En resumen (the short version)
- Losing motivation isn't failing. It goes up and down for everyone, and it comes back.
- There are different kinds of "lost": bored, overwhelmed, discouraged, busy, or no reason any more. Each one has a different fix.
- Make the plan smaller, change what you do (not your goal), and write down a reason that's yours, in Spanish.
✌🏼 ¡Hola aventurero!
At the start, Spanish was exciting. New words every day, a streak you were proud of, maybe even a trip booked ✈️
And now? The app sends you sad little notifications and you swipe them away. Lo sé. It happens.
If you've lost motivation learning Spanish, I'm not going to tell you off. Honestly, I'm the last person who could. Instead, let's work out why it went, because the fix depends on the reason.
You haven't failed (I promise)
Quick story. At school, I was the worst student in my class. I hated studying, I failed 9 subjects out of 10 and I dropped out for a whole year. And English? I failed every single English test 🙈
What changed things wasn't a sudden wave of motivation. Two teachers, one for Spanish and one for philosophy, believed in me and suggested I become a translator. I went on to study Translation at university, and today I speak four languages.
So here's what I learned: motivation isn't something you have or don't have. It goes up and down. What got me through was the right work, the right tricks and people who believed in me. Not feeling motivated every day.
What kind of "lost" is it?
"I've lost my motivation" can mean very different things. Have a look at this table and see which row sounds most like you:
| What it feels like | What's probably going on | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| "It's just boring now." | You've been doing the same thing every day for months | Change the activity, not the goal |
| "There's too much to learn." | Your plan is too big for your week | Make it smaller |
| "I tried to speak and it went badly." | One bad moment knocked your confidence | Look at what really happened |
| "I just don't have time any more." | Life got busy, and Spanish was the first thing to go | Keep a tiny minimum going |
| "I don't know why I'm doing this." | The reason you started has gone, like a cancelled trip | Find a new reason that's yours |
You might have more than one. That's fine. Pick the one that feels strongest and start there.
If yours is the time one, I wrote a whole post on a Spanish routine for busy people. The rest are below.
When it's boring: change the activity
Doing the same app lesson every day for six months would bore anyone. The goal (speaking Spanish) is still fine. It's the activity that's gone stale.
So swap it for something completely different for a week or two. One easy way in is to search for things in Spanish that you'd look up anyway:
| Bored of… | Try this instead | What to search for |
|---|---|---|
| App lessons | A cooking video from Spain, and cook along | receta fácil de croquetas |
| Word lists | A video tour of a city you'd like to visit | qué ver en Sevilla |
| Grammar exercises | A Spanish podcast about a hobby you already have | podcast de fotografía |
| Textbook dialogues | A Spanish YouTuber's day-in-the-life video | un día conmigo |
Qué ver en… (what to see in…) is a really useful search phrase, by the way. Put any town after it and you'll get videos and blogs made by Spanish speakers, for Spanish speakers.
If you like a bit of mystery, my Campfire Stories are spooky mini-stories based on real legends, with a workbook. A nice change from the usual 👻
When it's too much: make it smaller
Sometimes motivation doesn't fade because Spanish is boring. It fades because your plan is so big that every day feels like you're already behind.
The fix: decide what the smallest version of each day looks like, and let that count. Más vale poco que nada (a little is better than nothing).
| Your usual plan | The minimum version |
|---|---|
| A 30-minute lesson | Read one paragraph out loud |
| A page in your Spanish diary | One sentence about your day, starting with Hoy he… |
| Ten minutes of speaking | Answer one question out loud, like ¿Qué vas a cenar hoy? |
| An episode of a Spanish TV series | Five minutes of it, with Spanish subtitles |
On a good day, do more. On a bad day, do the minimum and stop. The point is that Spanish never drops to zero.
Missing one day is normal. Just don't let it become two. If yesterday was a zero, today is a minimum day, even if it's one sentence.
When a conversation went badly
Sometimes motivation goes all at once, after one bad moment. You froze. The waiter answered you in English. Someone smiled at your accent and you wanted the floor to swallow you up 😳
That stings. But look at what actually happened: you spoke Spanish to a real person. That's the hard part, and you did it.
And when people switch to English, it's usually not a judgement. Often they're trying to help, or they want to practise their English. You can ask to stay in Spanish:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Prefiero hablar en español, si no te importa. | I'd rather speak Spanish, if you don't mind. |
| Estoy aprendiendo. ¿Seguimos en español? | I'm learning. Shall we keep going in Spanish? |
| Si hablas un poco más despacio, te entiendo. | If you speak a bit more slowly, I'll understand. |
| Gracias, pero necesito practicar. | Thanks, but I need the practice. |
A conversation that went wrong isn't proof you can't do it. It shows you exactly what to practise next. Write down what you couldn't say, look it up, and say it out loud a few times. Next time, you'll have it.
If the fear of it happening again is what's stopping you, read scared of speaking Spanish? Let's fix that.
Find a reason that's yours
Some people start Spanish for a trip, a partner or a job. Then the trip gets cancelled, and the reason goes with it.
So find a reason that's yours, and write it in Spanish. It's good practice, and it means more when you can say it in the language itself.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Quiero aprender español para hablar con la familia de mi pareja. | I want to learn Spanish to talk to my partner's family. |
| Quiero aprender español para entender a mis vecinos. | I want to learn Spanish to understand my neighbours. |
| Quiero aprender español para viajar por España sin miedo. | I want to learn Spanish to travel around Spain without being scared. |
| Aprendo español porque me hace feliz. | I'm learning Spanish because it makes me happy. |
Teacher bit 🤓 Notice para and porque. Para + an infinitive (para hablar, para entender) gives the purpose: what you want to be able to do. Porque + a full sentence (porque me hace feliz) gives the reason. There's more on para in por or para? A visual guide.
And yes, "because it makes me happy" is a completely good reason. You don't need a better one.
Your comeback plan
Find your row
Look at the "Five kinds of lost motivation" table and pick the row that sounds most like you. That tells you where to start.
Set your minimum day
Decide the smallest bit of Spanish that counts, like one sentence out loud starting with Hoy he…, and do it every day this week.
Write your reason in Spanish
Finish Quiero aprender español para… with something true for you. Say it out loud, then put it somewhere you'll see it, like your phone's lock screen.
Poco a poco. Motivation usually comes back once you've started again, not before 💛
Recap ✨
- Losing motivation isn't failing. It goes up and down for everyone.
- Work out which kind of "lost" you are: bored, overwhelmed, discouraged, busy or no reason.
- If it's boring, change the activity, like a Spanish cooking video instead of an app lesson.
- If it's too much, set a minimum day and never let Spanish drop to zero two days in a row.
- After a bad conversation, practise what went wrong, and write your reason for learning in Spanish: Quiero aprender español para…
Motivation is much easier to find when there are people around you doing the same thing. In the Aventureros Club there are aventureros speaking Spanish every day, and nobody asks where you've been 🎉
Now I'm curious 👀 Which row in the table is you right now? Cuéntame in the comments!
¡Un abrazo aventurero!
Lucía 💛
Lucía · Linguist, translator, Spanish teacher and author of the Visual Spanish Grammar Book.
Come and learn Spanish with me and other aventureros like yourself at skool.com/learnspanish 🎉