Passive learning techniques that can help you learn Spanish at work

Learning Spanish takes up a lot of time that many of us simply don’t have to spare. But, there may be a way you can find some extra time to fit in practice – 40 hours more each week, in fact.

Many people have found that utilizing passive learning techniques to learn Spanish at work helped them reach fluency faster.

One caveat:
Passive learning should only be used as a supplement to focused listening and spoken practice, not as a standalone method.

The most important thing to realize about passive language learning is that it is NOT an effective strategy on its own.

If you are expecting to learn to Spanish audio exclusively while you work or while you sleep, and to not back it up with any drills or active practice, you’re out of luck. Learning a language does require a fair bit of work, and you will not simply wake up speaking fluently one day from passive listening alone.

BUT, passive listening is believed to be a useful strategy to reinforce your active practice. And, since it it’s typically utilized in moments that would otherwise go unused, it’s a convenient way to squeeze in some extra practice without completely ruining your schedule. If you have already put in the legwork to acquire a background of basic Spanish knowledge, you may find passive learning to be a useful strategy.

Unfortunately, one place that many people find themselves with extra downtime is in the workplace. Whether you’re in between tasks, waiting for an appointment, or taking a lunch break, you may be able to find some use for your idle time at work to learn Spanish.

So, if you have a job that permits you to put on headphones while you work, you may be a good candidate to try these passive language learning techniques.

How to learn Spanish while you work

It is possible to learn Spanish while working full time. Here are some tips for making the most of your downtime at work to learn a new language.

#1 Listen to Spanish podcasts while you work

Podcasts are a great source of spoken Spanish from a native speaker. Replace one or two of your usual podcasts with a Spanish podcast. Tip for finding good Spanish podcasts for passive listening: if you’re looking for intermediate to advanced content, don’t search for the word “Spanish”. Unless you’re actually looking for beginner Spanish lessons, you’re better off listening to regular podcasts that happen to be in Spanish. Your favorite podcasts don’t have the word “English” in them, do they?

We recommend regular, contextual podcasts because you will hear Spanish spoken by a native speaker in their home accent at a natural pace.

You can find plenty of Spanish podcasts suitable for learners in the iTunes store (whether or not you have an Apple device) or countless other podcast apps. Typically, you can change the default language or country of the app’s search function to find relevant Spanish podcasts.

#2 Listen to Spanish audiobooks while you work

Similar to podcasts, audiobooks will expose you to Spanish spoken at a regular pace by a native speaker. However, since they are usually read by professionals, they may be slightly easier to understand for beginner-intermediate learners. Additionally, you will be able to engage with a story with a beginning, middle, and end, providing some structure that may be useful in turning passive listening into active listening.

#3 Listen to Spanish music while you work

Since many people already listen to music while they work, this may be one of the easiest passive language learning strategies to implement. Simply substitute a handful of songs in your playlist for some songs with Spanish lyrics and continue listening!

Obviously, it’s best to use songs that have prominent, easy to understand lyrics that are not overwhelmed by the instrumental accompaniment.

#4 Use these Spanish learning apps when time permits

If you have time during lunch or a break, it really behooves you to mix in some active learning.

Babbel has been around since 2007 and specializes in language learning; it lets you learn anytime, anywhere – on your desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Babbel can help you learn to speak confidently and clearly, with their patented speech recognition technology that helps get your pronunciation on point. 10-15 minute lessons will fit conveniently into your work schedule.

There are over 1 million active Babbel users in the world, and 97% of users would recommend Babbel to a friend! Use this link for 25% off Babbel’s premium language learning app. Results are guaranteed, or your money back, and you can cancel anytime.

Rocket Languages knows more about learning a new language than anyone on the planet. They offer multiple award-winning language learning courses. It’a simple for customers to select the right course for their specific needs, and the language learning techniques are based on practical success strategies that polyglots (people who speak 5 or more languages fluently) use. Every course has more than 100 hours of repeatable tuition, and the best part is – it’s optimized to teach you quickly in only minutes a day.

Used by 1,200,000 people, just like you, to master a new language. They boast more than 1,400 5-star reviews! Test Rocket Language Spanish out for FREE with this link, no obligation.

Passive learning is extremely popular because it seems like a quick fix – a way to learn a language lazily without any real work. Unfortunately, this is a fallacy. Learning Spanish requires real dedication and devotion to the task, and is not something that can be absorbed subliminally. That being said, this is not meant to discourage people from trying to learn Spanish while you work or during other passive tasks; passive learning can be a supplement to your language practice to help you retain more information and learn more quickly.

What you WILL get out of passive listening:
-a good familiarity of the types of sounds that are used in a particular language, some of which may be very different than the sounds that you are used to from your native language

-your brain will subconsciously attune to familiar words and phrases and develop an ability to pick them out of the overall context. This is useful for comprehension and can also be a great confidence booster for intermediate language learners

-you will learn to identify patterns in speech and words that are commonly paired

-you will get used to hearing, identifying, and ultimately understanding different accents and dialects

As a final tip, please consider the distinction between passive hearing and passive listening. If your workplace has frequent interruptions or distractions that will draw focus away from the audio, you may find that you are simply hearing the Spanish without really listening to it. In this case, the audio is just noise; not a useful tool. You are really only a candidate for learning Spanish at work if you are in fact able to absorb the information you are hearing.

Here are some tips for making the most out of your passive listening time:
-as the circumstances permit, mix in some active listening! The audio is already running, so take a few minutes every now and then to give it your full attention and analyze what you are hearing

-when you hear words you recognize, pay close attention to the context surrounding them and try to identify any patterns; words they are commonly paired with, are they commonly near the beginning or end of the phrase, etc.

-periodically take notes on what you are hearing

-try to identify words that you don’t recognize and look them up in a Spanish-English dictionary. Look out for those words again in the future

-use passive learning as a supplement to practicing with your full, undivided attention.

Thank you for reading our guide to learning Spanish at work! You may also enjoy: How to learn Spanish while driving. For daily vocab and more language learning tips, please sign up for our free Word-A-Day email.

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