How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?
January 24th, 2010
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 common 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 studying the language, and also which strategy or program they are going to be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some students may opt to use the services of a personal mentor, others will select a classroom environment instead. In fact, some individuals will rather choose using one or other home study program which gets use out of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also have to ask whether the individual will be learning the language in a land where it’s spoken as the first language, or whether they will be learning it in their home country. Additionally, the standard of a program or the expertise of a teacher will also influence the outcome.
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 single response to this query. In fact, I have personally been involved with scholars who after half a year, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also known people 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.
Instead of attempting to provide a single response to this question, I would prefer to discuss 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 every possible opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that could be.
While you definitely do get people who are firm followers of the lecture room approach, I personally feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another technique. In my viewpoint, a self study method of good quality is by far superior in that it permits a student to progress at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average study room pace. This is very true regarding individuals who are truly serious about learning Spanish.
In this example, I’d suggest a person to go for a credible program which includes a range 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 the student 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 must be avoided or at least, you will need some extra material.
As you probably have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s discussed, it has gained a name for providing scholars with a first foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you’re able to speak confidently in Spanish within a comparatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is known to be nearly as good, in that it also addresses the 4 areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that individuals can choose between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging from testimonials, it seems the Rosetta Stone program takes slightly longer to work thru, 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 costlier.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be in a position to give a single answer with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have potentially also gathered by this point that there are a few things you can do in order to hurry up the method. In fact, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned 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 one hundred 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 skills Magazine. Additionally, you’d be shocked at quite how much you can get benefits from joining a Meetup group in your area that is focused on learning the Spanish language.
Categories: General Interest |
