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.
Unfortunately there are simply far too many variables concerned, in that so much relies on how much effort a student is prepared to put into studying the language, and also which method or program they will be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some individuals may opt to use the services of a private mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In reality, some people will rather choose using one or other home study program which makes use of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask yourself whether the scholar will be learning the language in a country where it’s spoken as the native language, or whether they will be learning it in their home country. Similarly, the standard 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 possible to provide a simple answer to this question. In reality, I have personally met individuals who after six months, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but also , I’ve known individuals who have studied the Spanish language for a few years, albeit on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Rather than attempt to offer a generic response to this question, I’d rather offer what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most important step of all, is for a student to take advantage of every available opportunity regarding interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that may be.
While you definitely do get those that are firm adherents of the lecture room approach, I feel it takes too long unless it is done with another method. To my mind, a self study strategy of top quality is easily superior in that it allows a student to progress at their own speed instead of being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is very true regarding individuals who are truly serious about learning the Spanish language.
In this case, I might suggest a student to go for a credible program which includes a variety 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 for example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should shoot 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 four of these areas, it must be avoided or at least, you’ll need some extra material.
As you may have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an extremely popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a reputation for providing students with a-class foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you are able to speak confidently in Spanish within a comparatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is known to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the four areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that students can choose between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it seems that 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 quite a bit costlier.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be able to give a single answer with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have potentially also gathered by this time that there are many things you can do in order to hurry up the method. In reality, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned in conjunction with each other to develop conversational talents as rapidly as possible. However, unless you are steadily exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you 100 percent 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. Additionally, you’d be stunned at just how much you can get benefits from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that is focused on learning the Spanish language.