My father was born in Cuba and Spanish was his first language. He speaks it all day at work as a dentist in a largely Hispanic community. His whole side of the family speaks it with each other. Yet, with multiple kids and busy schedules, he never got the chance to teach us how to speak Spanish. I’ve always really wanted to learn, but the older I got, the more difficult it became.
Tough Education
The first time I studied Spanish, like most of us, was in high school. And as many of us also know, Spanish classes in American high schools don’t exactly prepare you to speak fluently with native speakers in the real world. When I got out of college and began to live my life as a working adult, I tried to teach myself Spanish using popular language learning apps you’ve heard of a million times, but none of them worked for me. So, I gave up.
Then, one Thanksgiving I was visiting my home, and my older brother was speaking to my father in Spanish. I couldn’t believe it. He had grown up with the same foundation as me, and he had also struggled to learn as an adult, so I was both impressed and jealous by this dramatic improvement. I asked him about it, and he told me that it was all thanks to this language-learning app he found online called Speakly.
Diving Into Speakly
Something about knowing that my brother beat me to the punch in learning Spanish made me feel extra motivated. Right after that hangout, I went home and looked up Speakly and decided to give it a try. I’ll tell you all about it, but I must begin by stating that it absolutely changed my life for the better.
Rated 4.8/5 stars on the App Store and 4.2 on Google Play, Speakly can actually teach you up to 8 different languages faster than you could imagine. By prioritizing statistically relevant words and real-life situations, it approaches the act of actually speaking rather than reading more honestly and intelligently than any other app out there.
Speakly’s exercises prompted me to write and speak by filling in the blanks and answering call-and-repeat exercises through the intuitive and interactive application. Almost always, the focus of the content in these exercises pertained to practical, common situations. It asks you questions about the meal you’re ordering or the hotel room you’re booking and then trains you in answering and comprehending. I found this process fun and engaging.
After signing up for a Speakly: Lifetime Subscription for just $70, I became obsessed with studying Spanish. It no longer felt like a chore, but a truly interactive process that was both productive and not terribly challenging. To keep things simple, the Speakly platform focuses on just 1,200 keywords for you to get started speaking a foreign language. It’s no surprise that it’s been featured by HuffPost, TechCo, Steamed, Aripaev, and others.
Speakly: Lifetime Subscription, $69.99 (originally $399)
The Benefits of Speaking Spanish
I immediately began to reap the benefits of speaking Spanish. I went to some of my favorite Latin American restaurants that I frequented in my hometown and began to practice with the staff who I’d known for years. They were surprised to see how quickly I was picking it up, which prompted them to speak with me more and give me more practice. As my confidence grew, so did my vocabulary.
I eventually started speaking Spanish with my dad, which was a really cool door to open. Hearing him speak in his first language really made me feel like I got in touch with a whole new side of him. As a working writer, I began to get more professional opportunities and began to put myself up for roles that required Spanish-speaking capabilities. The confidence I gained from this experience also prompted me to do another unexpected thing with the Speakly app.
Learning Russian
In school, I was always a fan of Russian literature and plays, and I believed that if I could read those iconic works in their native language, that it would be a more rich, authentic, and illuminating experience. And since my lifetime subscription to Speakly included lessons on Estonian, English, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, and more languages, I decided to begin studying a third language!
So, I went from having given up on learning Spanish to becoming a trilingual person who enjoys reading in Russian, working in Spanish, and who feels prepared to travel the whole world with confidence and excitement. I really feel like I’ve developed a true passion for languages, and expect that I’ll try and pick up more throughout my lifetime.
If you feel the call to do the same, but haven’t quite been able to yet, then consider checking out this Speakly: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) for just $69.99 (reg. $399).