How to learn Spanish when you are older

Older than what? I'm not going to set an age, but if you notice that it's harder to remember phone numbers and names than it used to be, then this page of tips on how to learn Spanish is for you.

It's easier to memorize when you are younger, but you can certainly still learn Spanish later. There may at times be a one-step forward/ two-steps back quality to your learning but ultimately those steps will take you in the direction you want to go.

If you have to work harder to learn Spanish, you can also work smarter. Research into how we learn shows that if you study something and then go back over it about an hour later, a day later, and a week later, you will retain far more than if you just review it once.

Applying this to learning Spanish could mean keeping track (more or less, depending on your style) of what you are studying and then beginning each study session with a review of what you had done the day before. Once a week and once a month you could review too.

Here's a tip that comes from dog training (the link is to my site on this fascinating subject): Dogs typically learn best if the training sessions are kept short and enjoyable, with treats. For us, that means don't study to the point of exhaustion and make it fun for yourself, maybe even giving yourself a reward for doing a Spanish lesson!

I've been told by friends who have gone to Spanish language schools in Mexico that they find they do best if they take a smaller course load than they might have when they were younger.

There are various nutritional supplements that can help you learn and remember. Gingko is perhaps the best known. I take it regularly! I do find that the process of learning Spanish involves more forgetting than it used to, but I also think that the intellectual challenge of studying Spanish keeps those brain cells livelier!

For more on learning Spanish relatively easily, see my Rocket Spanish page and my page on various resources.