When I first arrived in Spain, my Spanish was basically limited to ‘¡Hola!’ and ‘Gracias.’ It was tough feeling like an outsider, watching everyone around me chatting away effortlessly. I took some classes for a while, but the pace felt a bit slow, and the schedule wasn’t very flexible for self-studying Spanish. So, I decided to embark on my self-study journey! Today, I want to share my personal experience of stumbling my way from zero to passing the DELE B1 exam, hoping to offer a little inspiration to fellow Spanish learners.
My Three-Pronged Approach to Self-Study
1. Combining Textbooks and Apps
For textbooks, I used the ‘Modern Spanish’ series, a classic in China. Its grammatical structure is very clear and quite friendly for Chinese learners. But just burying my head in a book was too dull, so I downloaded several apps to help. I used Duolingo for memorizing vocabulary in my spare moments, Memrise for its authentic video examples, and SpanishDict, which is an absolute lifesaver for looking up words, conjugations, and example sentences. I divided my learning process into two parts:
- Structured Study: I made sure to spend at least one hour a day with the ‘Modern Spanish’ textbook, doing the exercises and mastering grammar points.
- Bite-Sized Learning: During my commute, while waiting in line, or even on the toilet… I’d open an app to review a few words or listen to a short news clip.
2. Speak Up, Don’t Be Shy
This is the most crucial step! Language is for communication, not just for exams. At first, I only dared to say a few words to the supermarket cashier. Later, I forced myself to go to the local market to buy groceries and to the city hall to ask questions, even if I stumbled over my words and made tons of grammatical mistakes. You’ll find that most Spaniards are incredibly friendly and patient. They’ll listen carefully and even help correct you. Remember, being shy is the biggest obstacle to learning a language. Here are a few of my regular ‘practice grounds’:
| Practice Scene | Objective | Difficulty |
|---|
| Supermarket/Bakery | Shopping, asking prices | ★☆☆ |
| Local Market/Flea Market | Bargaining, asking about ingredients | ★★☆ |
| Bank/City Hall | Handling errands, asking about policies | ★★★ |
| Language Exchange (Intercambio) | Free conversation, making friends | ★★★★☆ |
3. Creating an Immersive Environment
Since you’re in Spain, you have to take advantage of this unique environment. I changed my phone’s system language to Spanish, watched only local TV channels, and listened exclusively to Spanish music playlists. You might not understand 90% of it at first, but the point is to get your ears accustomed to the sounds and intonation of Spanish. I highly recommend watching Spanish series on Netflix, like ‘La Casa de Papel’ (Money Heist). You can turn on Spanish subtitles and pause to look up any words you don’t know. Gradually, you’ll notice many words and expressions popping up repeatedly in different contexts, and you’ll remember them without even trying. Stop watching with subtitles in your own language! This is so much more effective than rote memorization of vocabulary lists.
