I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid that this is basically a million-dollar question and one for which there’s no single answer.
Sadly there are simply way too many variables involved, in that so much depends on how much effort a student is willing to put into studying the language, and also which strategy or program they are going to be using. Add to that the incontrovertible fact that while some individuals may decide to use the services of a personal mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In fact, 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 yourself whether the student will be learning the language in a land 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 experience of a teacher will also influence the result.
Because these variables will have such a direct result on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is simply not feasible to provide a simple answer to this question. In fact, I have personally met students who after half a year, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also known folks who have studied the Spanish language for a period of years, albeit on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can barely get by.
Instead of attempt to supply a single response to this question, I’d prefer to discuss what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most significant step of all, is for a person to seize every available opportunity regarding interacting in the language they would like to learn, regardless of what language that could be.
While you actually do get people who are firm adherents of the classroom approach, I personally feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction 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 classroom pace. This is very true regarding students who are truly intent on learning the Spanish language.
In this example, I’d suggest a student to opt for a reputable program which includes a selection of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. Additionally, 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 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 will require some extra material.
As you most likely have already heard, Rocket Spanish is a highly popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all four of the area’s discussed, it has gained a name for providing students 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 relatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is thought to be just as good, in that it also addresses the 4 areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that people can select between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it seems that 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 in general, it ranks right up there with Rocket Spanish. Also, Rosetta Stone is considerably 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 single response with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have probably also gathered by this point that there are a few things you can do in order to hurry up the process. In reality, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned in conjunction with each other to develop conversational abilities as rapidly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you a hundred percent 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 skills Magazine. Additionally, you’d be stunned at how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that focuses on learning the Spanish language.
