This article consists of six tips to help\r you learn Spanish online. If you follow these\r six tips, you can be sure that you will \r learn to speak Spanish online much easier.

Key Numero Uno to Learn Spanish Online:

"Stay motivated"

I think everyone that studies\r a foreign language will experience\r a time when they are becoming less and less\r motivated. You may feel that you are \r losing your desire to learn Spanish online \r around the same time that you have reached a plateau.

If you feel that you are losing your desire\r to learn to speak Spanish online,\r try planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country.\r Since you will want to get the most out of \r your trip, this should motivate you to study.

Here's another tip to help you stay motivated and\r to make you want to learn to speak Spanish online.\r Find a native speaker that you are romantically interested\r in. Since you will probably want to impress him or\r her with your Spanish, this should motivate you\r to keep studying and make you want to learn Spanish \r online. You will also notice that you\r are making progress quicker by practicing your\r Spanish with a native speaker and that should also\r motivate you to keep studying and practicing Spanish.

Of course, this tip only applies to single people\r or other people without a significant other.

Key Numero Dos to Learn to speak Spanish Online:\r "Don't Be Afraid of Making Mistakes"

Make lots of mistakes. And then after you have made\r lots of mistakes go make some more mistakes. And then\r go make some more mistakes.

Many people are afraid of making mistakes\r when learning Spanish online. If you really\r want to learn to speak Spanish online, then you\r have to accept the fact that making\r mistakes is part of the learning process.\r The more mistakes you make, the quicker \r you learn to speak Spanish online.

If you are not making mistakes, that's probably\r an indication that you are not making\r the effort to learn Spanish online.

Some people will try to learn to speak Spanish\r online by ONLY listening. Their reasoning is \r that once they learn enough Spanish that's \r when they will begin trying to speak Spanish online. \r But I can I assure you that it doesn't work that way. \r It works in reverse.

That is, once you start trying to speak Spanish\r and making mistakes that's when you will begin to \r learn to speak Spanish online. Not the other way around.

So go ahead and make mistakes. The mistakes\r aren't there to embarrass you. The mistakes\r are there to help you master Spanish.

Key Numero Tres to Learn Spanish Online:

"Focus on how to speak Spanish" \r Don't focus on "why Spanish is Spoken\r the way it is"

Many people have sent me emails with questions\r such as why is it "me gusta" (I like) instead\r of "me gusto" or why is it "me toma" instead\r of "me tomo"

Of course, I could easily answer these questions.\r (And I do) But the objective is not to try equate everything\r in Spanish with English or your native language.

Accept the fact that Spanish grammar is different\r from English grammar. And focus on the objective\r of any language -- which is to communicate effectively.

And in order to communicate effectively, you only\r need to understand and be understood. It is not \r necessary that you understand each and every \r grammatical facet.

Trying to do so will only hinder your learning and make\r it difficult to learn Spanish online.\r Imagine trying to teach a 4 yr old the definition\r of a direct pronoun vs. an indirect pronoun.\r We would never attempt such a thing. But the\r 4yr old child is still fluent in his or her\r native language.

So make your goal to understand and be understood.\r Focus on "how to speak Spanish" \r Don't focus on "why Spanish is Spoken\r the way it is."

Key Numero Cuatro to Learn to Speak Spanish Online:

"Master the Fundamentals"

Many people spend their time learning\r a bunch of Spanish vocabulary that they could\r go a life time and never use. That's \r because the words are hardly used\r in normal everyday conversation.

If you want to learn to speak Spanish online without\r Wasting anytime, I advise you to master\r the fundamentals. When I say the\r "fundamentals" I am referring to\r the basic vocabulary and basic grammar.

I know adults that have studied Spanish\r for a few years and they know thousands\r of words in Spanish. Although they may\r be proficient in Spanish, I would not \r consider them fluent. On the other hand,\r a three or four year old native Spanish-speaking\r child can speak Spanish fluently. It is not \r because the child knows thousand of words in Spanish.\r The child may only know about a thousand words\r or less in Spanish. But the child has mastered the fundamentals.

Mastery of the fundamentals is what separates\r the proficient from the fluent.

If you really want to learn to speak Spanish online\r make it a priority to master the fundamentals.

Key Numero Cinco to Learn Spanish Online:

"Take Advantage of downtime"

Finding time to study can be a challenge.\r Many people just don't have the time \r to sit down and study. But who said that\r you have to be sitting down? If you are\r waiting in line at the bank or waiting at the \r doctor's office, turn on your mp3 player\r or ipod and listen to an audio Spanish lesson.

If you drive to work everyday, that's\r an excellent opportunity to practice your favorite\r audio Spanish course. If you like to jog or \r exercise on a stairmaster or treadmill, \r bring your mp3 player or ipod with you\r and listen to your favorite audio Spanish course

Instead of watching the 10' clock News. Watch\r "Las Noticias" Instead of watching a movie\r on HBO, watch a movie on HBO Latino.

So to those that say "I just\r don't have the time to learn Spanish online." \r My response is that you can make excuses \r or you can learn to speak Spanish online.\r But you can't do both. The choice\r is yours.

Key Numero Seis to Learn to speak Spanish Online:

"Become an Imitator"

Some Spanish courses do not put much emphasis\r on pronunciation. I think that is a big mistake.

If you really want to be understood, you must try \r to mimic native speakers.

Have you every experienced someone that\r asked you for directions or some other question\r and you were unable to assist the person because you didn't\r speak her language. And then you suddenly \r realized that the person was actually speaking\r English but her accent was so thick that you \r thought the person was speaking another language.

The same thing happens to Spanish ears. If\r you do not develop good pronunciation, you will\r not be understand.

If you say the word "dad" in Spanish and you do\r not stress the appropriate syllable, a \r native Spanish speaker may think that you are\r talking about "french fries." To English ears\r the difference may be very subtle. But to the\r Latin American its the difference between \r "dad" and "potatoes".

So focus on mimicking native Spanish speakers.

I hope that you enjoyed these 6 Tips to Help You \r Learn Spanish Online and that they truly help\r you in your journey to learn to speak Spanish online.

Patrick Jackson

Patrick Jackson is a self-taught speaker of Spanish and the founder of the Learning Spanish Like Crazy method. Webmasters, feel free to republish this story. It must remain unedited and whole. All resource/footer copy including this statement must remain intact and unedited. All links must remain clickable. Learning Spanish Like Crazy makes it quick and easy to learn Spanish. Download free audio Spanish lessons at: http://www.e-learn-spanish-online-cd-fast.com/