Number one, the watcher. And this is myself. How am I going to explain you? The watcher is the person that likes to watch videos, TV, movies, shows, documentaries, movies, everything in TV or in the computer or in the phone and you learn by hearing and watching. What I said is mine, it's my style, it's because I learned my English. Of course, sorry, I don't have the best pronunciation sometimes, sometimes, but I learned all my English by watching TV. I used to like to watch very stupid shows because I think I didn't want to pay all my attention to the show so I could watch reality shows. I remember I started with Jersey Shore. It was fun, it was a bit light, let's say, vocabulary was very repetitive. The Bachelor, that was another one and at some point I changed to my favorite show, Friends. So I watched Friends so many times in Spanish. I knew all the dialogues so when I watched it in English it was easy for me to make connections and to understand how they sound, how the words sound and even the jokes. At some point I understood that translating the jokes was not the same. I liked it so much that I did it many, many times and that's the way I learn languages today. Also, I do it in German. When I want to learn some German, I watch reality shows. For me, it's definitely reality shows is the best way because they are more simple. But maybe you like something more deeper, well, then YouTube. YouTube is a good option. They have videos for 20 minutes, 15 minutes like this one and you can watch it. Maybe traveling blogs, maybe an influencer visiting your favorite destination. How we learn with this style? Well, we try to watch a video and then figure out the sounds, making some of the words, copying, writing and at some point you start understanding and also speaking because you can also mimic the sounds. One example how to do it is, for example, I have my student Mary. She didn't like grammar at all. So what we do is she watch La Casa de Papel, which is a very famous show in Spain, from Spain. Quite difficult to understand, but she liked it so much. So I said, you can watch it, but you need to put or you need to turn on the subtitles, the titles and highlight the words that she doesn't know. This is a really good practice because you can watch, you can read and you can hear. So multiple senses are also activated. Tip number two, the jammer. Well, I call it the jammer because I couldn't find anything. Maybe the listener. Well, both works. This person likes to learn. This person does in their spare time listen to music or podcasts or audiobooks. If you are one of those that like to listen to music while driving or a podcast while driving, why not to switch this podcast for something in Spanish, a Spanish podcast? That would be amazing. I'm working on it in one right now. So soon you can have my podcast as well to learn Spanish. Well, I have a really good example for this. I have one student that I adore and he really likes reggaeton. So he likes to hear some music from reggaeton. And after he copies the lyrics or he reads the lyrics in Spotify and he knows many words. Of course, it's not easy to understand Barboni. Of course, it's so complicated. I don't understand him sometimes, but it's a fun way to learn. Also, he likes to dance. And when he goes to the discotheques or traveling in South America, he can dance and he sings all the songs out loud. And this is also fun for him because he's learning, dancing and again, multiple senses activated. Number two, the reader. Yes, the reader is, sounds very logical, right? Someone who likes to read. Of course, at the beginning, it's not easy to read the Spanish books. It's not easy. I understand that vocabulary can be complex and you have to remember that writers, they like to make complicated vocabulary for the book. They want to sound smart. So it's not that easy. But you can start reading small blogs. There is a lot of articles and internet blogs from other teachers where they explain grammar or they explain short stories in Spanish and English. So you can start from there. And also, if you have a favorite book. I have one student, Claire. She loves to read Harry Potter. She basically knew all the books. So she decided to read all the Harry Potter in Spanish because she knew what's happening in the story and she liked to read the vocabulary in Spanish. You know, one of the very important things from the polyglots, for the people that speak many languages, they said that they always have their own methods and they do it in their own time. And most of them, they like to read. So I will definitely recommend, try to read something, but make it simple. Maybe studying for children's books. Oh, like I said, exercises in the books is also a good idea. You can buy yourself a grammar book and you can start reading over there. That also works because all the grammar books have short stories that you can start learning, right? And then I have the number four, the chatter. Well, the chatters are, I'm not going to say they are my favorite, but maybe they are. Well, the thing is like, these people, the namesakes, they like to chat. So they learn by socializing, chatting, talking with people and traveling. I have a Spanish school on the beach. And so in Ecuador, it's a very nice place. We work with a hotel, a surf camp where people come, learn how to surf. We have a restaurant. We have many things. And my clients normally come with zero Spanish. And then when they are in the hotel, they have to speak with the waiter because they don't speak English. And they also have to talk with the people at the reception. They might speak a bit of English, of course, but they will try to help you in Spanish if you want to practice your Spanish. And then we are located in a very small town, Montanita. And this small town is a mix, a very multicultural town. It's a mix of cultures. So you will find people that speak English, of course, but you will also find a lot of locals and people from Argentina and Chile that move in Montanita because it's a touristic town and they will speak with you Spanish gladly. So most of the people that comes with zero lives with a level from this town because they like to chat. So if you're a chatter, I definitely recommend you to find a tandem where you can practice or travel to South America, which is the best option for you. Finally, we have the writer. I couldn't find a better name for this group. I know it's not just about writing. It's also about typing. And this group is probably the best example is the people who likes Duolingo because Duolingo also creates this system that you can chat, you can write, you can connect things visually. So it's more like a writing. Also this belongs to people that likes to do flashcards or the people that like to write their own vocabulary in their own way. For me, the best option for them, for the writers, is to do their own vocabulary. Also write their own text, like a journaling. That could be also a good option. How to discover what kind of learner are you? Well, in the description I put a link with a questionnaire, with a test to figure out what kind of learner are you. You can learn absolutely for free, just click on the description. And also, if I'm honest with you, we are all different. So it might be a combination of both. So maybe you are a watcher, but also a chatter, like me. So use this in your advantage. The most important is like you know what kind of learner are you. And then you can also tell your teacher. Maybe your teacher can create a program and focus on those key points. In our online courses, we offer programs created based on your skills and what talents and things that you actually enjoy to learn Spanish. So if you want to know more, just go to the website, send me a message and don't forget to follow for more information. Tell me in the comments what kind of learner are you. And I will also post in the next videos kind of some programs focused on the personality or type of learner that are you. And don't forget to follow and click on the bell, follow us for more information. And I'm happy here to see you soon.