All striving Spanish learners have one question in mind: What is the best way to learn Spanish?
The truth is, there is no one best way to learn Spanish. There are a lot of effective methods to learn Spanish, any of which can be done simultaneously for more productive learning.
In this article, we’ll talk about not one, but three best ways to learn Spanish and become a fluent Spanish speaker in no time.
But first things first, let’s talk about the importance of the Spanish language.
Why Learn Spanish Anyway?
We’re all aware of the amazing benefits of being bilingual or polyglot. But what is it exactly about the Spanish language that makes it extremely important to learn?
Learning Spanish has a lot of advantages, but we’ll talk about the three major ones.
Spanish is a global language.
With over 534 million speakers, 460 million of which are native speakers, it is no surprise that Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world.
In addition, Spanish is spoken in approximately 44 countries, 21 of which have it as its official language. Everywhere you go, there’s a chance that you’ll come across a Spanish speaker.
Being able to speak Spanish is also useful for travel purposes. Spanish is spoken in a lot of beautiful countries, including Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, and more.
With that in mind, the fact that Spanish is one of the most useful languages to learn is indisputable.
Learning Spanish can open up a lot more employment and business opportunities for you.
Do you know that there are about 50 million Spanish speakers in the United States alone? That’s right, there are more Spanish speakers in the US than in Spain itself.
Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, the third most-used language in the media, and it also makes up 10% of the languages used on the Internet.
Learning Spanish gives you an advantage when doing business with Spanish or Latin American companies.
According to The Economist, the ability to speak Spanish will net you an additional $51,000 in life.
Provides access to the unparalleled world of rich Hispanic culture.
Knowing how to speak Spanish will open up the door to the abundant Hispanic culture.
If you can speak Spanish, you’ll be able to watch Spanish movies without the subtitle, actually understand the lyrics of Spanish music, and appreciate literary heavyweights written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Pablo Neruda, and other fantastic Spanish writers.
The Hispanic culture takes pride in its art, music, cinema, and literature, all of which you can appreciate and connect to especially if you can speak Spanish.
At this point, you have more than enough reasons to start learning Spanish. Watch the video below and discover how learning Spanish could serve you well in the future.
3 Best Ways To Learn Spanish
There are a lot of ways to learn Spanish, most of which can be done in the comfort of your own home or practically anywhere in the world.
Anyone can learn to become fluent in Spanish in an English-speaking country just as quickly as someone living in a Spanish-speaking country.
Are you ready to be a fluent Spanish speaker very soon? Let’s dive in.
Get Your Hands In Good Spanish Textbooks
In these modern times, it is easy to neglect textbooks in favor of smartphone apps and the Internet. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of useful resources that can be found online, but call it traditional—studying a textbook is still the best way to learn Spanish on your own.
Textbooks offer a structured approach to learning and detailed information to help language learners understand the Spanish language at a deeper level.
There are a lot of Spanish textbooks out there, so finding the right textbook for you can be difficult. To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled 9 amazing books perfect for learning Spanish divided into three categories: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Beginner
First things first, vocabulary, of course. It goes without saying that it’s certainly going to be hard for you to build a sentence without learning some basic vocabulary first.
An incredible feature that makes this vocabulary textbook unique is the way the words are divided and organized by themes. There are 24 separate subject themes: business terms, medical terms, household terms, scientific words and phrases, units of measurement, clothing, food and dining, transportation, art and culture, and more.
This textbook also contains an enclosed 10-hours audio MP3, which coaches language learners with the correct pronunciation of every word included in the textbook.
Spanning over 600 pages, this book indeed has a lot to offer. It covers lessons on spelling, verb tenses, and comprehensive worksheets.
There are a lot of exercises in this textbook that will help reinforce what you have learned and ensure that you know how to incorporate the rules in context.
There are also verb tables and English-Spanish glossary, which are also useful resources for language learners.
Consisting of 20 chapters, this textbook covers basic concepts like pronunciation, grammar rules, as well as common vocabulary and phrases.
Each chapter offers comprehensive lessons along with examples to help language learners understand how rules are applied in context.
There is also English-to-Spanish glossary and vice versa, which are helpful whenever you come across an unfamiliar word.
These amazing features make this textbook perfect for learning Spanish for beginners.
Intermediate
- “Conversación y repaso: Intermediate Spanish”
This is a textbook that is typically used in traditional college classrooms. However, when purchased brand-new, this textbook can get a little pricey—it costs over $250. But you can get used copies for a much lower price.
The “Conversación y repaso: Intermediate Spanish” textbook is certainly worth the price. In addition to lessons about grammar rules and vocabulary, this textbook also covers cultural lessons on topics like religion, economy, and 20th-century revolutionary movements.
With this textbook, you can improve your Spanish skills and understand the Spanish culture simultaneously. - “Intermediate Spanish for Dummies”
If you like the Dummies approach to learning, you will surely enjoy this book. This textbook explains intermediate-level rules in a very simple manner that is easy to understand.
Each chapter is organized thematically covering useful topics such as “ten most common writing mistakes in Spanish”, “expressing yourself with subjunctive feeling”, and more.
