I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid that this is essentially a million dollar question and one for which there’s no universal answer.
Unfortunately there are simply way too many variables involved, in that so much relies on how much effort someone is ready to put into learning the language, and also which method or program they are going to be using. Add to that the incontrovertible fact that while some individuals may opt to use the services of a personal tutor, others will select a classroom environment instead. In reality, 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 have to ask yourself whether or not the individual will be learning the language in a place where it’s spoken as the first language, or whether they’ll be learning it in their home country. Similarly, the standard of a program or the expertise of a teacher will also influence the result.
Since 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 question. In fact, I have personally been involved with individuals who after six months, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also met folks who have studied the Spanish language for a period of years, admittedly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Instead of attempting to supply a generic answer to this question, I’d rather respond with what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most important step of all, is for a student to seize every available opportunity regarding interacting in the language they would like to learn, irrespective of what language that could be.
While you certainly do get those that are firm followers of the school room approach, I personally feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another strategy. In my opinion, a self study system of top quality is easily superior in that it permits a student to move forward at their own pace rather than being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is especially true with regards to scholars who are really serious about learning the Spanish language.
In this case, I’d suggest a person to select a reputable program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, 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 as an example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim at being able 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 will require some extra material.
As you most likely have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely favored 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 first foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will make sure that you are able to speak confidently in Spanish within a relatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is considered to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the 4 areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that individuals can select between the “Spain” version and the South American Spanish version. Judging from testimonials, it would appear the Rosetta Stone program takes a touch 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 considerably costlier.
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 regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have potentially also gathered by now that there are a few things you can do in order to speed up the process. In fact, many individuals go as far as using both the programs mentioned in conjunction with each other in order to develop conversational skills 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 talents Magazine. Additionally, you’d be shocked at quite how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that is focused on learning the Spanish language.