I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I’m afraid this is essentially a million dollar question and one for which there’s no universal response.
Unfortunately there are simply way too many variables concerned, in that so much depends on how much effort a person is willing to put into learning the language, and also which method or program they’ll be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some students may decide to use the services of a private mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. Actually, some students 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 whether or not the scholar will be learning the language in a place 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 experience 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 simple answer to this question. In reality, I have personally met people 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 number of years, admittedly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Rather than attempting to supply a single answer to this question, I would prefer to offer what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most vital step of all, is for a person to seize every available opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they wish to learn, regardless of what language that could be.
While you actually do get those who are firm followers of the school room approach, I actually feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another method. In my opinion, a self study strategy of top quality is by far superior in that it allows a student to proceed at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is very true regarding scholars who are really intent on learning a language.
In this situation, I might suggest a student 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 shoot 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 four of these areas, it needs to be avoided or at least, you’ll require some further material.
As you probably have already heard, Rocket Spanish is a highly favored program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s discussed, it has gained a reputation for providing scholars with a-class foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you are able to speak confidently in Spanish within a comparatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is thought to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the four areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that scholars 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 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 ready to give a single response with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have potentially also gathered by this point that there are several things you can do in order to speed up the process. In fact, many individuals go as far as using both the programs discussed 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 one hundred p.c smooth. On the other hand, providing you’re at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you could consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language talents Magazine. Furthermore, 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.