Many people find dating in general, difficult. Trying to think of the right words to say, when to make the first move, starting a conversation while trying to seem confident, but not too confident because you don’t want to come on too strong, but not too weak either because that’s not attractive. Now imagine doing all that in a foreign language! It may seem like a daunting task but the truth is, dating someone from another country can be the best thing you ever did and using language as a gateway, instead of a barrier, is the best way I have found to get passed your fears and meet that next special someone who could change your life forever, and if not, well at least you will improve your Spanish.
Most of us expats move to Madrid for the experience of living in one of Europe’s premier capital cities, the opportunity to improve our Spanish, and to have a generally unique experience that we felt we weren’t going to get back home. Finding romance is usually just something we have on the back-burner, not a conscious goal, but I am sure if you asked most people, they probably wouldn’t mind finding a little love along the way. I am not advocating that you date someone solely to improve your language skills, but it is by far one of the best ways to improve quickly. As they say in Spanish “los idiomas se aprenden en la cuna y en la cama”.
It forces you to focus on communication, not just the grammar and vocabulary that is crammed into your head when you first start trying to learn Spanish. You can only get so far with your nose in a book, putting what you know to practice is key to making improvement. Having someone to practice with on a daily basis means you can finally get out of the Expat Bubble that is so easy to fall into.
Spending time with your significant other also means spending time with their family and friends, which means more time listening to natives speak Spanish in real life settings. At first, it will just sound like gibberish but the more you hear, the sooner you will be able to tune-in and start to understand what people around you are saying. The next thing you know you will start to hold actual conversations, then from there it is fluency, and before long you will be speaking like a native.
Obviously, there are absolutely no drawbacks whatsoever from dating a Spanish person so what are you waiting for? Get out there and make the move! Just remember, if you are feeling a little unlucky in love, Jaleo Madrid will always be here to help you improve your #spanish4life
