Writing Spanish is Learning Spanish

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up on how difficult it is to learn a new language; this can
be frustrating and may take away the excitement of learning. The question that arises from these
problems is, what can I do to feel like progressing? There are actually many ways to make the
process of learning easier and faster, of course the go to method at first is to look for classes or a
teacher that can help you throughout your lessons. However, the most underrated part of learning
how to speak a language such as Spanish, which in fact is not as easy as English, should be to put it
to the test constantly, and the best way to do it may be writing.

While many would say that speaking is the best way to practice a language, there may be
some issues with that idea. First you need another person to engage in a conversation, which can
be a bit difficult since practice does not depend on you alone. Secondly, it’s very common to feel
insecure or shy when trying to speak a different language final no, words don’t come to mind and
pronunciation makes it all mora difficult. Spanish is a language that requires a lot of modulation,
words cannot be dragged and accents makes it a very strong and difficult language, so the best
way to get into it is to start by making Spanish thoughts flow, without worrying about
pronunciation very much.

Writing, you mix creativity with a new language, forcing your mind to search for new ideas
with new words. Of course, this does not mean that other methods shouldn’t be incorporated,
there are methods such as listening to podcasts and being in a country where Spanish is the
mother language, but in this article, we will explore the benefits of writing besides grammar and
punctuation.

1. Journal (Diario)

For those that enjoy writing journals, maybe about the everyday life routine or trips, it
may be a good time to test those Spanish skills with something personal, where it doesn’t really
matter if there are some mistakes you can make them freely and then later check with a dictionary
to see if you’ve made any mistakes.

You will remember things you wrote when having a conversation with someone and tune certain
things that may not be mistakes but there is also no need for it to be said that way, for example: to
say “I went to the national museum the other day and it was great!” You could write “Yo fui al
museo nacional el otro día y eso fue genial!” In reality sometimes pronouns are not included in a
sentence in Spanish, and if you were to talk to someone on a street in Mexico he would say “Fui al
museo nacional el otro día” These little things can slip away but not if your mistake is written
down. The article “it” is also expendable in Spanish so it would be more like: “Fue genial” rather
than “Eso fue genial”. Now of course these little things can be learned through practicing grammar
directly, however it is better if this is just mixed with your everyday language or in this case
Journal, which makes it easier to stick in your head.

2. Academic Writing and Research (Escritura académica e investigación)

This type of writing involves lots of looking into other sources, use of internet, and lots of
proofreading, that’s why it’s a good idea to try and use this method once you’ve got some idea of
how to write in Spanish and feel comfortable overall. This can be from paid blog posts, workshops
and university seminars, both invite the writer to be creative while at the same time avoid
mistakes.

In a study made by Jennifer Nicholson Guix from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, it
was stated that:

According to the literature reviewed, there are some major differences between both
writing systems and Spanish speaking students will have to adapt to a new way of
communicating in a language that is not their native one. English academic writing is
characterised by a logical and straightforward organisation of the main ideas to be expressed.
Moreover, it is the responsibility of the writer to make it clear and easy for the reader to
follow the argument by using different transition words. By contrast, Spanish texts seem to
have a non-linear structure with longer sentences and less linking words1

3. Poetry (Poesía)

The good thing about poetry is that while looking for metaphors and rhymes, you are
practicing with a part of your brain that you really don’t put to the test in most Spanish classes or
lessons. As many people know, poetry in Spanish is one of the richest forms of art there is, due to
how descriptive and complex it can be. Of course, poetry is about feelings, and the magic behind
poetry in Spanish is that it can be as precise as a scalpel but with a heavy rhythm that can be sweet
or strike like thunder. To learn how to handle this type of language in Spanish is not only a great
achievement but an experience that can expand creativity and make you see expression through
writing different and bigger.

4. Creative Writing (Escritura Creativa)

To mix creativity with a new language like Spanish, is not easy, but when you find yourself in a
position where you have to find words as you come up with new and original ideas, your
vocabulary will grow, this can be practiced by writing short articles, essays or even books if your
Spanish level is advanced enough. The thing is to find motivation, and this can range from
exploring something you like to a freelance job, just as it is with academic writing.

In other words, creative writing is something in between writing a journal and academic
writing, in the sense that, you can write whatever you want but it needs structure and a good
pace. Reading some articles or short stories before writing can be a good decision.

5. Phones, PCs and tech (Celulares, computadoras y tecnología)

A practical and easy way to make the most of writing which is always at the reach of your
hand, to get the way Spanish should be written is having your phone or computer in Spanish so
the dictionary can correct the words as you do your daily search in google o chat. Sometimes the

1
Academic English L2 Writing: The Case of Undergraduate Students in Spain, Pag. 17,
best way to learn is to make mistakes, it's a fact that people remember the mistakes made more
than a right guess. It will help avoid direct translations like saying: “mucho bueno” instead of “muy
bien” which means very good.

Also, by using your phone or computer you can get in contact with people around the
world whose natal tongue is Spanish, this could be a light immersion as you will get out of your
comfort zone and chat with people using the common language and not the strange perfect
“Learning Book” language. This can also be done through online games, as many of the things that
happen there are quite common to every language, such as greeting, trading, asking for help and
that sort of things, so if you are into gaming, it can also be a learning tool. It’s easier than meeting
people to practice the language while writing. People are using apps such as Tinder for this kind of
purpose, a 2.0 version of having pen pals.

In conclusion, there’s absolutely no doubt that in order to develop Spanish, there has to be
a lot of practice, and by practice it doesn’t mean Spanish books exercises or memory work for
grammar, practice is speaking, listening, immersion, and of course writing. These are a few aspects
of learning while writing in Spanish that can be overlooked and it’s as easy as just wanting to learn
it, because the most important thing is to really learn is to fall in love with Spanish.