What is the best way to learn Spanish on your own?

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 uses the term Castellano to define the official language of the whole Spanish State in contrast to las demás lenguas españolas (lit. “the other Spanish languages”). Spanish is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a global language with nearly 500 million native speakers, mainly in Spain and the Americas. As a Romance language, Spanish is a descendant of Latin and has one of the smaller degrees of difference from it (about 20%) alongside Sardinian and Italian. Around 75% of modern Spanish vocabulary is derived from Latin, including Latin borrowings from Ancient Greek. It is the world’s second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese, and the world’s fourth-most spoken language overall after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi.

• Assess your need – The first step to learn any language is to be sure, that’s the one for you.
• Set realistic goals to your learning timeline so that you progress your learning without burning out or losing interest. 
• Use the multiple tools available online to aid you in your learning such as Flashcards tools(Memrise, Anki), Conversation Partner Search Tools(Tandem, Italki, Hello talk etc)
• Keep the learning light and engaging.
• Watch a few movies, learn a few songs, read children’s books, read aloud to yourself in the mirror, to your pet, listen to podcasts while walking your dog, at the gym, on your way back from work, washing the car, read online fashion blogs, food blogs anything, just about anything, that takes you away from the monotonous way of learning.
• Enrol in online classes and take your learning to the next level. 
• Have a consistent schedule. 
• Follow a strict regime but don’t reach burnout.
• Follow the Pomodoro technique to keep interested in the language.
• Write the phonetics of the foreign language words in your native language.
• Seek feedback and be open to receive it. Don’t get offended if a native speaker corrects you.
• Language consists of slang, local dialects, the speed and rhythm with which it is spoken, abbreviations, and idioms that people use. Understanding all these dimensions of a language in addition to learning its vocabulary and speaking the right words is what learning a language means!
• Maintain a journal or a diary to capture day to day used phrases that will help you hold your first conversation. 
• Listen to as many relevant audio resources you can hear to train your ear!
• Don’t feel embarrassed to make mistakes. 
• Label objects with their names in the language you are learning.
• Practice the basic grammar rules from a grammar book. 
• Keep a dictionary handy.
• Like all Romance languages, Spanish has a fairly uncomplicated sound system. All words, with the exception of some borrowings, end in a vowel.
• Spanish vocabulary is mainly derived from Latin, with numerous borrowings from Greek, French, German and English. Modern Spanish is written with the Latin alphabet. English has borrowed many words from Spanish.

If you aspire to be in the Americas for any reason, business or professional, for short or long term. In the United States alone there are over 50 million people who speak Spanish as their native or second language. It is estimated that the Latino population of the United States will reach close to 130 million by the year 2060, and that this will make the U.S. the largest Spanish speaking country in the world, overtaking Mexico in the process and further increasing the language’s global standing.

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