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’s no common response.
Unfortunately there are simply way too many variables involved, in that so much depends on how much effort someone is ready to put into learning the language, and also which technique or program they will be using. Add to that the incontrovertible fact that while some scholars may opt to use the services of a personal tutor, others will select a classroom environment instead. Actually, some students will rather opt for using one or other home study program which gets use from books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask yourself whether or not the person will be learning the language in a land where it’s spoken as the native language, or whether they will be learning it in their home country. Additionally, the quality of a program or the experience of a teacher will also influence the result.
Because these variables will have such a direct impact on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is simply not possible to provide a simple answer to this query. In fact, I have personally been involved with individuals who after half a year, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also met individuals who have attempted to study the Spanish language for a few years, frankly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can barely get by.
Instead of attempt to supply a simple answer to this question, I’d rather respond with what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most significant step of all, is for a student to take advantage of each available opportunity regarding interacting in the language they wish to learn, regardless of what language that might be.
While you certainly do get those that are firm adherents of the lecture room approach, I feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another strategy. In my experience, a self study strategy of high quality is easily superior in that it allows a student to proceed at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average study room pace. This is very true regarding individuals who are really intent on learning a language.
In this case, I’d suggest a person to opt for a reputable program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and of course, 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 for instance. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim 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’ll require some further material.
As you may have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an extremely well-liked program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all four of the area’s discussed, it has gained a reputation for providing students with a-class foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you’re able to speak confidently in Spanish within a comparatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is considered to be nearly as good, in that it also addresses the four areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that scholars can select between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it would appear the Rosetta Stone program takes a touch 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 involved for me or anyone else to be in a position to give a simple response with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have doubtless also gathered by this point that there are several things you can do in order to speed up the process. Actually, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned with each other in order to develop conversational skills as quickly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you a hundred percent 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 abilities Magazine. Additionally, you’d be surprised at quite how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that is focused on learning the Spanish language.