What you need to work on to move up a level (A1 to A2)
¡Hola, alumnos fabulosos!
This week I’m going to start a series of mini-blogs. In these blogs, you’ll find out what you need to work on to move up a level.
In each one, I’ll tell you 3 things you need to do to achieve that. Today, we’ll look at how to move up from A1 to A2.
1 – To be in A2, you need to avoid using English at least 90% of the time.
How do you achieve this? There are a few ways:
a) Learn more vocabulary (by reading, writing, taking notes in class, etc.)
b) Become a master of description (“What do you call that thing that you use when,” etc.), and
c) Keep your sentences short and to the point. Do not attempt to tell complicated stories in level A1/A2.
2 – You should be able to have a short interaction with your teacher. You will know you are ready when the teacher asks you 2 or 3 things in Spanish to follow up on whatever you said, and you understand him/her, and can answer in Spanish without checking your notes. Basically, in level A2 you should be able to start having basic back and forth interactions without having to write it all out first.
How do you achieve this? Make sure that you’re participating in class, and not giving up when you’re not sure how to say something. Use the words you know, work around the ones you don’t, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
3 – Another thing you need to work on to move up a level is your present tense conjugations, and have the past tenses on your radar.
How do you achieve this? You can do this organically by paying attention when your verb tenses are corrected in class, or you can do it by studying it (This is a good resource: Present Tense (Spanish Dict)
One more thing: the fastest way to move from level A1 to level A2 is simply to do your daily homework, that should take 10-15 minutes a day. If you do this every single day, you will move up a level in no time.
I hope this advice helps you in your first steps of the Spanish journey! A2 students, be ready for next week. I’ll be sharing with you how to move up to level A3 :).
Que pasen un buen fin de semana,
Carolina & Octavi
