I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I’m afraid this is largely a million dollar question and one for which there is no generic response.
Unfortunately there are simply far too many variables involved, 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 incontrovertible fact that while some people may decide to use the services of a private mentor, others will select a classroom environment instead. In fact, 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 have to ask yourself whether or not the scholar will be learning the language in a place 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 experience 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 answer to this question. In reality, I have personally been involved with scholars who after half a year, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also met people who have studied the Spanish language for a number of years, admittedly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Instead of attempt to offer a single response 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 take advantage of every possible opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they wish to learn, regardless of what language that might be.
While you actually do get those who are firm adherents of the classroom approach, I actually feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another technique. In my opinion, a self study strategy of top quality is by far superior in that it allows a student to move forward at their own pace rather than being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is particularly true regarding scholars who are truly intent on learning the Spanish language.
In this example, I might suggest a student to opt for a credible program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. In addition, 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 for example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim at having the ability 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 may need some additional material.
As you most likely have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an extremely popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a name for providing students with aclass] foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you’re able to communicate confidently in Spanish inside a comparatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is known to be just as good, in that it also addresses the four 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 seems the Rosetta Stone program takes slightly longer to work thru, 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 significantly more expensive.
As you can see, there are too many variables concerned for me or anyone else to be in a position to give a simple response regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have potentially also gathered by this point that there are a few things you can do in order to speed up the method. Actually, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned together with each other to develop conversational skills as rapidly as possible. However, unless you are steadily 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 skills Magazine. Similarly, you’d be surprised at just how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that concentrates on learning the Spanish language.
