When studying a foreign language, it is essential to understand the explanations and definitions in the study manual as they provide us with the main nuances of the words in that language. Although an important part of the process of learning a foreign language, active speaking with the interlocutors and total involvement are the only actions that ensure fluency in that language.
Thus, studying a language does not only involve reading from a book and accurately reproducing what has been learned. The manual provides learners with the language basics, the main grammatical rules and classic examples, without taking into account the economic and social context we are living in.
The colloquial language (slang) is the best way to learn an international language. Slang helps you to stay up-to-date when studying a foreign language, to understand and to have conversations with different generations of people. At the same time, it gives you the opportunity to understand the language in different regions of the country.
In fact, big mistakes in a conversation may be generated by ignoring the slang of a language. For example, in Spanish slang, estupido is much more offensive than the English word stupid. Embarrassing situations can be avoided if the slang of that language is also studied. Moreover, you can feel that you belong to a community when using the slang correctly.
Groups of people, different social categories use this type of language and you can be accepted by these communities much easier if you use the slang correctly. You can get insights into the history of the region and understand more about the people in that area.
Apart from these aspects or benefits that may arise from the use of colloquial language, it should be mentioned that slang expresses emotion. It may be difficult to talk to friends about serious matters or things using just the dictionary. In the native tongue, everyone speaks colloquially when expressing their emotions or feelings. This is also true when learning a foreign language and the slang allows us to express our emotions, which is essential in different social contexts.
