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’s no simple answer.
Sadly there are simply way too many variables involved, in that so much relies on how much effort an individual is willing to put into studying the language, and also which strategy or program they will be using. Add to that the incontrovertible fact that while some students may choose to use the services of a private mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. Actually, some people will rather select using one or other home study program which gets use out of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask whether the individual will be learning the language in a place where it’s spoken as the native language, or whether they’ll be learning it in their home country. Furthermore, the quality of a program or the expertise of a teacher will also influence the outcome.
Since these variables will have such a direct result 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 individuals who after six months, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also known folks who have attempted to study the Spanish language for a number of years, admittedly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can barely get by.
Instead of attempt to offer a single response 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 person to seize each possible opportunity regarding interacting in the language they would like to learn, regardless of what language that might be.
While you actually do get those who are firm believers in the classroom approach, I personally 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 a large margin superior in that it allows a student to progress at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is particularly true with regards to individuals who are genuinely serious about learning the Spanish language.
In this example, I’d suggest a student to go for a credible program which includes a range of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. Additionally, they should select 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 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 must be avoided or at least, you may require some further material.
As you may have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely well-liked program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a reputation for providing scholars with a top foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you’re able to communicate confidently in Spanish within a comparatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is thought to be just 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 Latin American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it seems 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 generally, it ranks right up there with Rocket Spanish. Also, Rosetta Stone is considerably costlier.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be able to give a single answer regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have probably also gathered by this point that there are several things you can do in order to hurry up the process. In reality, many individuals go as far as using both the programs discussed together with each other in order to develop conversational talents 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 smooth. 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 abilities Magazine. Similarly, you’d be shocked at how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that focuses on learning the Spanish language.