Today we at Lingo Mastery had the opportunity to interview María from the very popular Why Not Spanish Youtube channel which an absolutely fantastic channel for Spanish learners. There are a lot of Youtube channels out there for Spanish learners but I got to say that Why Not Spanish is one of my favorites.

Without any further ado, let’s get to the interview!

Can you tell us what Why Not Spanish is and how it came to be?

Why Not Spanish started as a website where I uploaded materials for my students back then. Cody (my husband) had always struggled learning Spanish. It was something that was always in the back of our heads. He wanted to give it one last chance but he wanted to feel a little pressure to do it, kind of like when you pay for a gym membership so you make yourself go. So he came up with the idea of making a YouTube channel to challenge himself to really learn this time. Eventually, the channel became a useful tool for other people who were in the same situation as Cody. Now, Why Not Spanish is a successful YouTube channel and soon to be online course.

What are you doing when you’re not creating YouTube videos?

When we are not working or making videos for YouTube, Cody and I enjoy hiking and going to the mountains with our dog Maya every time we have a chance. Cody likes juggling and other nerdy things and I prefer researching about language learning, playing around with my hoola hoop, or drawing.

María, you’re a Spanish teacher, what approach do you have to teaching students Spanish?

Getting your message across is the most important part of using a language. Since I was studying to become a language teacher I have experimented with a few approaches, especially with the communicative approach where there is a lot of interaction and where learning Spanish is not a goal but rather a means to achieve whatever you need. I am constantly evolving as a teacher and I am getting away from the traditional methods and starting to learn a lot about using complete pieces of language to express meaning.  There are people who worry too much about grammar, or correcting every single mistake, and maybe they are good at it, but they still can’t use Spanish at all, that is why they don’t see any progress.

We at Lingo Mastery are always stressing how important it is to read suitable material to learn a new language. Do you think reading is important when learning a language?

Reading is a component of the language learning process. Just like listening or writing or speaking. Reading is a good tool to acquire new vocabulary and build your knowledge of Spanish, however to be fluent in a language you should be listening and imitating people who speak it (not to mention using the language and messing up a lot).

You’ve grown your Youtube channel very fast, why do you think you’ve been so popular?

We are relatable, fun and inspiring. Other people show off their skills on how they are able to speak two, three, or five foreign languages. They don’t show how they got there. They tell you about them learning Spanish in three, six months, sometimes weeks! But they don’t show their struggles, their mistakes, and their embarrassing moments. Everybody wants to be perfect. We are not perfect and that is why regular people who have struggled learning Spanish can relate to us.

What’s next for WhyNotSpanish?

We will soon launch a course for intermediate and advanced Spanish learners who are frustrated and unable to understand Spanish speakers and don’t feel confident using Spanish in their daily lives. This course will help them open up and acquire the confidence and fluency they need to really master Spanish.

Alright guys, we hope you enjoyed this little interview and make sure to check out Why Not Spanish on Youtube as well as their website where they have some pretty sweet learning material. Also, make sure you check out the interview we did a little while ago with Live Lingua.

Happy learning and take care!