Immersion is an ideal way to work toward becoming fluent, but spending an extended period of time in a foreign country requires preparation. Students get the most benefit from studying abroad if they have studied Spanish for a year or two and have a strong enough grasp of grammar that they can notice it in real speech, Beviá says.
Connecting with a native speaker to practice your grammar and vocabulary is a good way to reinforce your learning and expand it beyond exercises done in class or online. You may be able to find practice partners on web forums like the language exchange community on Reddit or through people from your chosen learning method.
It’s important that Spanish students find meaningful ways to use what they’ve learned every day, even if just for 15 or 20 minutes.
“The best way not to lose your proficiency in the language is to find contexts in which you can use it meaningfully,” Lacorte says. This can include “traveling to a Spanish-speaking country or area, volunteering for a community-based organization where Spanish is spoken regularly, (or) joining some kind of pen pal program or book club in the language.”
Whatever methods you use to learn to speak Spanish, Lacorte and Beviá agree that commitment and patience are key to retaining new language skills.
“You have to make time in your life and treat your language learning endeavor as one of your daily required activities, such as going to the gym,” Beviá says.