We recently had the privilege of interviewing Bob Mrotek, writer of Mexico Bob. I discovered his site the other day after he helped me correct some Spanish in one of my recent articles. His website has some incredibly helpful information about Mexico and learning the Spanish language, information you won't really find anywhere else except by learning it on your own.

Bob graciously agreed to an interview with us, and shared some truly excellent, first hand, learned the hard way advice on how to learn Spanish. Here it is for your reading pleasure:

• How long have you lived in Mexico?

On January 6th 2009 I will have been living exactly ten years in Mexico.

• Why did you have to learn Spanish?

I came to Mexico as a technician at the invitation of several companies and in order to accomplish what they required it was necessary for me to learn to communicate effectively in Spanish at several levels.

• How long did it take to learn?

I am still learning and will continue to do so indefinitely. There is no end to it. I learn something new every day.

If you are asking how long it took to communicate in Spanish then it took about a year for me to acquire the basics so that I could function pretty well by myself without an interpreter to guide me. I was still very rough around the edges however. After about three years I could handle myself fairly well but there were still times when I wasn't quite sure what was said or else I had difficulty in getting my point across. At about five years I felt very comfortable and was able to go just about anywhere and communicate well whatever I needed to communicate. At about eight years I started giving lectures and technical training classes in Spanish and could handle just about any situation that I encountered with no problems whatsoever.

• What is best way to pick up a new language?

The best way is to put it in your head by memorizing vocabulary, verb conjugation, and phrases so that you will be ready to both talk and understand effectively. Total immersion and listening to tapes don't really work very well because they are passive. To reach a level that would be considered fluent you need to know between 12,000 and 15, 000 vocabulary words in any language and so if you only learn a few words a day it will take you forever.

To learn a language you must have a real desire to learn it and put it in your head. It won't enter your head by default. Knowing the history and culture of your target country is also essential because so much of a language is based upon these two things including pop culture which is always evolving. Remember, you have a lot of catching up to do.

• What are your thoughts on taking Spanish classes that are typically offered?

They might be helpful in the very beginning to learn pronunciation, punctuation, and basic grammar structure but after that they are a waste of time and money. You need to leave the cocoon and take flight.

• Have you had any funny experiences during your "invasion" of the language?

Yes, I have plenty. I have made a lot of humorous and sometimes embarrassing mistakes but if you aren't making any mistakes then you probably aren't learning. One time when I first came to Mexico I went into a small grocery store and I asked the girl "¿Tienes huevos?" I thought I was asking her if she had eggs but what I was actually asking her is if she had testicles for which eggs are a euphemism. I should have said "¿Hay huevos?" which means "Are there any eggs?". Needless to say, by the time I learned why what I had said was wrong, both of our faces were red.

• Why are you writing your blog?

I started writing my blog as a journal to record my experiences and communicate them with my friends and family. I began writing some "Spanish Lessons" in the form of dialogs to answer some of the questions that people asked me and to help my friends avoid some of the problems that I had encountered while learning Spanish.

• Can you recommend any 'learn Spanish' resources that helped you?

There are two books that I would recommend for Mexican Spanish.

The first is: "Larousse Standard Diccionario. Espanol-Ingles Ingles-Espanol"

(Mexican Edition ISBN 970-607-993-9).

The second is: "501 Spanish Verbs" by Christopher Kendris, Ph.D.

(ISBN 0-8120-9282-1)

I also recommend reading in Spanish. The first book that I read in Spanish was "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. I found this very helpful. If you can find "Archie" comic books in Spanish that would also be helpful but you will need someone to explain some of the idiomatic expressions. There are a bunch of learning sites on the Internet but be careful. Most of them are designed for nothing more than getting your money and lulling you into the belief that you are learning.

• What advice/encouragement can you give for those trying to learn?

Work! Work! Work! That is the reality of learning a language. First you need to really want to learn and then you need to work hard at it. If you just want to learn to keep up with someone else or just want to impress your friends then you are wasting your time. The reward for your learning efforts will be the opening of a new world of seeing things from another point of view and a new way of thinking about things. It will be one of the best things that you ever did. It is a journey without end to places in your mind that you never dreamed of.

Learn some vocabulary and learn some basic grammar and verb conjugation and then strike out and find some conversations. Ask people for the time in Spanish. Order a pizza in Spanish. If you need a guide then check out my dialogs. Make your own dialogs and practice them, first on your dog and cat and then on people. Oh, yes, there is one more thing…Never give up! Never give up! Never give up!

Thanks so much for your time and words of wisdom Bob, we wish you all the best in your endeavors! If you guys found that interview interesting, then you have to check out his site Mexico Bob! He's got tons of Spanish to English dialog that is just chock full of wisdom, local idioms, colorful metaphors, and indepth facts. He truly is a student of the language. An excellent example for all to follow!

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