The Best Way To Improve Your Spanish Vocabulary Is Right Under Your Nose

The English Island of Spain Blog - Beatriz

The Best Way To Improve Your Spanish Vocabulary Is Right Under Your Nose.

There are many ways you can improve your Spanish vocabulary, and one of the best ones is right under your nose. When you re learning a second language, many things can be intimidating, including reading.

Now, though reading in Spanish can be intimidating, especially for beginners, it s still one of the best ways to improve your Spanish vocabulary. You don t have to read Don Quixote right off the bat a short article at a time or a children s book at a time will make a huge difference. Reading takes practice, all you need to do is start!

Everyone learns differently, but to learn a new language, you have to master four skills: speaking, listening, writing, and reading. So, the sooner you start practicing them on a daily basis, the better.

One thing that s very important to understand is that reading won t help you master Spanish on its own. You can simply read 100 books in Spanish and then magically be able to have a conversation with a native. However, if you do it right, reading in Spanish can help you improve more than just your reading skills.

The Benefits of Reading Books in Spanish

If you want to become an expert in Spanish, reading Spanish books will help you get there. For one, it will help you feel more confident in your language skills while also help you improve them by expanding your vocabulary.

Reading in Spanish can also allow you to internalize what you ve already learned and integrate new things more easily. Being able to see Spanish written down and reading words on a page will help you memorize things faster and it also makes it easier to recall whenever you need it.

The next time you re asking yourself things such as How do you say thinking in Spanish? or How do you say snow in Spanish? or What is cold in Spanish? you ll realize you have a lot more vocabulary in the memory bank than before you started reading in Spanish.

Reading also causes less anxiety than speaking because you don t have to struggle with getting your message across. When it comes to reading comprehension in Spanish, you ll have more time to re-read sentences to grasp the context of what s happening and you ll be free to look for words you can t understand.

Not to mention that when you re reading you can simply sit back and relax. Allow the words to flow through and control your reading pace so the activity is not a chore, but something you enjoy. A lot of the time you won t even need to look up words because it s possible to understand through context. This way, you ll soak up knowledge without even realizing it.

I m not saying you should neglect your Spanish speaking abilities. What I m saying is that Spanish books are a great alternative when you feel like you re stuck or it s too stressful to practice speaking. You can practice reading and still have a productive time.

And hey, you can always read out loud to yourself so you can practice reading and speaking at the same time in the privacy of your own home. Another great thing about reading in Spanish is that you will learn natural phrases, structures, and conjugations that you can then apply to your spoken Spanish.

Take Baby Steps Go From There

Like I said before, reading in Spanish can be intimidating, but you don t have to start with big books. Low-level books, especially popular ones you re already familiar with, are a great starting point. If you already know the story in your native language, reading it in Spanish won t be as intimidating as reading something new because you already understand what the story is about.

The best way to start reading in Spanish is to go for the fairy tales and picture books first. You already know these stories like the back of your hand, this will help you push past the fear and you ll be reading more advanced books in no time. Plus, revisiting your childhood favorites is always a good time. Doing so in Spanish will be even better because you ll experience the story in a different way.

You can also make it a habit to read articles in Spanish every single day and once you feel more comfortable with your reading skills and comprehension, you can move onto short stories, poetry, and more, until you can read books in your favorite genres without too much trouble. The trick is to be consistent and avoid jumping into anything you can t handle because that can be very discouraging.

How to Pick the Right Book to Read in Spanish

We already know the best way to get started is with the basics, but you still have to make sure the book you choose is well-suited to your Spanish level and your interests. After all, if you don t like what you re reading, it will be impossible to get through the book.

To choose the right Spanish book to read, you want to make sure the length is right for you. Like I said before, the last thing you want to do is start with books like Don Quixote. Consider the average length of the books you usually read in English and then cut it in half or more to find the perfect book length for you.

The next thing you want to do is make sure the level is right for you. You don t want a book that s too difficult. The goal is to understand at least 70% of the words on the page, so don t go for books that contain complicated vocabulary that s difficult for you to understand. If you can t grasp the idea of the book with the knowledge you have and context, you re not reading the right book.

Last but not least, you want to make sure you choose a Spanish book that s interesting to you. What s your favorite genre? What kind of stories do you enjoy the most? What kind of topics are most interesting to you? It s very important that you like what you re reading, so don t pick a book at random!