on February 7th, 2010 by Fingers
I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid that this is largely a million-dollar question and one for which there is no common response.
Sadly there are simply too many variables involved, in that so much relies on how much effort a person is willing to put into learning the language, and also which method or program they will be using. Add to that the fact that while some students may choose to use the services of a personal tutor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. Actually, some students will rather select using one or other home study program which makes use of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also have to ask yourself whether or not the student will be learning the language in a place 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 result on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is just not feasible to provide a simple answer to this query. In fact, I have personally known students who after six months, managed to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but also , I’ve met individuals who have attempted to study the Spanish language for a number of years, frankly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.
Rather than attempting to offer a simple response to this question, I would prefer to offer what I feel to be the fastest way of learning Spanish. The most significant step of all, is for a person to seize every possible opportunity regarding interacting in the language they want to learn, regardless of what language that may be.
While you definitely do get those that are firm believers in the school room approach, I personally feel it takes too long unless it is done in association with another strategy. To my mind, a self study system of good quality is easily superior in that it allows a student to move forward at their own pace instead of being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is especially true regarding students who are really serious about learning a language.
In this example, I’d suggest a student to go for a reputable program which includes a selection of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and of course, 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 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 write it, but also to read it and understand it. Unless a program covers all four of these areas, it needs to be avoided or at least, you’ll need some further material.
As you’ll have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an extremely favored 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 top foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you’re able to communicate confidently in Spanish inside a relatively short space of time. Similarly, Rosetta Stone is considered to be just as good, in that it also addresses the four areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that individuals can select between the “Spain” version and the Latin American Spanish version. Judging from testimonials, it would seem 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 more expensive.
As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be in a position to give a simple answer regarding “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you’ve probably also gathered by now that there are a few things you can do in order to hurry up the process. In reality, many scholars go as far as using both the programs mentioned in conjunction with each other to develop conversational abilities as fast as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you a hundred percent fluent. 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. Furthermore, you’d be stunned at just how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your neighborhood that is focused on learning the Spanish language.
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