Well I have been putting this off longer than has really been comfortable.
I suppose the clue is in the phrase “learn to speak Spanish”.
It doesn’t say “learn to memorise a ton of Spanish vocabulary”.
And it certainly doesn’t say “learn to read lots of Spanish new sites”.
No, it definitely says “learn to SPEAK Spanish”.
Bugger!
That means I have got to go out and find someone to start speaking Spanish to.
I knew this was coming so I shouldn’t really be surprised.
That is the point of this whole exercise isn’t it. I am going to ride around Spain on my motorbike. That means it is probably a good idea that I get some Spanish under my belt.
So I can…..
…talk to people.
The trouble is… I am faced with all those fears that probably put many people off from trying to speak another language other than their own.
Getting it wrong, mis-pronouncing words, having my brain freeze up in the middle of ordering a drink at a bar…and all the other excuses people use.
I mentioned anticipating this problem in my post yesterday.
So today has been about sorting out someone to speak to.
Who Can I Get To Speak Spanish With?
There are two options.
Option #1 – Find a native Spanish speaker who is learning English and will trade time.
Option #2 – Find a native Spanish Teacher/Tutor who will help me directly with conversation AND learning.
I decided to consult Gabe Wyner’s book and his blog for advice on what to do and stumbled across this excellent post. It seems that since writing his book, he has evolved his approach to learning languages fast.
He now combines learning vocabulary AND learning grammar AND speaking with a tutor who helps him with both. And from his blog post, it seems to be making a big difference to even his advanced and sophisticated language learning abilities.
So I am going to follow suit.
Now all I need to do is find a tutor.
Fortunately, Gabe has got that covered too and he recommends iTalki.
It is a meeting place for language students and teachers/tutors and comes highly recommended by a number of polyglots I follow.
So I decided to sign up and find me a tutor!
Signing up is very straightforward. Once you are in, all you have to do is fill in some information about what you want and then your are on your way.
Finding a tutor couldn’t be easier.
All you have to do is:
- select your language (Spanish of course)
- which country they come from (as I am travelling around Spain, that is an easy choice to make)
- The language you want them to speak (this is where you stipulate you want a native speaker)
- What availability you have (time of day and days of the week)
- And a max hourly rate (if you are trying to keep to a budget)
- What level you are at (beginner obviously!)
Couldn’t be simpler!
And then you get all of the tutors who match your criteria.
For the selection shown in the example above, there were 92 tutors who met my criteria!
So how do you choose?
Well that is a great question and there isn’t really a single answer.
I scanned through the tutors and the main thing I was looking for was flexibility to work with me on my specific needs. There were plenty of tutors who had a programme they followed and provided the necessary resources. Perfect for some I am sure.
But not for me.
After a brief search I found one that looked perfect and booked a slot.
…gulp!
I had sent the tutor a message and then a couple of hours ago, I got confirmation.
It’s happening in 2 days time!
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