How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?
I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I’m afraid that this is essentially a million dollar question and one for which there is no single response.
Sadly there are simply too many variables involved, in that so much depends on how much effort a person is prepared to put into studying the language, and also which technique or program they will be using. Add to that the fact that while some scholars may decide to use the services of a private tutor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In fact, some individuals 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 whether or not the individual will be learning the language in a land where it’s spoken as the local language, or whether they’ll be learning it in their home country. Similarly, the quality of a program or the expertise of a teacher will also influence the outcome.
Because these variables will have such a direct effect on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is simply not feasible to provide a single response to this query. In reality, I have personally met students 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 period of years, admittedly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Instead of attempt to supply a generic 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 student to take advantage of each possible opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that may be.
While you definitely do get people who are firm believers in the lecture room approach, I actually feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another strategy. In my experience, a self study system of high quality is by far superior in that it allows a student to progress at their own pace rather than being tied down to the average classroom pace. This is especially true with regards to persons who are really intent on learning the Spanish language.
In this example, I would suggest a person to select a credible program which includes a selection of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and of course, 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 shoot 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 should be avoided or at least, you may require some additional material.
As you’ll have already heard, Rocket Spanish is a highly popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all four of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a reputation for providing scholars with a first[ class foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you are able to communicate confidently in Spanish inside a comparatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is thought to be just as good, in that it also addresses the four areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that students can choose between the “Spain” version and the Latin American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it would seem that the Rosetta Stone program takes a little longer to work through, which of course means it’ll 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 more expensive.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved 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 have potentially also gathered by this time that there are a few things you can do in order to hurry up the method. In fact, many students go as far as using both the programs mentioned in conjunction with each other to develop conversational skills as rapidly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you 100 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 talents Magazine. Additionally, 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.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 3:40 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.