What helped you learn Spanish Language fluently?

Spanish is a Romance language that originated in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is a part of the Ibero-Romance group of languages of the Indo-European language family, which evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in Iberia after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. Today, it is a global language with nearly 500 million native speakers, mainly in Spain and America.  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. The oldest Latin texts with traces of Spanish come from mid-northern Iberia in the 9th century, and the first systematic written use of the language happened in Toledo, a prominent city of the Kingdom of Castile, in the 13th century. 

There is no single best method for learning Spanish. There are almost as many effective methods for learning Spanish as there are people who have done so.

In this post, I’ll go over some of the most popular and effective ways to learn Spanish. Experiment with various approaches until you find the one that works best for you. Once you’ve found a study method that works for you, stick with it. If you’re having difficulty learning Spanish, it’s not because you “don’t have the language gene.” You most likely do not have the proper study method.

1. Practise speaking Spanish.

Speaking Spanish is a skill, and like any skill, it must be practised! Simply open your mouth and don’t be afraid to make a few errors. If you start speaking from the beginning, you’ll find that you can have real (albeit imperfect) conversations with native speakers much sooner than you think.

2. Resolve to speak only Spanish and refrain speaking English!

To make progress with Spanish, stop speaking English (although, depending on your job and lifestyle, it’s probably impractical to avoid English entirely, so it’s recommended that you try to limit your use of English if you can’t eliminate it entirely). Speak the language you hear around you if you live in the country and have a strict policy of only speaking the language you’re learning. This is the immersion method, and it works extremely well. The reason is straightforward. Not all hours are created equal; forty hours of intensive Spanish immersion in a single week is far more valuable than forty hours spread out over a few weeks. The more frequently you immerse yourself, the less time you waste trying to remember what you learned last time you spoke Spanish.

3. Study Spanish by Listening to Podcasts and Audio Courses

Spanish podcasts and audio courses are not a replacement for speaking practice, but they are an excellent supplement and can help structure your learning. I recommend SpanishPod101. You could also look into the Mimic Method Spanish, which will teach you how to master the 39 Elemental Sounds of Spanish so you can ace your Spanish pronunciation. LingQ has thousands of hours of Spanish listening resources for students of all levels. LingQ is especially useful if you like to read while listening.

4. Enrol in a University for a Spanish language Course

Many universities offer degrees in Spanish, and if you’re serious about improving your Spanish, this is a viable option.

• A degree has the following advantages:
• You will learn to speak, read, and write in Spanish at an advanced level.
• You’ll learn to understand the language and all of its inner workings, delving deeply into Spanish grammar and nuances.
• You’ll learn about Spanish literature, the language’s history, and the culture and history of the countries where it’s spoken, in addition to the language itself. Typically, you’ll spend a semester or an entire year of your degree living and studying in a Spanish-speaking country. A fantastic opportunity for the immersion I mentioned earlier!

Some universities may allow you to study Spanish as a minor in addition to your major course. It is sometimes possible to obtain a degree in two languages at the same time – usually, by furthering the language you studied previously (for example, in secondary school) and another from the start (from scratch). A major disadvantage of a bachelor’s degree is that it takes three or four years to complete and can be very expensive depending on the country. There are faster and less expensive ways to improve your Spanish. A bachelor’s degree in Spanish is not for everyone, but it is the best option for some.

5. Consider taking up shorter courses. 

If you don’t have the time or desire to pursue a full degree in Spanish, consider taking a shorter course at a language school in your home country. Many schools offer intensive programmes, which can be an excellent way to learn the Spanish language. You could live in the hostel on the school’s grounds with your fellow students and pledge to speak only Spanish for the duration of the course.

6. Learn Spanish with a Trainer (Online or In-Person)

Classroom learning is similar to snail learning. This is why online learning is gaining popularity.

One-on-one online tutoring is frequently less expensive than group lessons in a classroom! This is due to the fact that your tutor does not have to spend time or money to meet with you. If you can afford it, I strongly advise you to hire a one-on-one tutor.

Italki is a popular platform for finding one-on-one Spanish tutors who can teach you via video chat. Lessons are very affordable, with tutors available for as little as a few dollars per hour. Different Spanish teachers have different teaching styles; don’t be afraid to try a few before settling on one you like. Personal Spanish lessons aren’t necessarily better than online lessons; It’s extremely convenient to be able to take lessons from the comfort of your own home. Meeting in person isn’t worth the effort and travel time.

7. Learn speaking Spanish with a Language Partner

If you don’t want to pay to learn a language, find a language exchange partner (also known as a language tandem partner or a conversation partner). Practice in Spanish with a Spanish speaker who wants to learn English. While you are learning Spanish from him, he is learning English from you! On Italki or Skype, you can chat with Spanish speakers! Italki isn’t just for professional tutors! There are also thousands of language exchange partners available to help you practise Spanish for free.

You could converse with your partner casually about whatever comes to mind, switching languages at predetermined intervals (e.g. every 5 or 10 minutes). Alternatively, you could go through a series of structured exercises or language games together. 

8. Involve yourself in Spanish Language Meetups

A language exchange doesn’t have to be one-on-one. Many cities host “language exchange” events where people from all over the world come together to speak and practise multiple languages. Meetup.com is a good place to find similar events. Some meetup groups welcome speakers of any language. If there are no Spanish language groups in your area, form your own. Anyone can start a group on Meetup.com, and you’re sure to get a lot of people who have been waiting for something like this for a long time.

9. Join an offline or online language learning community

Learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint, and students can struggle with motivation at times.

If you surround yourself with people who are on the same path as you – whether they are learning Spanish or any other language – you will be able to support and encourage one another in the pursuit of your common goal. For eg. Fi3M hosts a monthly event called the Add1Challenge (now known as the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge), in which people from all over the world commit to having a 15-minute conversation with a native speaker of their new language after only 90 days of study.

10. Use Mnemonics for learning 

Languages necessitate extensive memorization of vocabulary, grammar rules, phrases, idioms, and so on. There are better and worse ways to memorise all of this information – and the best way is to become proficient in mnemonics. A “mnemonic” is a memory technique that employs imagery or other mental cues to aid in the recall of information. There are many different types, but they all follow the same basic principle: when something is difficult to remember, find a way to associate it with something that is easy to remember. Mnemonic techniques are a highly effective method of memorising large amounts of vocabulary.

Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and it is also used as an official language by the European Union, the Organization of American States, the Union of South American Nations, the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States, the African Union and many other international organizations. Modern Spanish was then taken to the viceroyalties of the Spanish Empire beginning in 1492, most notably to America, as well as territories in Africa and the Philippines. 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. 

There’s an amazing new way to learn Spanish! Want to see what everyone’s talking about! Click Here.