How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?
January 12, 2010 by Janet7 · 37 Comments
I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid this is basically a million-dollar question and one for which there’s no single answer.
Unfortunately there are simply too many variables concerned, in that so much relies on how much effort a person is willing to put into studying the language, and also which method or program they are going to be using. Add to that the incontrovertible fact that while some people may opt to use the services of a personal tutor, others will select a classroom environment instead. In reality, some scholars will rather select using one or other home study program which gets use out of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask whether or not the student will be learning the language in a place where it’s spoken as the first language, or whether they will be learning it in their home country. Similarly, the quality of a program or the experience of a teacher will also influence the outcome.
Because these variables will have such a direct impact on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is just not possible to provide a single response to this query. In fact, I have personally known people who after half a year, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but also , I’ve met individuals who have studied the Spanish language for a number of years, frankly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Instead of attempting to supply a simple 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 person to seize each possible opportunity regarding interacting in the language they want to learn, irrespective of what language that might be.
While you definitely do get people who are firm followers of the lecture room approach, I actually feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another strategy. In my experience, a self study system of top quality is by far superior in that it permits a student to proceed at their own pace rather than being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is very true with regards to students who are truly intent on learning a language.
In this situation, I would suggest a person to go for a credible program which includes a selection of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and of course, written Spanish. Additionally, they should select a program which allows for lessons to be downloaded onto a mobile device so that the student can listen on their iPod as an example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should shoot at being able to not only speak it and read it, but also to write it and understand it. Unless a program covers all four of these areas, it needs to be avoided or at least, you will require some further material.
As you most likely have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely favored program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a name for providing scholars with a first foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you’re able to speak confidently in Spanish inside a relatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is thought to be nearly as good, in that it also addresses the 4 areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that students can choose between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging from testimonials, it would seem the Rosetta Stone program takes a touch longer to work thru, which of course means it’ll take you a little longer before you develop conversational Spanish but in general, it ranks right up there with Rocket Spanish. Also, Rosetta Stone is quite a bit more expensive.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be ready to give a single answer regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have doubtless also gathered by this time that there are many things you can do in order to hurry up the process. In reality, many individuals go as far as using both the programs discussed in conjunction with each other in order to develop conversational talents as quickly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you one hundred % fluent. On the other hand, providing you are at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you might consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language abilities Magazine. Similarly, you’d be surprised at how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that is focused on learning the Spanish language.
