How I did it: i started taking spanish classes when i was in 8th grade.  i have always been an excellent student, and spanish was no exception, but i never really stood out early on. 

i started taking french, continuing still with my spanish, when i was a sophomore in high school.  there, i found a real passion.  through various media (books, music, television) and also a lot of practice friends who spoke the language, i was legitimately fluent by the end of my senior year. 

i'm now a double french/international studies (concentration in africa) major in college and have loved every minute of the language-learning i have done in the past two years.  i am also continuing with my spanish, utilising the same things i did with my french to get to a level of fluency. 

Lessons & tips: IMMERSION.  travel travel travel.  i can not emphasize how much spending time in quebec and speaking with native/fluent speakers has helped me.  a lot has to do with your base in grammar and vocabulary, but all of your syntax and random words come from experience.  you need to use it, or there is no use in studying it.   

Dec 22, 2009, 10:13PM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer