When I was 18 years old, I spent one month in Barcelona, Spain, with a host family. When I came home, I could “speak” Spanish, enough to get by, enough to survive cafés and conversations, enough to feel proud of…
My dad was born in El Salvador, a country with a relatively neutral Central American accent. Yet, when I was 18, I went on exchange to Barcelona, Spain, where I learned and lived in “Castilian” Spanish. Over the years, as…
I learned Spanish as an adult. And I didn’t do it in the classroom. I did through countless fun memories, experiments, and intentional and accidental learning opportunities alike. I’ve come to believe that if you’re not having fun learning a…
I just finished reading the newest Hunger Games book in Spanish, Balada de pájaros cantores y serpientes. Each time I read in Spanish, I notice how I begin to think in it too, shaking the rust off my Spanish. New…
Since embarking on my Catalan language learning journey in Barcelona two years ago, I’ve grown curious about the areas outside politically-defined Spanish Catalonia where the language persists. One of these regions is known as “Catalunya Nord” or Northern Catalonia, a…
Learning Spanish as an adult has been bar none the most fulfilling adventure of my life. Yet, one of the most profound realizations of language learning for me has been that the learning never stops. It’s not as if you…
I have written extensively about my journey learning Spanish as an adult. Now I’ve also learned Catalan as an adult, and feel I have a unique twist on tips for adults specifically. When you ask people how to learn a…