I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I’m afraid this is basically a million dollar question and one for which there’s no common answer.
Sadly there are simply too many variables concerned, in that so much relies on how much effort a student is ready to put into studying the language, and also which strategy or program they’ll be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some students may opt to use the services of a private tutor, others will select a classroom environment instead. Actually, some students will rather choose using one or other home study program which makes use 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 land where it’s spoken as the native language, or whether they will be learning it in their home country. Additionally, the standard of a program or the experience of a teacher will also influence the end result.
Since 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 answer to this query. In reality, I have personally been involved with people who after half a year, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also met people who have studied the Spanish language for a number of years, albeit on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Rather than attempt to provide a single response to this question, I’d prefer to respond with what I feel to be the fastest way of learning Spanish. The most vital step of all, is for a person to take advantage of each possible opportunity regarding interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that could be.
While you actually do get people who are firm believers in the classroom approach, I feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another strategy. In my viewpoint, a self study strategy of high quality is by far superior in that it allows a student to progress at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average study room pace. This is very true with regards to students who are really intent on learning a language.
In this case, I might suggest a student to go for a credible program which includes a selection of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and of course, written Spanish. Additionally, 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 instance. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim at having the ability 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 need 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 four of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a name for providing scholars with aclass] foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you’re able to speak confidently in Spanish within a relatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is known to be nearly as good, in that it also addresses the 4 areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that students can select between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging from testimonials, it seems the Rosetta Stone program takes a little longer to work through, which of course means it will 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 significantly costlier.
As you can see, there are too many variables concerned for me or anyone else to be ready to give a simple answer with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you’ve probably also gathered by this point that there are several things you can do in order to hurry up the process. In reality, many scholars go as far as using both the programs discussed in conjunction with each other in order 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 % smooth. On the other hand, providing you are at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you could consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language skills Magazine. Additionally, you’d be shocked at quite how much you can get benefits from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that concentrates on learning the Spanish language.