Moving to Mexico? Best Tips for Learning Spanish QUICKLY

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V I D E O S    T O    W A T C H    N E X T :

Online Business Tips to Working and Traveling In Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGH0voCyOc&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_IA6s3KvB_g9Cc9Ze1eji8j&index=2

Moving to Mexico: 10 Reasons Why We Chose to Live in Guadalajara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK23vD8_xjc&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_LAY7UV78YMgms-f2e1UcwN&index=23

Tips for Moving Overseas: Top 5 Remote Work Skills That Make Money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFzjCrlNAL8&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_IA6s3KvB_g9Cc9Ze1eji8j

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Transcript

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If you're planning on making a move from the US or Canada to Mexico or anywhere else in Latin America for that matter, chances are one of the first things on your mind is, how do I learn Spanish? How do I learn the local language so that I can communicate, make friends, and get by a lot easier than I would if I were just looking at my phone all the time? On Google Translate. Welcome to Entrepreneur Expat. I'm Amanda. This is Justin. And on this channel we talk all about doing business globally, being digital nomads, living in other countries as American expats. We're currently spending most of our time in Mexico, so you'll see a lot of content about that. And we also talk about international investment and business opportunities. So if that's something that you are interested in, make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don't miss a single video that we have coming out on this channel. We're trying to do our best to answer all the questions we are getting in the dms about, uh, moving to Mexico because those are probably the questions we get asked the most. We're doing our best, so make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of these videos where we're answering your questions. And if you have even. Further questions, or you need help with the actual relocation process, we can now help you with our white glove relocation services. We can help you with everything from the immigration process to finding real estate, moving your pets, everything in between. And the first place you wanna get started with that is to book a Moving to Mexico Consult Below. All right, let's get into it. How do you learn Spanish? Or maybe the first thing we should probably answer,'cause this is a question we get asked all the time. Can you get away with not speaking Spanish, living in Mexico? Yeah. I, I can attest to this myself because when I, I. First moved to Columbia several years ago, and I ended up spending about three and a half years there total, I barely, barely, barely spoke a lick of Spanish. I mean, what they teach you in high school, Spanish in the US was about what I knew. Now, I did live in Tijuana a few months out of the year when I was a teenager, and I picked up a thing or two, but like my Spanish, uh, put very lightly was no bueno. When, when I, uh, when I first came to Columbia and I was basically walking into a store, I'd have to use Google Translate. Uh, I would not be able to have really intelligent conversations in Spanish at all, uh, versus today. Obviously I have a wife that is a Latina. She speaks Spanish fluently. I mean, we, we speak to each other in English or Spanish, depending on the, the context and who else is in the room. But, uh, I can get by much, much better having learned the language. So to answer your question, like can you get by with just English in certain cities? For sure. Like here in Mexico, if you're, let's say in Cancun or play Del Carmen or a lot of places in Mexico City. The menus are in English and Spanish in places that are frequented by expats. But even in places like that, it's gonna limit your experience a lot because let's say you are in Mexico City and you want to go out of the poka, uh, neighborhood, or you want to go out of, of Essa Roman Norte, or one of the, one of the places, uh, where there's a lot of expats, well, you're gonna have to learn Spanish or it's just gonna be like. An awkward, uncomfortable experience for the most part. Now, Mexicans, as most other people in Latin America, are very friendly to foreigners, and even if you don't speak the language, they're certainly gonna try to, to help however they can. But it is tough making friends when you, when you speak totally different languages and it limits your pool, uh, for sure, for friendship, for dating, and also in business. Because even if the people that, let's say you're trying to do business with, speak English. You're not gonna be able to build the same rapport and connection with them as if you understand their local language. And then from there, build on that, understand a lot of the idiosyncrasies of the Spanish language, uh, in Mexico and the, the different slang and terminology and other cultural references that you kind of need to get Spanish to understand. Yeah, so you know, in urban areas you are going to find more Mexicans who