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As a language teacher, a major problem I see for a lot of students is their lack of commitment. They claim to be passionate about learning this new language, but then they despair that it's too hard, or that they're not smart enough. I'm here to dispel those two reasons. I firmly believe that anyone can learn Spanish, regardless of their intelligence, as long as they are committed and go about it in an intelligent fashion.

If you want to become very proficient in speaking Spanish, then it requires time. I recommend doing something each day that will help you learn. I don't mean to say you must dedicate entire days to this, not at all. 30 minutes a day is a great amount of time. If you can commit to 30 minutes a day of intelligent study (And that is key) then you will amaze yourself with how well you progress. So let's get started on creating a daily plan that you can put into practice immediately.

You will need a few tools to complete this plan. A two way dictionary, a phrase book, and either an audio product or some Spanish reading materials (newspaper, childrens books etc). I highly recommend that you purchase an audio/software product (You can see what I think of various ones at www.JiffySpanish.com), however, if you cannot afford one of these, then some reading materials will do. In most western countries, Spanish language newspapers shouldn't be too hard to find. If you can get your hands on some childrens books, then this will also be a great way to learn.

So, with your new tools, you sit down to learn Spanish, but you don't know what to do. It's quite simple really. If you have an audio cd, play the first track. Listen and participate in the interactions, making sure you pronounce the words the best you can. As you go along, if you come across any words you are still unsure of, pause the recording and write it down. Once you have finished listening to the recording, have a look at all the words you are still unsure of. Grab your dictionary and get to work!. Working out words this way really makes sure that they stick in your brain.

If you are using newspapers or some other reading material, make sure you do the same thing. Read through the articles and as you come across unknown words, circle them and come back to them later with the dictionary. I'm sure you realise that this is a much more labor intensive activity, which is why I so strongly recommend that you purchase an audio program. In order to find out what I think are the best ones around, check out my product review section at www.JiffySpanish.com

I hope you have agreed to commit at least 30 minutes a day to learning Spanish. Just try it for a few weeks and I guarantee you'll be shocked with the results.