Learning and Using Spanish in Valencia, Spain

This information was provided by: AIP Language Institute is a Spanish Language and Cultural Institute located in Valencia (Spain) at the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. AIP Language Institute guarantees educational holidays and efficient Spanish language learning in Valencia (Spain). AIP Language Institute a new way to learn Spanish.
http://www.spanishinvalencia.com

There are 800,000 people in Valencia and there are days when you may feel like they are all on the same bus with you. Not just in Valencia, but in any city in Spain, you might feel crowded, pushed and bumped, especially when using public transportation, waiting in line or in the social sphere out at night, at concerts, etc. The main thing to remember is not to get exasperated and give up.

Using a foreign language for a long period of time is fun but exhausting. Until you have developed an efficient listening strategy, you pay too much attention to individual words. Relax! About two weeks in, exhaustion hits if you really have forced yourself to speak nothing but Spanish.

Allowing yourself to speak English frequently will not help you learn Spanish, so try to avoid doing so. It's hard to do this when English is so much easier for you, but if enough of you have this goal in mind, you will be able to maintain the use of Spanish in many situations. If you can, speak to AIP staff in Spanish. If you can't, of course you should use English!.

Everyone says they are going to Spain to "become fluent". Here is how to do it: when you get stuck, which is bound to happen, first, you learn to "talk around" the vocabulary you do not know, because you will never know all the words in Spanish any more than you know all the words in your language. Then, you wait for someone to suggest the right word for what you have just tried to describe. People usually do this. Then you end up asking what the word they have just suggested means, and they tell you. Then you have to figure out if that is the right word, unless you recognize it as a word you already knew. Depending on how they explain their word to you, you will probably also have to look up the word in your dictionary to see what it means. Your language growth will occur because of this whole procedure, so welcome it and learn to do it. Eventually, the new words stick, but often not the first time! This too is normal, so don't feel discouraged or embarrassed that you have to ask what something is called a million times.

Remember too that you control what you say; what you cannot control is how others speak to you. So even though you feel sheepish, you must ask if you do not know what you have been told. Also, don't be afraid to ask someone to slow down. Some Spaniards speak very fast. And, just like in English, there are many different accents and in Valencia, there is even another language that will something like Spanish to you: it's actually not. Warning: You will become fluent in Spanish by using this method, but you may also cement your mistakes. It is important to pay attention to what you are learning in class so that you are accurate as well as fluent. Having said all this, recognize that speaking English once in a while with a native speaker can be "refreshing"; you can permit yourself an occasional treat without serious qualms (remember: occasional).

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