Building Friendships with Spanish Speakers on Your Language Journey

Of all the language-learning advice we can give, this could make the biggest difference in whether or not you can reach your goal of Spanish fluency:

To meaningfully learn Spanish, build meaningful relationships in Spanish.

Studying vocabulary and grammar is a necessary part of language learning, but you won’t reach the kind of confident fluency that comes from lived experience until you start building relationships with Spanish speakers in your family or community.

Language skills are developed in relationships. As children, we naturally use and develop language as a way to connect with people around us. It works this way for second-language learners, too!

In our friendships with Spanish speakers, we are not only practicing our speaking skills, we’re observing how Spanish is used in the real world. We can pick up on phrases that Spanish speakers say and the nuances of how they communicate. We can learn the idiosyncrasies of how they express themselves and start to understand cultural differences through a language lens. From this, we can start to learn the ways we can express ourselves.

Consider these important points when developing your Spanish skills in relationships with Spanish speakers:

• Start Inside the Classroom

  It is not easy to just go out and build a relationship in Spanish. Even if you already know native Spanish speakers, switching from all English or Spanglish to an all Spanish-speaking relationship can be awkward.

  If you are a beginner, start in the classroom where you can work one-on-one with a teacher who is passionate about getting to know you and is dedicated to guiding you on your journey to Spanish fluency. Building a student-teacher relationship mimics what it’s like to build a relationship in Spanish in the community and prepares you to confidently build meaningful relationships in Spanish outside of the classroom.

  The teacher-student relationship provides a safe place to ask all the questions you may feel you should already know the answers to. Whether it's grammar, culture, or how to go about engaging with another Spanish speaker, you're free to ask, make mistakes and learn, knowing that your teacher will guide you in the right direction.

• Take Your Spanish Out Into the Community… Yes, It’s Time!!

  It is common for students to think that language learning is black and white – “not fluent” and “fluent” – and therefore they are waiting for a switch to flip when they will suddenly be able to make friends or talk to family members in Spanish. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work that way!

  Like most things, learning Spanish is more about the journey than the destination. And your journey won’t be rich and transformative if you don’t leave the classroom. The time is now to take your Spanish out into the world!

• Look Out for “New Worldview” Moments

  There’s a difference between asking “¿Cómo estás?” to the people you meet in the street and conversing with a close friend. When you get to know a Spanish speaker on a deep level, you can reach the richness that comes with getting to know their stories and perspectives. You’re opening yourself up to a whole new worldview!

  You might be surprised how that relationship starts to shift your perspectives. Sure, you will absorb vocabulary and real-world expressions as you see them used in practical scenarios. But as your skills and comfortability deepen, and the relationship becomes increasingly meaningful, be ready to absorb and reflect on those moments where you start to feel a deepening of perspective, understanding, and empathy for different lived experiences that were out of reach beforehand – this is the crux of it all and why you really started learning Spanish in the first place!

• You’re Part of a Movement to Create a Culture of Bilingualism

  Learning Spanish has a huge and important ripple effect: connecting in Spanish gives Spanish speakers the opportunity to feel welcomed and valued when they might have otherwise felt discriminated against or looked down upon.

  It is our vision that our students’ Spanish fluency be a part of creating a genuinely welcoming and inclusive culture of bilingualism in California – a culture that rejects ethnocentrism and linguicism. We see a future where Spanish thrives for generations, Spanish speakers are deeply valued and Latino cultures are celebrated for all that they have and continue to contribute to our culture here in California.

  With every relationship you build in Spanish, you are a part of this vision.

Looking for more resources about building friendships in Spanish? Read our blog posts: “Social Change–Starting with Who We Invite to Coffee” and “Practicing Spanish in the Community is… Complicated.”