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

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

Here's another tip to help you stay motivated and to make you want to learn to speak Spanish online. You will also notice that you are making progress quicker by practicing your Spanish with a native speaker and that should also motivate you to keep studying and practicing Spanish. 

"Don't Be Afraid of Making Mistakes" 

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

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

Some people will try to learn to speak Spanish online by only listening. Their reasoning is that once they learn enough Spanish that's when they will begin trying to speak Spanish online. But I can I assure you that it doesn't work that way. It works in reverse. That is, once you start trying to speak Spanish and making mistakes that's when you will begin to learn to speak Spanish online. Not the other way around. 

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

"Focus on how to speak Spanish" 

Accept the fact that Spanish grammar is different from English grammar. And focus on the objective of any language -- which is to communicate effectively. And in order to communicate effectively, you only need to understand and be understood. It is not necessary that you understand each and every grammatical facet. 

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

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

"Master the Fundamentals" 

Mastery of the fundamentals is what separates the proficient from the fluent. If you really want to learn to speak Spanish online make it a priority to master the fundamentals. 

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

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

"Take Advantage of downtime" 

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

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

"Become an Imitator" 

Some Spanish courses do not put much emphasis on pronunciation. I think that is a big mistake. If you really want to be understood, you must try to mimic native speakers. 

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