How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?

I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid that this is largely a million-dollar question and one for which there’s no universal response.

Sadly there are simply way too many variables concerned, in that so much relies on how much effort an individual is ready to put into learning the language, and also which method or program they’ll be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some scholars may choose to use the services of a private tutor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In reality, some scholars will rather choose using one or other home study program which gets use from books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask yourself whether or not the student will be learning the language in a place where it’s spoken as the local language, or whether they will be learning it in their home country. Similarly, the standard of a program or the expertise of a teacher will also influence the end result.

Because these variables will have such a direct impact on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is just not feasible to provide a simple answer to this query. In reality, I have personally known people who after six months, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also known individuals who have studied the Spanish language for a period of years, frankly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can barely get by.

Rather than attempt to offer a generic answer to this question, I would prefer to offer what I feel to be the fastest way of learning Spanish. The most significant step of all, is for a student to take advantage of every possible opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they want to learn, regardless of what language that may be.

While you actually do get those who are firm followers of the lecture room approach, I personally feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another method. In my opinion, a self study strategy of high quality is by a large margin superior in that it allows a student to proceed at their own speed instead of being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is very true regarding persons who are genuinely serious about learning a language.

In this example, I might suggest a student to opt for a credible program which includes a range of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and of course, written Spanish. In addition, they should choose a program which allows for lessons to be downloaded onto a mobile device so that the student can listen on their iPod for example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should shoot at being able to not only speak it and write it, but also to read it and understand it. Unless a program covers all 4 of these areas, it needs to be avoided or at least, you’ll require some further material.

As you’ll have already heard, Rocket Spanish is a highly popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all four of the area’s discussed, it has gained a reputation for providing scholars with a top foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you are able to speak confidently in Spanish within a relatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is understood to be just as good, in that it also addresses the four areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that individuals can choose between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it seems that the Rosetta Stone program takes slightly longer to work through, which of course means it will take you a little longer before you develop conversational Spanish but generally, it ranks right up there with Rocket Spanish. Also, Rosetta Stone is significantly more expensive.

As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be able to give a simple answer regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you’ve doubtless also gathered by this time that there are several things you can do in order to speed up the process. In fact, many students go as far as using both the programs mentioned with each other to develop conversational skills as quickly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you 100 p.c fluent. On the other hand, providing you’re at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you might want to consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language skills Magazine. Similarly, you’d be surprised at quite how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that concentrates on learning the Spanish language.