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Today, I officially completed my 50th Babbel Live lesson!
I started in April and try to have at least 4 lessons per week except during the last week of the month when work is busiest.
I also did not attend classes when I went home to Manila because the time difference was difficult.
Then I took another couple weeks off for our annual summer holiday – but as a testament to Babbel’s effectiveness, I could actually set an appointment with a hairdresser in Spain!
Not perfect, but the point is to understand and communicate.
I want to share my tips and routine to make the most of your Babbel Live classes.
Prep your intro
At the start of almost every class, your teacher will ask you to introduce yourself.
This normally includes your name, where you are from, where you live and why you are studying Spanish.
My intro goes: Hola, me llamo Cat. Soy de Filipinas pero vivo en Budapest en Hungria desde hace ocho años. Estoy aprendiendo español porque me encantan los idiomas y quiero vivir en España en el futuro.
Because you will say it over and over, you get to refine it as you progress in your studies.
You can even add on to it, to shake things up.
If my classmates introduce themselves by saying how many kids they have, sometimes I say: no tengo niños o mascotas, pero tengo muchas plantas.
This usually makes them laugh and that is a good thing!
Study the material in advance (seriously)
Do the lesson in the app then go through the PDF material before the class.
This will ensure that you will not struggle in class.
I had a few classes where one or two people obviously joined the class last minute without preparation.
It took quite a bit of effort from the teacher to explain what exactly we were trying to learn.
This slowed down the class considerably and I could see some people getting impatient.
So please be considerate of others and do your part before the class.
Take down notes and save the chat
I like taking down notes old school (with notebook and pen) during the class but many teachers are efficient with notes too.
Depending on the teacher, they might write in the chat box or on the slides or both.
They may send the material as one whole PDF file or separate annotated slides in image format.
At the end of the class, be sure to save the chat and any material the teacher sends in the chat box.
These will be handy during your later revision.
Study outside Babbel Live
The classes are not enough.
Be sure you do a lot of Spanish outside the classes too.
Depending on my mood and free time, I do one or two of the following daily:
- Speakly – I can practice speaking with the app, listen to a monologue, or find Spanish music to listen to.
- Glossika – this has been a non-negotiable, whatever language I am learning
- Dreaming Spanish – even as an absolute beginner, you will find many are comprehensive input videos!
- Language Transfer
- El Método – I have an oldie-but-goodie review for El Método here.
- Babbel Podcasts – currently doing Un dia en español and I am very pleased at how much I am able to understand already.
- Duolingo – great for reinforcing grammar through repeating sentence patterns
Fifty classes down, and many more to go.
I am enjoying my Spanish language journey so far – my only regret is not signing up for Babbel Live sooner!
Empieza a aprender con Babbel Live
Podcasts come with transcripts too. 
Podcasts available for A1 to B2 levels
