5 Habits I’ve Noticed in My Most Successful Spanish Students

After 10 years of teaching Spanish as a second language, there are two types of students that have contacted me:

• Student A: attends every class, takes notes, completes exercises, but Spanish disappears until the next lesson.
• Student B: attends every class, takes notes, completes exercises, but Spanish somehow follows them throughout the day.

Which one do you think progresses faster?

Yes, Student B, even if he doesn’t complete all of the exercises of the week!

Some students progress consistently, while others struggle despite attending classes regularly, so I began asking myself: What are the students who make real progress doing differently? This question led me to identify 5 habits in my most successful students, so this blog is the first of a five-part series:

1. Habit #1: Make Spanish Part of Your Everyday Life
2. Habit #2: [Coming soon]
3. Habit #3: [Coming soon]
4. Habit #4: [Coming soon]
5. Habit #5: [Coming soon]

Let’s start with the first one.

Habit #1: Make Spanish Part of Your Everyday Life

But, what does “making Spanish part of your everyday life” actually mean?

Studying Spanish vs. Interacting with Spanish

My most successful Spanish students don’t just make time in their busy schedules for a 30-minute lesson four or five times a week, but also find small opportunities to interact with Spanish every day.

Depending on their personalities, I know that this can range from simply counting reps at the gym to listening to a podcast in Spanish while they drink their first coffee in the morning.

The activity itself isn’t necessarily the important part. The important part is that Spanish keeps showing up in your life.

This is because these interactions increase exposure, and the more often your brain encounters Spanish, the faster it retrieves words when you need them.

So, even if it sounds simple, try it for yourself. Don’t underestimate small interactions.

Small and Frequent Contact Matters

As I mentioned before, I offer Spanish lessons 30 minutes long in packages of 4 or 5 sessions a week.

This approach is the result of a deep analysis of my students’ lifestyles and needs. You can learn more here: The 30-Minute Spanish Routine

But the conclusion is simple: the RRF™ Method, my method, encourages you to build a consistent, focused habit that fits into your real life and helps you recall the language you need in your real life.

”Spanish Throughout the Day” Challenge

My students are very competitive, oh Lord! But most of my lessons are private, so they compete with themselves.

So, if you’re a competitive person, I have a challenge for you: The 3-Moment Spanish Challenge.

Choose three moments you already have in your everyday life, then attach Spanish to three things you already do.

For example:

• Morning coffee – Spanish podcast
• Commute – Spanish music
• Training session – Counting and naming things in Spanish

Or perhaps:

• Evening – Describe the day in three sentences.

Choose your 3 moments, choose the Spanish activities that fit naturally into them. And then start noticing how often Spanish appears in your day.

Would you dare to try it?

Progress: from studying Spanish to living it

Do you remember the two students I introduced at the beginning? Which one are you?

My invitation with this article is that you can gradually progress until becoming a student who takes their relationship with Spanish:

from something they have to study to something they naturally encounter to something they eventually use.

And that’s where I come in. I’m here to help you build the strategies, habits, and confidence you need to use Spanish successfully in real-life situations. So don’t wait until you have more time to start. Let Spanish enter the life you already have.