Dear Diary…en Español

Querido Diario: The secret power of journaling in your target language

Hola, amigos!

Today I want to talk about one of the simplest, least glamorous, yet most powerful language-learning tools I've come across: keeping a journal in Spanish.

Now, you're probably thinking: “Hombre, I barely have time to respond to my WhatsApp messages, Instagram comments, and work emails, let alone put down my thoughts in a diary.” Believe me, I get it, but hear me out…

Journaling, even just a few sentences a day, forces your brain to produce Spanish, not just passively absorb it. Your mind is less likely to drift than when you are, say, listening to a podcast (helpful as these can be).

As I’ve mentioned before, writing in your target language is an underappreciated skill. Because it’s not so easily “gamified” or turned into a course or resource, online language learning gurus¹ usually don’t pay much attention to writing.

Someone else’s hand and handwriting, which is certainly more legible than mine.

When I started jotting down thoughts in Spanish, I noticed a few things almost immediately:

• Sentence structure started to stick. Writing helps internalise the grammar that listening and reading only expose you to.

• I became more confident with vocab. I’d guess at a word I didn't know, write it down, and look it up afterwards. Over time, those guesses got closer to being right.²

• Writing these short diary entries felt low-pressure compared to having a native Spanish speaker correcting my errors or switching into English.

The trick is not to overthink it. Your journal entry could be as simple as:

• Hoy fui al supermercado. Compré plátanos y pan. Estaba muy lleno.

• (Today I went to the supermarket. I bought bananas and bread. It was very crowded.)

Or it could be a little more complex:

• Me siento un poco frustrado con mi español hoy. No entendí nada en el video que vi. Pero mañana lo intentaré otra vez.

• I feel a bit frustrated with my Spanish today. I didn't understand anything in the video I watched. But I'll try again tomorrow.)

Whether it's about your breakfast or your existential crisis, it’s all valid Spanish practice. To really make the most of this strategy, start to re-read your earlier entries from days or weeks before. This will help you reinforce the words and keep them in your active vocabulary. You'll also start to notice errors, and more importantly, progress.

So here's my mini-challenge for you: Write something in Spanish today. Make sure to date what you write. Then do the same thing tomorrow. And so on…

¡Hasta pronto y buena suerte!

James

1. Something I’m certainly not!

2. Most writing software now offers suggested corrections or red lines when you've written something wrong. You can either correct as you go or afterwards.