Six unexpected ways I learned Spanish while living in Mexico

Published June 9, 2023

I turned to the last page of “Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana,” (I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter) by Erika L. Sánchez and closed the novel with a happy sigh. Mission accomplished!

Although the book was originally written in English, I read all 300 pages in Graciela Romero Saldaña’s Spanish translation, which is one way I’ve found to boost my fluency in Spanish.

I’ve had an advantage learning the language because when I was nine, my family lived in Quito, Ecuador, where I attended a bilingual school. When we returned to the United States, however, French was the de rigueur foreign language taught in schools, and so I didn’t study Spanish again until I was 16.

My Spanish-language education continued in a hopscotch, on-again, off-again style — taking classes when I traveled to Latin America, then letting it lapse for long periods — until my husband and I bought our Guanajuato home in 2005. Then I started getting serious about Spanish, working toward being able to engage at a deep level.

Here are six strategies that helped me achieve my goal:

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