Learning Spanish as an Adult - It's not Impossible
There’s been a trend these last few years, actually for quite awhile now, of Americans and Canadians retiring to Mexico. Reduced incomes and downsizing as empty-nesters make our low cost of living extremely attractive at that particular stage in life. I believe as a retiree to Mexico you don’t have the same opportunity to learn Spanish and get immersed in the culture as you do if you move here when I did, at 20 years old. At 20, you’re just out of college and trained to study all day every day. You’re retaining information and regurgitating it without even realizing you’ve done it. I used to listen to recordings of my classes while I slept and ace tests without even studying. At that age, it just comes natural. Moving to a foreign country and learning another language just out of college was actually quite seamless.
It may not have been so simple had I come down 30 years later. In your 50s or 60s, you’re not at a time in life when you’re constantly spending time studying and memorizing information. For this reason learning Spanish as a retiree is possibly much more difficult than for a college student. More difficult? Yes, maybe. But impossible? Absolutely not. So what kind of tools can you use to be able to learn Spanish even in ‘tercer edad’?
Tools for Learning Spanish Later in Life
Most obvious would be Spanish courses with a native speaker. I think most of you have at least given this a go when you first came down. Conversational Spanish will be what is most valuable to you. Of course you’d like to be able to read and write but the most important is to be able to navigate your daily life with not only good grammar but a good accent. You don’t want to be that gringo that speaks OK Spanish and ‘gets by’. If you wan to fit in like a local, you’ll need perfect that accent and those conjugations down.
Media can help tremendously. Music, movies and shows in Spanish. Read subtitles. Listen to music in Spanish and look up the lyrics online or watch a YouTube video that has the lyrics included. Sit down with your dictionary and translate the song for yourself into English. This is going to help grasp the grammar tremendously. For example if I’m listening to a song and it says ‘tendre’, I might identify that it comes from the verb ‘tener’ meaning ‘to have’. I may not know exactly which form it takes. Maybe in my Spanish lessons I’ve only learned present tense - tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos and tienen. So what is this ‘tendre’? Should I look it up in the dictionary or even better in a grammar dictionary like 101 Spanish Verbs, I’ll find that ‘tendre’ means I will have in the future. I should have or will have as a goal with a wistful connotation. It’s so important to distinguish this as it changes the entire meaning. If you’re listening to a song that says ‘tendre tu corazon’, that means ‘I’ll succeed in winning you over, I’ll fight for your heart, I’ll do whatever it takes’. How different is that than ‘I have your heart! Stories will unfold and hopes and aspirations will unveil themselves when you truly understand your storyteller.
Socialize with locals IN SPANISH. Ask your neighbors, workers, waiters, store clerks to speak to you in Spanish. It can be hard because they also want to practice English. If you fall into speaking to them in English only it will be even harder to break that habit later. Even if you feel embarrassed or shy, at least try. Invite correction and take notes. You will improve but you have to try.
Be consistent. If you agree to classes Tuesday and Thursday at 4 pm, go! Don’t cancel even when you don’t feel like going. Do your homework and make it a priority. You will only get out what you put in.
Don’t give up! Don’t say '“Oh I’ve already been here 7 years, it’s too late”. It’s not too late. You CAN do this. It may have been easier for me than it will be for you but you can do it. Remember that continued education is what keeps our brain young. Plus you have to break up Tabasco Beach time with something, right?
If you are ready to start learning Spanish at any age, contact us. We can help you find the right teacher or program for your learning style. We would also love to hear your success stories! If you were able to gain fluency after retirement, please share your tips and show off your talent.
Que se cumplen todas sus metas,
Local Baja
