Learning a new language is always an interesting and rewarding experience. At times it can also be challenging, like most things in life when we are first learning them.
Spanish is probably one of the ‘easiest’ languages to learn… At least in the begging. What makes Spanish so ‘easy’ to learn is its straight-forward pronunciation. Unlike English, French and many other languages, Spanish sounds don’t tend to change.
How long does it take to learn Spanish?
The length of time it takes the average student to learn Spanish depends on several factors.
- Frequency: how often you have lectures and how much time you spend on a weekly basis to learn and practice the language.
- Continuity: are you following through level after level?
- Attitude: how engaged and committed you are to learning.
These 3 factors apply to basically anything you wish to learn!
Other very important factors include the teaching style or pedagogy of the instructor, the structure of the course and the resources available to the student, amongst others. Everybody learns differently, and there is a wide-range of courses that target different learner’s preferences.
You first need to know what type of learner you are and how much time are you willing to invest in your learning journey. Keep in mind that the more time you invest the higher the return, because you will learn it faster and with stronger foundations than if you were to learn sporadically; which may take you longer in the long run and most likely will have gaps in your knowledge, as you tend to forget things over time and/or may not be covered in your lessons.
As a general rule of thumb, formal education is the best way to learn because it provides you with a structured and organized course sequence, that walks you through the topics you need to learn step-by-step. In addition, you are setting time aside to learn because you need to attend class, where you will participate and engage in class activities (which allows you to practice with your peers).
This type of education can be offline as well as online. A word of caution: Be aware of courses you may come across as something ‘too good to be true’ or ‘learn fast with our methodology’ or ‘we start class every Monday’ or pretty much anything that attempts to over deliver in a short period of time. Usually, a student attending regular classes everyday for at least 4 hours a day, may take a year or so to be fluent in Spanish, or any other language for that matter. It will all depend on the dynamics of the classes and the level of commitment the student has to achieve mastery of the language.
“I have been taking Spanish lessons for a while, but I don’t seem to make progress. Is there something wrong with me? Is learning Spanish that hard?” – Violet
Photo by Elisa Ventur
If you have been taking Spanish lessons for some time now and you feel like you are making no progress, there are few things you can and should do. First of all, analyze your current situation:
- How frequent and continuous are your classes?
- What is your engagement and participation level in class and out?
- Are you following and understanding the lectures?
- Do you get to practice what you learn in class?
- Are you doing extra-curricular work like assignments and projects?
Then determine your best course of action. If you are unhappy with the speed of the class or you’re not understanding the content, you should talk to your instructor, perhaps there’s something that can be done about it and s/he’s willing to do it. If you are absolutely dissatisfied and couldn’t be bothered, then you are better off looking elsewhere for other alternatives to learn Spanish.
Prior to embarking on this task, you should know and bear in mind what your available resources are in terms of time and money. In other words, how much time you are willing ready and able to commit to learning Spanish and what your budget is. You should also have an idea as to what your preferred course delivery method is: offline vs. online, instructor-led classes vs. self-paced courses. And last but not least, how serious you are about learning the language; do you want to learn it properly in a timely fashion, or is this more of a hobby and wishful thinking?
To give you a better idea, you can take the 1-minute Quiz that will help you determine what your perfect class is, based on the aforementioned criteria. It will also give you a better perspective as to what delivery method works best for you, depending on your learning style and preference.
In brief, the time it takes to learn Spanish varies according to the student’s level of commitment and the class delivery. Our students take, on average, a month to be at a limited-conversational level, and just over a year to be fluent. We also offer an Expert level, for those who wish to master and perfectionate their language skills.
Spanish is a beautiful language, and fairly easy to learn. If you are doing your due diligence and putting in the effort you should see the results within a couple of weeks!
Never doubt your capabilities. If anything, mind your habits and attitude. Study the way it works best for you!
Happy learning!
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