If Spanish is your first foreign language, it will take approximately 600 hours of study and practice to reach intermediate level. This is why many students suffer “language shock” when they visit a Spanish-speaking country for the first time and discover that, despite months or even years of casual Spanish study, they can barely order in a restaurant, much less carry on a conversation.

Is your Spanish as rusty as an old can? Did you live in Spain years ago or study the language in high school—and promptly forget everything upon leaving? The fact is that language ability fades with lack of practice. It probably won’t come rushing back all at once, but you can relearn it much more quickly than if you were starting out without that previous knowledge.

Don’t be hard on yourself when you make a mistake or feel stupid. Instead, practice self-compassion, which has numerous benefits related to learning a new language.

Whatever your dreams related to Spanish may be, setting specific goals – and measuring your progress against them – is one of the most effective tools in your learning arsenal. Choosing the right goals isn’t rocket science, but there’s a little more to it than just throwing together a list.