Native Colombian Spanish Tutor from Medellin – Tailored and Fun Lessons for Every Learner.

Find out more about Laura Zuluaga

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I speak Spanish because I was born in a beautiful South American country called Colombia. I've spent my entire life surrounded by art and communication. I believe communication is essential for teaching. I had many teachers who inspired me to teach and share my knowledge and my culture. I deeply admire their ability to transmit messages and how sharing those messages brings joy through the learning of new things.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  I'll mention a Colombian to say that this character represented our culture and Colombian idiosyncrasies in a very creative way. Even though magical realism might seem unreal, it beautifully illustrates how Colombians relate to the world. So my character is Gabriel García Márquez.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  There's a very typical word that's kind of a filler in Spanish, especially in my region. It's "pues," which means well, so, I mean… When I had my conversation club with my friends, they laughed a lot at me because I could say a bunch of things in English and, without realizing it, I'd include "pues" everywhere in my speech.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Speaking Spanish is a privilege for me. Five years ago, I moved to an English-speaking country, and recommendations said I had to distance myself from Spanish to learn English. That speaking Spanish was keeping me from my goal. But I don't think like that. In fact, that motivated me to start teaching Spanish. The enjoyment of expressing myself in my language and sharing the love I have for it. Sharing love for my roots, my people, and my family.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  As I mentioned earlier, I'm a native Spanish speaker, which is the language I teach. But I also learned English, and I know how frustrating it can be at times. For me, back in school, we had English classes, but the teachers were terrible, and I hated my classes. But when I was in a country far from mine and wanted to succeed, I realized I had no choice but to learn English. So I joined all the English courses I found in community centers and libraries, took online classes from a Colombian academy (because it was cheaper), did conversation clubs with my Colombian friends, and also joined a university program where people interested in practicing different languages would meet. So, I would teach Spanish, and they'd help me improve my English. I listened to English podcasts every day. It was a big effort, but I think it was worth it.
  
  So, my recommendation is that if you want to advance quickly, don't settle for just one Spanish class. Create as many opportunities and excuses as possible to be in contact with the language. And even though it's frustrating at first when you don't see results, there comes a point where everything starts to make sense, and you'll feel proud of your process.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  Something that I find beautiful is that in Spanish we have different verb endings depending on who is performing the action. And when you're little and learning, you often say things that are incorrect, and they're sometimes a cause of teasing. But it's lovely when you realize that those mistakes are actually the way the verb should be conjugated if it followed the regular pattern. But it turns out to be irregular. For example, a child might say: "yo sabo" to conjugate the verb "saber," changing the -er ending to -o. But it turns out that it's an irregular verb, and the correct conjugation is "yo sé."

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Traveling, first of all, opened my mind to the fact that there's so much to discover and that languages are an incredible tool to connect more closely to a culture or at least open the possibility to communicate with more people in the world. The trip where I appreciated my English the most was when I was on a train from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. During that journey, all the issues that could have happened did. The announcements were first made in German, then in Dutch, and finally, several times in English. That day I saw English as a friend. When they didn't make the announcement in English, I could ask the lady sitting next to me what had happened, and she would answer me.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  What makes me a super teacher is that my focus is communicational. I want to help you communicate in Spanish and not be afraid of making mistakes. I don't want you to think that you'll have "perfect Spanish" because that's useless and, instead, a limitation and frustration when you feel like it's not perfect.
  
  First, we focus on communicating, and then we can refine things depending on our goals. For now, let's enjoy the process.