This textbook will greatly help you expand your vocabulary, learn new conjugations, and hone your writing skills. Plus, it contains multiple worksheets and practice exercises that will enable you to reinforce what you’ve learned.
As its name suggests, “Conversemos! Intermediate Conversation” focuses on helping you improve your conversation skills.
In this textbook, you’ll learn useful conversation skills like giving commands, sharing preferences, and persuading others. It also consists of a variety of activities to help you put your skills to use.
If you don’t know any Spanish speaker that you can talk to, don’t worry. This textbook comes with a CD that can help you practice engaging in a Spanish conversation.
Advanced
This textbook is practically the advanced version of a basic Spanish vocabulary textbook. It focuses on enabling you to speak Spanish like a native by teaching you useful idioms and common phrases.
Its content is organized thematically, making it easy for you to easily find topics of interest. For example, there are sections dedicated to medical terms, business terms, food and dining, and more.
Designed specifically for advanced language learners looking to improve their grammar, this textbook works well whether you’re learning entirely on your own or you want to supplement additional coursework on the side.
This textbook contains advanced grammar rules, difficult conjugations, and over 1,000 complex vocabulary words. It also features ¡Atención! (Attention!) sections, which are particularly useful since these highlights the most intricate factors of the Spanish language.
Consisting of 15 progressive steps and over 150 exercises, this textbook provides language learners with a clearly-structured learning plan.
It helps you further develop your vocabulary, master complex grammar rules, and thoroughly understand advanced conjugations. Its worksheets and reading excerpts also help you practice your Spanish skills as you move along.
Ultimately, you should opt for this textbook if you’re looking for an all-inclusive learning material encompassing pretty much everything about the Spanish language.
Make Use Of The Best Free Spanish Lessons Online
These days, a number of tools and resources to help you learn Spanish are at your fingertips. Thank goodness for the Internet! As long as you are connected to the Internet, you’ll have access to a wide range of useful language resources and lessons.
Listed below are some of the best free Spanish lessons online divided into three categories where you can find them.
YouTube
YouTube is an excellent online resource where you can find tons of useful videos that can help you learn Spanish.
We have put together a list of YouTube channels that offer free Spanish lessons. Make sure you’re subscribed to each one of them!
- Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com
- Learn Spanish World
- Real World Spanish Lessons
- Butterfly Spanish
- Spanish With Paul
For instance, here is an example of a unique video that can help you learn Spanish while sleeping. Sounds interesting, right? Can you possibly make use of the hours you spent sleeping to learn a language? Well, why don’t you see for yourself?
Below is an 8-hour long video that you can listen to while you’re sleeping.
Podcast
Listening to podcasts has become a time-efficient way of learning Spanish. You can listen to podcasts while you’re driving or commuting to work or school, doing chores at home, or any time you can multitask.
There are so many Spanish podcasts out there, so which ones should you be listening to?
To make it a bit less overwhelming for you, we have compiled the best Spanish podcasts that you should definitely add to your playlist:
- Coffee Break Spanish (Best for Beginners)
- News in Slow Spanish (Best for Intermediate Learners)
- Españolistos (Best for Latin American Spanish)
- Spanish Obsessed (Best for Self-Practice)
- Podcasts in Spanish (Best for Conversation)
Mobile Apps
If you have a mobile phone and access to the Internet, you’re in luck—a wide range of useful Spanish learning mobile apps are at your fingertips. With these apps, you can learn Spanish while having fun. Here are 3 free valuable mobile apps you should download right now.
Babbel is a language-learning platform that provides language learners with easy and convenient access to units and courses of the language they want to learn.
Babbel Spanish is divided into separate units arranged thematically. Every unit is designed to be more difficult than the previous one, making it a structured progressive learning method for Spanish learners.
- Rosetta Stone
Among all these applications, Rosetta Stone is the most prominent and oldest language learning app. Similar to Duolingo, Rosetta Stone offers comprehensive Spanish courses. This app is designed for language learners to learn Spanish through Spanish, providing an immersive learning experience.
- Memrise
Memrise is designed to help language learners memorize Spanish words, hence the name “Memrise”. This app consists of separate modules, all of which contain various lessons. Generally, one lesson in each module will help you learn and memorize approximately 15 words.
Conclusion
There you have it—three effective methods to become a fluent Spanish speaker in no time.
Don’t limit yourself to one method. The more learning methods you practice, the sooner you’ll be able to speak Spanish fluently.
By doing any of these learning methods and using the tools and resources you’ve discovered in this article, you are on the right track towards becoming a fluent Spanish speaker.
The key to learning a new language is consistency, keep in mind that every single day you choose to keep going puts you one step closer to your goal.
Learning a new language can be difficult, but it sure is worthwhile.
How can I learn Spanish by myself?
There are many resources to learn Spanish on your own. Use language apps, chat with native speakers online, follow popular native speakers on social media, listen to podcasts, play games.
How long does it take to become fluent in Spanish?
It usually takes around 1 year to become fluent. You should study every day and try hard.
How can I learn Spanish fast for free?
Try to find free language apps and use them everyday. Also, listen to Spanish speakers as much as possible. Podcasts are great for your listening skills. Try watching movies and TV shows in Spanish.
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