How do I stay motivated to learn Spanish?
I am really interested in becoming an expert in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish. The thing is, I can't seem to keep at it. I'll go at it for a couple weeks and then I just kind of forget about it or become busy.
Is there a special way that any of you stay motivated to continue learning?
7 Answers
I would suggest finding a study buddy and try setting yourselves challenges, a little healthy competition can be great motivation.
And when it comes to learning sources and styles mix it up. SD is great but there's nothing wrong in using a variety of sources and resources, movies, song lyrics and recordings, the news, newspapers, videos, quizzes, forums, books etc etc
I've been studying English during all my life. And during years I felt that English wasn't for me, that I can't. I passed all my exams always and with good marks (more or less), however I couldn't have a conversation. But last year I started to learn English in an other way, talking with native speakers and practicing it. And now I'm very motivated to English learning, just because I see that I'm able to communicate with people in English. I feel optimistic. I try to practise more and more and I enjoy it. When you see that you improve, that you can understand and follow a conversation... you continue motivated. At least It's my experience 
Try to watch telenovela (you can find them on You tube) so you would be listening Spanish , learning from it and also, it becomes interesting so you can't stop watching it, I can recommend "Rosa Diamante ".
The best motivation is to be in a totally immersed situation where you can't communicate if you don't speak Spanish. There are places like this in the USA even. You can also join a site like The Mixxer (Language exchange).
There is already some excellent advice here, but I will add one more thing: Don't give up if you stop practicing for awhile. Especially when you are a beginner it can be easy to be off and on with your studying/practice. It doesn't mean you can't start back up and move forward. It really is a rewarding endeavor, especially as you advance, and it is totally worth it to keep going and get back on the horse. Good luck, and good for you for deciding to take on learning another language!
Hi, I understand where you are coming from. At present I feel like giving up learning Spanish but I have been encouraged by a friend to keep going. It is a good idea to join meet up groups where you can meet native speakers. Don't expect to learn a language overnight. You really need to be patient. Persevere and immerse yourself in the language as much as you are able to. The Collins Spanish Dictionary is an excellent dictionary as it often puts the word in context. For instance, for the word "llevar" their is a whole page on the word used in different sentences/contexts.
Spanishdict.com is very useful as well. You just need to know how to get the best out of it. For instance, if you just type one word into the translator section e.g. caer - it will have a page or more using the word in different contexts etc
lomastv or spanish.yabla.com is a website that you can subscribe to. There are many videos, various subjects, that you can watch. The text is below the video in Spanish with the translation. You can print the text out and practice reading it. There is a video game. It takes you to anywhere in the video and leaves words out. You have to listen to see if you can work out what the word is and type it in. If you like music, they have fantastic music videos that you can sing along to.
There are bilingual children's fairytales that you can buy such as Juan y Los Frijoles Mágicos (Jack & the Beanstalk); El Patito Feo (The Ugly Duckling) - This is a very good way of learning important basic vocab and syntax. My suggestion is to read these stories out aloud, over and over again to gain fluency. They have helped me immensely.
There are also thick verb drill, vocab drill books that you can buy. 1. Barron's Spanish Verb Workbook by Frank H. Nuessel. Ph.D. 2. Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Vocabulary by Dorothy Richmond 3. Spanish Grammar Drills By Rogelio Alonso Vallecillos Be aware that there are a few minor typos/mistakes. But you should notice them easily. These should keep you occupied for a few years.
Don't pressure yourself. Try to keep it fresh. If you need to have a short break from learning, do that. My advice is not to listen to the snake oil merchants on the internet who try to persuade people that they can easily learn a language in a matter of months. This is a myth. Be prepared to be in it for the long haul, if you want to become an expert in the language. Practise, Practise, Practise. It all takes time.
Good luck and have fun.
Let me tell you a couple of little things...
When you learn a new word in Spanish are you able to retain what it means even if you don't "practice" the word in any way?
If not, then you think you are becoming some kind of an expert in Spanish...
I said a couple of things...but I am going to hold it off until you decide to answer. 
