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 is no common answer.
Unfortunately there are simply way too many variables concerned, in that so much relies on how much effort someone is prepared to put into studying the language, and also which technique 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 mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In reality, some scholars 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 or not the individual will be learning the language in a land where it’s spoken as the local 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 end result.
Since these variables will have such a direct effect on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is just not feasible to provide a simple response to this question. In reality, I have personally been involved with scholars who after six months, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but also , I’ve known folks who have attempted to study 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 provide a simple answer to this question, I’d prefer to offer what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most important step of all, is for a student to seize every possible opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that may be.
While you certainly do get those that are firm believers in the lecture room approach, I feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another strategy. To my mind, a self study strategy of good quality is by far superior in that it permits a student to proceed at their own speed rather than being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is particularly true regarding individuals who are truly serious about learning the Spanish language.
In this case, I would suggest a student to select a credible program which includes a range 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 they can listen on their iPod for instance. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim at being able 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 will require some extra material.
As you could have already heard, Rocket Spanish is a highly well-liked program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s discussed, it has gained a reputation for providing students with a-class foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you are able to speak confidently in Spanish inside a relatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is known to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the four areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that people can select between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it would seem that the Rosetta Stone program takes a little longer to work thru, which of course means it’ll 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 costlier.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be able to give a single response 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. In reality, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned with each other 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 p.c fluent. 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 skills Magazine. Furthermore, you’d be surprised at just how much you can get benefits from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that is focused on learning the Spanish language.
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