speak both English and Spanish, but it is the case with any country if you make an effort. To speak in their native language, then they're typically going to be nicer, uh, to you and, you know, be more willing to help and all those kinds of things. Although I think Mexicans are willing to help no matter what, but obviously, uh, it's also, I think, respectful, you know, at least to try and speak in the native absolutely. Language. So, and Spanish is a lot easier to learn than like Russian or Ukrainian, uh, which I was speaking when I, when I was in Ukraine, uh, several times, many years ago. And you don't have to learn a whole other alphabet, right? It's, it's 95% the same. So you should probably feel lucky that you're, you're considering Mexico and not like China or, or Russia. Or Thailand. Thailand or somewhere with a totally different alphabet. Greece. Exactly. Um, and much more complicated language. Spanish has a lot of similarities to English, and it's nowhere near as difficult. To learn as a lot of other languages are. Yeah. I would say as someone who used to teach English and Spanish as a second language, um, they're similar. Or not similar, right? So English is like a very efficient. Language, like you get things done very quickly. Spanish is not an efficient language. It's one of the romance languages. So there's gonna be, uh, more words to learn and the conjugations and things like that. But to your point, uh, it's way easier to learn than like. Thai or Russian or Greek or Chinese or Japanese or any of those things. And then when you learn Spanish, it opens up all of Latin America and parts of Europe to you. Because here's a little pro of learning Spanish that a lot of people don't realize. If you learn Spanish and you become very fluent, uh, you can kind of, sort of get Portuguese and Italian too. Maybe not when they're speaking it. And maybe the accents will, um, throw you off. Like they do with me, but if I have like Portuguese or Italian, like written in front of me, I get 90, 95% of it just because I, I'm fluent in, in Spanish. So I think a lot of people don't even realize that, that you kind of more easily understand all the romance languages. Well, and not to mention learning one language is also going to help you understand. How to more quickly learn other languages. So by learning a single, a single language, in addition to simply knowing that language, you're gonna understand the patterns and the differences between that language and the language you natively speak. Which, if you're watching this channel, I'm assuming is probably English. And so you're gonna start to see how conjugations are constructed and, and, uh, learn. Different ways of, of how words in the vocabulary relate to others. And so it makes learning, let's say a third or fourth language a lot easier. And like Amanda said, it opens you up to the Spanish speaking world, but then also starts to open you up to a lot more countries as well. Because I think once you've taken the leap from, let's say English to Spanish, going from Spanish to so many other different languages. Uh, especially very common ones is a lot easier. Yeah. And I would say another benefit, and this is something that we both have experienced'cause uh, we've been taking holistic healing classes and meditation classes here in Mexico and now we're assisting and facilitating a lot of those classes. And, uh, one thing that was really interesting was when we started taking a lot of these classes, I mean, we spent a decade taking these kinds of classes in English. Uh, so we weren't like new to the content, but I will say. Say that taking it in another language kind of opens you up to things that maybe you didn't pick up on on the original language. And that's actually something pretty cool that's, that's happened to us as well. So, I mean, there's no harm in knowing multiple languages. It can only open up your world, not make it smaller. Exactly. So let's dive into some of the ways that. We have learned other languages. I mean, specifically me and a lot of my friends, because Amanda here is a pretty native Spanish speaker. But one of the best things in my experience for, for learning Spanish was really just this idea of total immersion. It, it was the same thing, uh, as well when I was brushing up on my Russian after not having spoken it for many, many years and being in Ukraine where a lot of the people, uh, spoke Russian, especially in, in some of those. Central and Eastern, um, parts of the country where just like in Columbia, just like in Mexico, when you're in that area, that is completely speaking another language and they're not all speaking in English, which is why, guys, if you're gonna go to Mexico, don't just go to the resort. Like, don't just hang out in the tourist areas and all the expat neighborhoods. Get out there and actually immerse yourself in the language, in the culture. Start speaking Spanish with native Spanish speakers. You can always use your iPhone as a crutch and look at Google Translate if you don't understand a word. But the best thing to learn a language the fastest is being completely immersed in that language. And, and, and I'll, I'll hint at something else that we see