How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?

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

Unfortunately there are simply way too many variables concerned, in that so much depends on how much effort a student is ready to put into studying the language, and also which method or program they are going to be using. Add to that the fact that while some individuals may opt to use the services of a private mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. Actually, some scholars will rather opt for using one or other home study program which gets use out of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also have to ask yourself whether or not the student will be learning the language in a country where it’s spoken as the first language, or whether they’ll be learning it in their home country. Furthermore, the standard of a program or the expertise of a teacher will also influence the result.

Because these variables will have such a direct impact on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is simply not feasible to provide a simple response to this query. In reality, I have personally been involved with scholars who after six months, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also known people who have studied the Spanish language for a few years, admittedly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.

Instead of attempt to offer a simple answer to this question, I’d prefer to respond with what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most significant step of all, is for a person to take advantage of each possible opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they wish to learn, regardless of what language that could be.

While you actually do get people who are firm followers of the school room approach, I personally feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another technique. To my mind, a self study system of high quality is easily superior in that it permits a student to progress at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average study room pace. This is especially true regarding students who are truly serious about learning a language.

In this situation, I’d suggest a student to go for a reputable program which includes a range of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. Additionally, they should select a program which allows for lessons to be downloaded onto a mobile device so that they can listen on their iPod for instance. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim for having the ability to not only speak it and write it, but also to read it and understand it. Unless a program covers all four of these areas, it should be avoided or at least, you’ll need some further material.

As you probably have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s discussed, it has gained a name for providing students with a-class foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you’re able to communicate confidently in Spanish inside a comparatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is thought to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the four areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that people can select between the “Spain” version and the Latin American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it would appear 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 considerably costlier.

As you can see, there are too many variables concerned 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 probably also gathered by this time that there are a few things you can do in order to speed up the process. Actually, many people go as far as using both the programs discussed in conjunction with each other to develop conversational abilities as rapidly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you one hundred percent smooth. On the other hand, providing you’re 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 stunned at how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that is focused on learning the Spanish language.