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How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?
February 25, 2010
I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid this is largely a million-dollar question and one for which there’s no universal response.
Sadly there are simply too many variables involved, in that so much relies on how much effort an individual is ready to put into learning the language, and also which strategy or program they’ll be using. Add to that the indisputable fact that while some scholars may choose to use the services of a personal mentor, others will select a classroom environment instead. In reality, some people will rather select using one or other home study program which gets use from books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also have to ask yourself whether or not the person 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. Additionally, the standard of a program or the experience of a teacher will also influence the end result.
Since these variables will have such a direct effect on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is simply not feasible to provide a single response to this query. In fact, I have personally been involved with students 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 barely get by.
Instead of attempt to supply a generic response to this question, I’d rather respond with what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most vital step of all, is for a person to take advantage of every possible opportunity regarding interacting in the language they would like to learn, regardless of what language that might be.
While you actually do get those that are firm followers of the classroom approach, I actually feel it takes too long unless it is done in conjunction with another technique. In my viewpoint, a self study strategy of high quality is easily superior in that it permits a student to proceed at their own pace rather than being tied down to the average lecture room pace. This is very true regarding students who are genuinely serious about learning a language.
In this situation, I might suggest a person to go for a reputable program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. Additionally, they should choose 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 aim 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 4 of these areas, it must be avoided or at least, you may need some extra material.
As you may have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely favored program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all four of the area’s discussed, it has gained a name for providing students 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. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is thought to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the 4 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 slightly 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 considerably 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 many things you can do in order to speed up the process. In fact, many students go as far as using both the programs discussed together with each other to develop conversational talents as fast as possible. However, unless you are steadily exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you a hundred % smooth. On the other hand, providing you are at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you might consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language skills Magazine. Similarly, you’d be shocked at how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that focuses on learning the Spanish language.
