Practice Makes Perfect is more than just a saying. It’s a language-learning reality. When we were children we were completely unaware of the emotion called “embarrassment.”

Throughout my teenage years and adult life, my mother would tell me about a story – a true one – that when I was four years old I had wanted a drink of water, and I asked “wah wah – wah wah.” My sister, on the other hand, barely two years old at the time would say “mother may I have a glass of water please.”

Despite the fact that a child not much more than a toddler was speaking perfect English and I was grunting like a caveman, I never became discouraged or embarrassed. I kept at it until I got it right. And now I can say water in two different languages – actually three if I include Portuguese.

You have to take the same child-like attitude toward learning Spanish. You will make many mistakes. You will mispronounce words. You will use the wrong vocabulary. And you will make grammatical errors. But never let this hold you back from practicing your Spanish with a native speaker – even if the native is a total stranger.

You must accept the reality that making mistakes is a part of learning any language. If you are not making mistakes, it’s because you are not speaking Spanish to anyone. And if you are not speaking, then you are not learning.

Keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day. And neither was Madrid, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Cali, Mexico City, Colón, Havana or Buenos Aires.