10 common mistakes
By Richard Vaughan
1 Spaniards think that with 300 hours of class they will have mastered the language enough to get by. The real figure should be around 3,000 hours, including classes, home study and real-life practice.
2 Classes are not the only solution. At best they solve 20% of the problem. It is absolutely essential to study alone (40%) and nip all language-related fears in the bud in real-life situations (40%).
3 Spaniards cannot accept that there is a tedious part: mastering oral agility of the grammar.
4 They assume that if they can understand their teacher, they will be able to understand in real communication situations.
5 They link progress to accumulating grammar and vocabulary. When we do focus on oral and aural confidence-building, they complain about “not progressing”.
6 They leave learning English until after their degree.
7 They are not persistent in their efforts to learn and become easily disheartened.
8 They refuse to accept that attaining a good level of English requires a heavy investment of both time and money.
9 They aspire to a perfect mastery of the spoken language which is impossible. Listening should be their priority.
10 They think that they can learn
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