Long term problems with Spanish

THERE are certain aspects of the Spanish language which advanced learners and even fluent non-native speakers have problems with, so if you have the same problems, at least you know you are in good company!

Here is a list which might help you feel better, or at least specify the things you need to work on, with patience and over a long period of time.

1. When to use direct and indirect object pronouns, especially ‘lo’, ‘la’ ‘le’ and ‘se’ (along with the plurals ‘los’ ‘las’ and ‘les’).

It might help you to know that even the Spanish get these wrong at times, the only difference is that they probably don’t worry about it.

2. When to use the subjunctive. The problem here is that sometimes the reasons are very subtle.

The good news is that you will always be understood even if the subjunctive makes no appearance in your Spanish whatsoever.

3. When a verb is reflexive and why. There are times when both reflexive and nonreflexive forms mean the same thing.

When in doubt, err on the side of the reflexive as the Spanish are very fond of them in general.

4. When to use ‘ser’ and ‘estar’. I have no words of comfort about this - it is an on-going battle.

However, going back to basics sometimes helps and I’ve always found this rule of thumb extremely useful: SER for ‘who, what, when’ and ESTAR for ‘where, how’.

5. Which past tense to use out of so many that seem to mean the same.

Again, this comes with time, and sometimes more than one can be correct anyway. One strategy is to get comfortable using one past tense and then move on to another one when you’re good and ready.

If you are an elementary Spanish learner then not all the above will make sense to you of course, but if you are an intermediate learner or beyond, you will probably identify with every point.

However, all learners need to have realistic expectations of what they can achieve when studying Spanish.

In my opinion, these are the things that a student should be gaining for their Spanish lessons.

1. A good general understanding of the basic logic and structure of the Spanish language.

2. A basic grasp of pronunciation and an increased comprehension of speech.

3. Confidence to start communicating with whatever language you have at your disposal.

4. Most important - the inspiration and enthusiasm to keep learning more inside and out of the classroom