Let’s start by identifying what compelling motivation is NOT. “I’ve always kind of wanted to learn a new language” is not a compelling motivation. It won’t make you want to endure massive input. This is where most language learning programs get it wrong. They create fake stories and try to make vocabulary lists about fruits and animals interesting. That’s not compelling or motivating.
What is compelling and motivating is personal. It’s something you’re already interested in. Maybe for you it’s sports. Or maybe it’s cooking or computers or books or travel or architecture or politics or business. The fun starts when you realize that learning a new language can be a part of what you love (and even help you find new interesting things to enjoy).
Instead of telling yourself “It would be cool to know another language”, you should come try learning one today using things you already love as motivation.
Language Possible courses are designed to efficiently teach you the most frequently used words and most crucial concepts of a new language so that you can enjoy the real things you like.
Why do you want to learn a new language? What are you interested in? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
There are so many great reasons to learn Spanish: practical business reasons, curiosity, love of people, cultural exploration, travel, and more. No matter what your motivations are, learning Spanish will benefit you for the rest of your life. Here are some of the best reasons why you should learn Spanish.
Spanish is an important world language
More than 400 million people around the world speak Spanish, making it the second most-frequently spoken language on Earth, behind Chinese and ahead of English (if you count only native speakers). It is an official language on 4 continents, the mother tongue in 21 countries, widely spoken in 21 others, and it is of historical significance worldwide. It is the second most used language in international communication, and an official language of the United Nations and its organizations. One in seven United States citizens and residents speaks Spanish as their primary language, and the Spanish-speaking population of the United States is also growing much faster than the average.
Learning Spanish can help your professional career
While this is true of almost all professions, of course a career in international business, communications, and tourism benefit from new language skills. If you are in healthcare or education, the benefits are also huge. In any case, knowing Spanish will help you communicate with Spanish-speaking employees or co-workers.
Hispanic consumers are the fastest-growing market segment in North America. Their population in the United States grew by 60% in just one decade and their buying power is estimated at over $1 billion. Worldwide, there are around 400 million people who could potentially benefit from the products and services of your business. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have Spanish on your résumé.
Learning Spanish is relatively easy
Yes you can!
Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. The written language is extremely consistent, and there are only 5 vowel sounds (compared to 15 in English!). Many of the Latin root words in Spanish have English counterparts, making vocabulary acquisition much easier.
Learning Spanish can also help you learn other languages. Learning the structure of a language gives you a reference point for learning others. Like making millions of dollars, it gets easier after the first one because you have done it before and have more resources.
Learning Spanish is fun
Ole!
Whether you enjoy listening to new music, watching sports, learning to cook new things, reading famous literature, or just mastering interesting challenges, you’ll find them all in learning Spanish. Learning languages is also its own reward. You’ll find satisfaction and perspective that can only come from understanding other people and their culture.
Learning Spanish will take your travel experiences to the next level
Knowing Spanish can be the difference between a getaway and an adventure. It’s not just about being able to read the menu, either. It’s about getting outside of a hotel or resort and actually connecting with interesting people and experiences. Do you want to observe the world, or participate in it? It can even help you make the world a better place. Knowing Spanish can empower you to make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
Learning Spanish will make you smarter
Many English words came from Latin by way of French. Since Spanish is also a Latin language, you will increase your understanding of English vocabulary as you study it. Students who learn another language also score higher on tests in all subjects, especially Math and English. Not only that, it actually gives both children and adults improved critical thinking skills and creativity.
How do people really learn their first language? We don’t know everything about how infants learn their first language, but there are a couple of things we do know for sure. Beyond these, all we can really say is that people construct understanding from experience.
Second, they have very compelling reasons to learn a language (e.g.: survival). You could even say that they don’t have any other option but to learn it.
These two factors (massive input and compelling motivation) are not only a part of learning a language, they will determine whether or not it happens at all.
These two factors (massive input and compelling motivation) are not only a part of learning a language, they will determine whether or not it happens at all.
You may have heard people claim that learning a language is easy for young children. It’s not true. Learning a language requires a tremendous amount of focus and practice at any age. So what does that mean for adults? Can they learn a second language “the same way they learned their first language”? My answer: only if they have compelling motivation that makes them want to endure massive input.
For some people, their curiosity provides enough motivation to learn a new language. Others may have external circumstances that make learning a new language a necessity (like immigration). But you don’t have to fit into one of those two categories to have success learning a language.
The trick is to use existing interests to motivate yourself. You don’t have to focus your energy on learning to parrot dialogues, memorizing different names for all of the countries in the world, or endlessly conjugating irregular verbs in the pluperfect. You should do things you already enjoy, like: listening to music, watching movies, reading books, and talking to real people.
So where do language learning programs fit in all of this? Well, the only ones worth your time are the ones that help you get the most out of the music, movies, books, and relationships that you really want to enjoy. That is why Language Possible courses are designed to prepare you for authentic experiences and make sure you get the most out of them.
Welcome to Language Possible, where people enjoy learning languages as quickly as possible.
So what makes Language Possible different?
We believe that learning a language should be fun. What do you like? Music? Travel? Movies? Sports? Politics? Food? No matter what your interests are, you can use them to have fun while you experience the best language learning methods ever developed.
What inspires you?
For example, instead of wasting time memorizing 120 different animal names in Spanish (remind you of high school Spanish, anyone?), you could be listening to great Spanish music, reading about current events in an online Spanish newspaper, or watching your favorite movie in Spanish.
Sound intimidating? That’s understandable. After all, there are more than 100,000 words in a decent Spanish dictionary. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you can communicate reasonably well with fewer than 1,000 of them. In fact, the top 1,000 words typically account for over 70% of all printed materials in a given language.
Would you like to know which words you should learn first? The vocabulary for Language Possible courses is built from heavily researched word frequency lists. That means every single word is guaranteed to be useful in the real world.
Would you like to know which words you should learn first? The vocabulary for Language Possible courses is built from heavily researched word frequency lists. That means every single word is guaranteed to be useful in the real world.
When the most frequent words are combined with words from your areas of interest, an amazing thing happens. You gain accelerated access to 70-90 percent of the words you will encounter everywhere, providing a base to discover the rest while exploring things that you personally enjoy.
Word frequency lists and vocabulary are just the beginning, though. Before creating a new course, the team at Language Possible linguistically deconstructs and analyzes the target language. We take it apart to expose the best strategies for creating learning activities that make the complex seem simple and the confusing seem natural. Our courses are the result of years of rigorous and extensive research in language acquisition and instruction.
Language Possible courses also come with a companion language rulebook that answers all of the tough questions in detail to satisfy even the most demanding grammar lovers.
