Maybe you studied a little Spanish when you were in high school, or you have just completed a beginning study course.  Now you are feeling that you have made some progress in your Spanish efforts and you are ready to take your studies to the next level.  To best know how to proceed, it is important to ask yourself what your ultimate goal is in learning Spanish.  Do you want to travel abroad and communicate with the locals?  Are you curious to learn something new and challenging?  Do you need to learn specific vocabulary that relates to your career or business?  Whatever your ultimate goal, the beginning levels of Spanish study will be similar.  By the time you have reached an intermediate skill level, you will want to keep your ultimate goal in mind as you choose how to progress.

In beginning courses most people learn basic vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and common phrases.  Many entry level courses overlook the importance of working on speaking and listening skills.  Most people who study Spanish want to be able to do more than read and write.  They want to be able to talk and communicate with native speakers.  Yet, there is a painful lack of practice of these skills, especially speaking, when you study Spanish in a classroom setting.  Any Spanish student can benefit greatly from taking a Spanish conversation class.  By participating in a class that revolves solely around speaking and listening you will be able to develop the important skills that are so often overlooked in traditional language classes.  Getting over the fear of speaking and making mistakes is one of the biggest challenges of learning Spanish for most people.  A Spanish conversation class will give you a safe place to laugh at your mistakes and get feedback from people who are also learning.

There are probably options for you to enroll in traditional intermediate Spanish classes or business Spanish classes at your local community college.  These classes will help you to continue developing your vocabulary and practice those tricky Spanish verbs.  You can also take Spanish lessons online or intermediate level audio courses.  These can be great tools to aid your development while you learn Spanish, but don’t forget to find a way to practice speaking.  If your ultimate goal is to be able to speak and communicate effectively, speaking is a skill that you will need to practice a lot.

Aside from a Spanish conversation class, there are plenty of opportunities to practice speaking Spanish if you look around.  Many cities have Spanish clubs where people of all abilities and skill levels get together to practice speaking Spanish.  These are a really great way to get some practice and meet some very interesting people.  If you don’t have any friends who speak Spanish, don’t be shy about going to a meeting like this by yourself.  Most of the people who attend these kinds of meetings have traveled abroad to learn Spanish and are very friendly as a result.  Another option is to hire a Spanish tutor.  You should be able to find a native speaker who can give you one-on-one attention and instruction as you practice your new language skills.  This will be one of your more pricey options, but it should really accelerate your learning curve.  Lastly, keep an eye on the classified ads to see if you can find a Spanish speaker who wants help learning English.  You can set up meetings with a Spanish speaking partner so that you can help them with English and they can assist you with Spanish.  These types of situations work out well because it is understood that you are both learning and expectations are very low.  No matter which way you choose to continue your Spanish studies, keep in mind that speaking is one of the most important skills you need to master.  The only way to speak Spanish effectively is to practice.

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