Learn Spanish the Easy Way

Saturday, 11/13/10-Sunday, 11/14/10. If you have ever wanted to learn a new language, do I have a deal for you today! I met up with some ladies from the States on Saturday who now live here in Panama. Over a wonderful pizza lunch at Carlito’s in San Carlos, I was lamenting about how hard it was to learn Spanish at my age, especially since I was living out in the boonies with no one to study with.

One of the ladies, Barb, said she had the same problem until she met a man who gave her a simple formula for learning Spanish. She passed it on to me and now I am passing it on to you. This method will work for any language but for this article, I will use Spanish as the example.

Remember flash cards? Well, this uses the same concept. You can use any kind of paper or cardstock; just make sure you cut strips into 1 inch by 2-3 inch pieces. This is so they will fit in the palm of your hand. On one side, write in English the word you want to learn and on the other side, write the word in Spanish. I use a free website called StudySpanish.com and I imagine there are similar sites for other languages. There is an online translator on this site, so I look up the word and convert it into Spanish. I also have the Webster’s Spanish/English Dictionary. Doesn’t matter what source you use as long as it is a good one.

Now, every day, pick out some words you want to learn. It was recommended to me that I do 10 words a day. Write them on your pieces of paper and hold them in your hand. Read the word in English, then read it in Spanish, then put the piece at the back of the pile. Do this three times. On the fourth round, try to say the word in Spanish without looking. If you get it right, set that piece down. If you don’t, put it once again at the back of the pile. After you have gone thru the whole pile, put the pieces that you didn’t get right into a separate pile and add that pile to the words for tomorrow. Simple, right? Yes, it is. I have learned 30 new words in the last three days, and I review all of them every day just so I make sure I am retaining them. I was able to use some new words today already! And it’s fun.
Try it. You will be amazed.

Now for the answer to the question I posed the other day about whether it is cheaper to live in Panama: Unless you are moving from California where you had a house that you sold for big bucks and can afford to pay cash for a house in Panama so that you don't have house payments or rent, the answer is pretty much no. There is a 20 year property tax exemption for buying a house and you do get a retired resident's discount at restaurants and movies and such. But that is really the only savings. All other expenses, i.e., food, medical, gas, are the same or more than the States. And flying back to the States is not cheap. Most people from the States move here for the weather. If you live in a state like Texas, stay. Unless you really want to live in a foreign country and I would have to say, Panama is a nice place to live otherwise there is no savings.