Anyone learning Spanish will tell you that the journey is long and full of twists and turns. Are you struggling to maintain motivation? Tongue-tied when it comes to talking? Does Spanish grammar fill you with dread? Should you even bother to learn Spanish if you’re living in Spain or planning to move here?

In episode eight of When in Spain I talk to Melissa from Thinking Spanglish, a blog described as a 'survivors guide' to learning Spanish, aimed at helping people overcome their fear of learning and improving Spanish.

We answer the 'dreaded' question, should you or shouldn't you learn Spanish to live in Spain? Can you survive without it...? We find out.

We also look at language learning resources, the challenges and rewards of learning Spanish, some top tips for language learning and of course we'll compare our own language learning experiences and insights.

Melissa's long held ambition to live abroad brought her to Spain four and a half years ago - via her passion for flamenco and her various stints teaching in Spain. We met up on a sunny terrace in Madrid. Apologies for some of the loud and unexpected traffic noise on what's usually a quiet street.

Here are a few links to resources mentioned in the episode:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/mividaloca/

http://thinkingspanglish.com/best-flashcard-app-spanish-in-a-month-elky-entertainment-llc-version-1-28/

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