My name is Begoña. I live in San Sebastian, a small city in the north of Spain, where people typically speak two languages, Spanish and Basque. Unfortunately, for me, that´s not the case. My parents are from Madrid and I lived there for a long time. When I moved to San Sebastian, I started to learn Basque, but it is such a difficult language and it took me such a long time, that I finally gave up.

Like the majority of my generation´s people, I started to learn English at school. I had an excellent teacher when it came to grammar, but we hardly spoke in class. I remember that one of my goals at that time was to travel to England in the summer to practise English. But my parents couldn´t afford it and I was too young to work. I was looking forward to earning money to go abroad. However, when the time came, my priorities changed. I fell in love with my husband and we started to live together. Nevertheless, speaking English was still one of my goals, so I attended classes at an academy. Shortly after I had two babies and, as you can imagine, all my time was for my family and job. As I didn´t need English at work, I left it.

Some years ago, I was invited to my cousin’s wedding. She was getting married to an Irish guy with a great family. I was sitting with his lovely family and I couldn´t say anything in English. The words didn´t come to my mind. It was so frustrating for me that I enrolled on an English course as soon as I went back home.

Since then, I have continued to work on my English. My eldest son lives in Oxford and my daughter wants to study midwifery and work as a nurse in Dublin, so those are the best motivations for me to keep learning. Besides, I like to travel with my husband, and speaking Spanish and English makes it easier. I´m delighted because I can understand and speak better every time I visit my son. 

At this moment, I am about to start a pronunciation course, because speaking is still the hardest thing for me.

I came across “English Learning for Curious Minds” three years ago. It seemed different to others. The topics were amazing, the episodes didn´t last much time, the voice was clear and there was rigour and care in the work. After listening to some episodes, I decided to join as a member and assure you I’m happy with my decision.

I usually listen to the episodes, twice or three times, when I go walking. Then, at home, I read the transcription, write down new vocabulary or expressions and do the activities. The next day, I always write some sentences using the new vocabulary. I use tools like “Grammarly” or “Ludwig Guru”. Then, I listen to the episode again and write down the phonetics of some of the words. On the last day, I make a summary of the episode. Sometimes written and sometimes spoken. I usually record my voice.

As you can imagine, I have my preferences about topics. I like the ones related to history, economy, literature, royal family and biographies are the ones I like the most. And also other themes that allow me to know more about British culture. Other episodes make me learn new things, “weird and wonderful things”, out of my comfort zone, and I love it. For example, the episodes about philosophers or the one about how Google works.

I would of course like to mention the challenges. I learn a lot in a fun way and they allow me to meet lovely people from other countries. It´s a highly recommendable experience. I usually manage to dedicate an hour a day (always at the same time)as a routine within the duration of the challenge.

I try to spend time learning English a minimum of half an hour per day, although some days this goal turns out to be impossible. In addition to Leonardo English, I used to attend an English academy, but I left it in the summer and now I am going to improve my pronunciation with an online course, a new experience for me.

I like to listen to podcasts in English because it is the most useful way for me when I go for a walk or drive. I also try to watch series in English. However, I have to admit that I change the language as soon as it becomes interesting. Watching them in English will be my goal for 2025.