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How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?


February 17, 2010

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 is no simple response.

Unfortunately there are simply way too many variables involved, in that so much relies on how much effort a person is prepared to put into studying the language, and also which technique or program they are going to be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some students may choose to use the services of a private tutor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In reality, some individuals will rather choose using one or other home study program which gets use out of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask yourself whether the student will be learning the language in a country 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 expertise of a teacher will also influence the outcome.

Since these variables will have such a direct effect on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is simply not possible to provide a single answer to this query. In reality, I have personally been involved with scholars who after half a year, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also met folks 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 barely get by.

Rather than attempting to supply a generic answer to this question, I would prefer to discuss what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most vital step of all, is for a student to seize every available opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that could be.

While you definitely do get people who are firm adherents of the lecture room approach, I feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another method. In my opinion, a self study system of high quality is by far superior in that it permits a student to move forward at their own pace rather than being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is particularly true with regards to scholars who are really serious about learning a language.

In this example, I would suggest a student to select a reputable program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. In addition, they should choose a program which allows for lessons to be downloaded onto a mobile device so that they can listen on their iPod as an example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim at being able to not only speak it and read it, but also to write 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’ll have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely well-liked program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all four of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a reputation for providing students with aclass] foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you’re able to speak confidently in Spanish within a comparatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is considered to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the four areas discussed 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 that the Rosetta Stone program takes a touch 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 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 response regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have probably also gathered by this point that there are many things you can do in order to speed up the method. Actually, many scholars go as far as using both the programs mentioned together with each other to develop conversational abilities as quickly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you 100 % fluent. 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 talents Magazine. Similarly, you’d be stunned at how much you can get benefits from joining a Meetup group in your area that focuses on learning the Spanish language.

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