on the horizon, which is like a lot of these. These interactive, uh, language learning apps that use virtual reality to actually put you into an area. So you've got, you know, your VR glasses or even just your computer screen and you're in a, maybe a, almost like a role playing game, but you're speaking the language and you're only that language. That's one of the tools that they're working on in the next, uh, tip here, which is apps where they're immersing you. In that language. And so, I mean, granted, there's nothing, nothing that comes close to actually being in that country to learn another language. But some of the apps and things, especially the vir virtual reality ones, do begin to come close. Yeah, I mean there's Duolingo, everybody knows that one. There's Italkie, which is an app which is hooks you up with private teachers with all kinds of languages, uh, all over the world. But I'm glad that you brought up the immersion because I. My first job outta college was teaching English and Spanish as a second language, uh, in a private language school. And that was the, that was the key, was like the total immersion of it. So, like for example, if I was teaching Spanish as a second language, I was not allowed to speak in English as the teacher. If I was teaching English as a second, second language, I was mostly, they were Venezuelan. I was not allowed to speak in Spanish, so everything had to be. In the language that they were learning, and it was total immersion. And I'll add something to that, which is learning the, uh, language in terms of how you're learning it. What they have discovered, and I say this as a former language teacher, um, is if you're learning it conversationally. That's how it actually sticks. So part of the issue that we have in the United States, for those of us who are American, um, when it comes to teaching second languages, that perhaps is a little bit different in other countries that are more well known for teaching multiple languages is like. I don't know, maybe it was a little bit different for me because I was in specific language programs. You'll have to tell me, but from what I'm being told, it's like the Spanish classes, it's like boards and here are all the conjugations Montana. Right. It, it's not, it's not conversational. Mm-hmm. Right. It's just like memorize a bunch of stuff, but it's not actually, and that's also a flaw of the US school system as well, because it's so based on like the written, standardized tests and. Everybody knows that when you take a class and you learn whether it's a language or some engineering concept or some. Some way of solving a math problem. You're learning it so that you can get the answer right on the standardized tests and get into a, you know, university, uh, based on those test scores or pass the grade or whatever it is that you're trying to do. It's not meant for real world experience, unfortunately. Yeah. And then the other thing, the whole No Child Left Behind right. Irony. Um, we were both from that era. Um, so the other thing, um, not only is it, uh, should it be conversational, but in the United States, it's like Stacy from Iowa. Who was teaching you, uh, Spanish and she's also not a native speaker. Not like Ola, not, you know, Maria from Salamanca in Spain or something like that. So that's another issue. And from what I've been told from our friends here. In Mexico who are bilingual and learned in the school system, they start them very, and I heard this from a lot of Europeans too. They start them very young, very, very young. They're having classes every day. Uh, it's a lot more conversational and they're being taught by native speakers. So that's how it's done in other countries versus the US and in other countries it works better. Mm-hmm. So I wanted to bring that point up because, uh, before anybody tries to go learn Spanish conjugation with tables, the best way to learn Spanish conjugation is to just to go immerse yourself and have conversation. It's a hundred percent. Now moving on to another really valuable resource for people to learn Spanish, and it's a lot more accessible than you may think, which is private tutors. Now, in the US if you're gonna hire a private tutor, you might be paying 20, 30,$50 an hour or even more depending on what the going rates are and, and where you're located. In Mexico, you can get private tutors or in Columbia. I mean, it doesn't really matter. They don't have to necessarily be. Uh, they're in person with you starting at around$5 an hour, sometimes a little higher, maybe 10,$15 max, but you're still paying less than a third of what you would be paying for that private language tutor in places like the us. Um, obviously the rates vary a lot depending on where you are, but it's significantly more affordable and private tutors, like I had a couple when I was living in Columbia, um, they help you. Get a grasp on the language a lot quicker, um, correct errors that you might be making in either your speaking or your conjugation, or your writing or whatever it is. And just generally like create a plan so that you've got a very specific track to run on. Um, one of the things that Amanda and I have done for many, many years is we've, we've taught business. So we teach people, uh, that maybe have come from a corporate job and want to become location independent and create their own business that lets them live and work anywhere. We teach how to do that, and there's a track to run on that we give them. It's not just like, okay. Go and throw shit at the wall and see what sticks and spend six months developing a product or an idea, not knowing if someone will buy it. We would never tell anybody to do that. There's a very specific process, a sequence that involves market research. It involves testing. It involves actually validating an offer because somebody gives you their credit card and wants to buy the thing. Not just saying that they theoretically might, in some parallel universe, want to give you money for it, right? There's a very. Specific process to do that. Just like there's a very specific process to learn a language and I'll, I'll take this. Neat little segue to say that if you are interested in working with us and learning about our process for moving to Mexico, our process for making sure that you are de domiciled from the wrong state in the US for tax purposes. Obviously we're not attorneys or accountants or anything like that, um, but we have our own experience and also a lot of professionals in our network that can help with things like that. Or if you're looking for advice on how to build a location. Independent business, um, so that you can move to Mexico, learn Spanish, live a totally different kind of lifestyle. Don't forget to book below that consultation. Uh, the money that you invest, whether you work with us just on that consultation or you want additional services or coaching or anything like that, is gonna be more than worth your while because working with a professional is always the way to do it. So book below@entrepreneurexpat.com slash. Consult. Now you wanna talk about the final, uh, language learning strategy, Amanda? Yeah, so this is actually something that we learned about recently.'cause they have them here in Guadalajara and we're thinking when we have time to go check it out, to go learn a third or fourth language. Well fourth in your case, third language in my case. And that is language exchanges. So here in Guadalajara. And shout out to Heather. Who was house sitting for us while we were vacationing and getting married and honeymooning and all that stuff. She discovered language exchanges here in Guadalajara and basically, from my understanding, they meet up about once a week and there's different tables, um, and you go to the table of the language that you want to learn and it's conversational, right? So from what she told me here in Guadalajara, they have the Spanish table. For all the foreigners who don't speak Spanish, they have the English table. Uh um, they have the Japanese table, and I think they either had Portuguese or Italian, I can't remember. But basically you go to the table of the language. That you wanna learn. And it's an international crowd that goes to these language exchanges because it's particularly in, uh, more of the bigger cities in Mexico, you're gonna find people from all over the world. Uh, so you'll get a pretty international in India, Korea, so many different places. So many different places. I mean, we're, we're learning about new ones all the time while being here in Mexico. And I was gonna propose this to you. Do you wanna go start the Russian table at the language exchanges? Maybe. You wanna start teaching people Russian? Well see, I think, I think I need to brush it up a little bit more. The reason I bring that up is because he was like, maybe you should learn Russian. And I was like, I know. Which means like house slippers and I know net, which means No. I was thinking maybe you could start the Russian table. We'll see. We'll see, I'll add it. Um, I'll add it to the agenda for maybe Q4. So language exchanges are a really fun way to not just learn a language, but also meet people. Because I think in some of the other, um, examples we gave, like for example, total immersion might be terrifying to, to some people, and that's fair or absent. It was the kick in the ass. I needed to learn Spanish. I mean, it's the best way, but I'm also crazy. So I dunno, I dunno if I'm typical, you're a. I'm adventurous. Yeah. Um, so total immersion is the best way. And then apps absent, but it might be, it might be terrifying. Right. And then apps and private tutors are also a really great way, but maybe they feel a little bit more isolating. But language exchanges, uh, could be a really fun way to learn the languages, but also make a lot of international friends. So we wanted to add that. It's a list. Exactly. Well, that's our list of ways to learn Spanish. If you're moving to Mexico, like I mentioned before, you can go to entrepreneur expat.com/consult. If you need help with language, learning resources, immigration resources, or just have questions that you want answered, we can actually work with you one-on-one and also talk about some of the other things that we offer in terms of more extensive relocation. Services, make sure you like and subscribe, and we'll see you again very soon on the next video. Bye for now.