How to Learn the Spanish Language?

Spanish is the native language of almost 450 million people worldwide. This popular language is among the five romantic languages in the world, the others being Romanian, Italian, French and English. Spanish and English share the same set of alphabets, but they differ in their accents and pronunciation. The Spanish language should not be that difficult for native English speakers as both originate from Latin. They share multiple cognates, i.e. words that sound similar and have the same meaning.

Spanish is the 2nd most popular native language in the world after Mandarin Chinese. Before answering the question, ‘how to learn Spanish’, let us first indulge in the history of the Spanish language. This language first came to existence in the 9th century in the kingdom of Castile, mid-Nothern Iberia, and that’s the reason why this language is also known as Castilian. Spanish also happens to be one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Spanish or Castilian originates from Spain and is a part of Ibero Romance group of languages. This language came into existence after the fall of the Roman Empire. At that time it was spoken by the Viceroyalties of the Iberian peninsula. Spanish is among the official languages spoken in the United Nations, the European Union and other international organisations. If you learn to speak Spanish, you can be a translator of the Spanish language at any one of these reputed international organisations.

It is not an easy task to adapt to a new language. Whoever says they have a quick way around to speaking Spanish, most of the times, it is seen that these tutorials help you find your way around a Spanish city at the most. To be able to start and complete a full fluent Spanish conversation, you will need the required time and dedication.

The answer to how to learn the Spanish language is summarised ahead. The first step is to spend an hour every day on learning your Spanish courses. You can take up any viable Spanish textbook and perfect your grammar and take up references for improving the Spanish vocabulary skills. Next, you have to make a habit of reading books; the more you read, the more you will be introduced to new words. This will help you become fluent with the language.

The next step to make this language learning fun and exciting is by watching more and more Spanish movies. Initially, you can watch it with subtitles and later on without the help of it. This will help you improve your Spanish pronunciations too. An educative expert in this field of Spanish classes or different courses is always a fail-safe way of getting command over the language. You can also listen to radio programs and podcasts in Spanish to get more accustomed to this language.

Another best way to grasp this language is by getting a first-hand experience of a Spanish-speaking environment. If you can then, try travelling to a Spanish speaking country and be a part of a long term project there. This is because, the more time you spent with the native speakers, the more fluent you will become with the language.

How to learn Spanish at home?

To make your Spanish learning course a success, you must be motivated and focused on efficiency. To master the language make a habit of practising it consistently and give it the required amount of time. If you are a beginner start learning from a private tutor who has ample knowledge over the subject. Watch Spanish movies or operas with English subtitles to get a grip over the language faster. It is scientifically proven that the human brain adapts faster and remembers for a longer period of time through pictures.

Spanish lessons can be learnt easily at home. Words such as Mexico, jalapeno are pronounced by as ‘mehico’ and ‘alapeno’ in Spanish.

Pronunciation is a significant factor in the case of Spanish words and their Latin cousins. As a Spanish learner, pronouncing the words correctly can be a bit of a challenge. You might be able to recognise some Spanish words, but the pronunciation will remain unfamiliar. You can only improve if you practice your accent and grammar to make sure that your Spanish is presentable.

Spanish grammar rules are easier and less intricate than English grammar, but they may seem strange to a fresher. Once you have a hold on Spanish grammar, it will help you to pick up other Romance languages easily. They have several grammar rules in common because they are all derived from Latin.

How long does it take to learn Spanish?

Learning a foreign language is quite interesting. The time one takes to master any language skills is dependent on a number of factors. Some of these are – Reason behind learning the language, the time and effort one is willing to invest, the experience of an individual on learning different languages, and the proficiency one wants over the language.

That being said, Spanish is one of the most popular languages to learn, with around half a billion people speaking the language worldwide. There might be a lot of reasons for one to learn this language, majorly because it is quite easy and is the second most opted foreign language in the world. Moreover, its beauty appeals to almost everyone who reads, speaks or understands it.

To be able to communicate in Spanish fluently, professional organisations usually provide a minimum of 600-700 hours of courses for learning the subject. More the classes you take and more the number of hours you dedicate, lesser will be the time taken to learn it.

It is always fun to be able to converse in Spanish with native Spanish speakers. You should try to achieve that fun if you have a sincere go at learning Spanish.