How to learn spanish

How to Learn Spanish Grammar in 10 Simple Steps

When I began studying Spanish in 2008, I developed some great strategies for how to best learn Spanish grammar.

Even though I still find myself stumbling over the subtle nuances of the language at times, I can safely say that I know how to avoid falling into bad habits.

Let me share some of the best strategies I learned for tackling Spanish grammar.

Contents

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1. Spend the first three months perfecting the present tense.

Every grammatical person in Spanish is conjugated differently, and this makes learning Spanish grammar particularly difficult for native English speakers. When I first began studying Spanish, I soon decided that I needed to make things a lot simpler. I concentrated on perfecting the present tense and I simply ignored the fact that the other tenses existed.

When I wanted to share information about the past, I used the present tense alongside words like ayer (yesterday) at the beginning of the sentence. Similarly, when talking about future events, I spoke in the present tense, but threw words like mañana (tomorrow) or la próxima semana (next week) into the mix to keep things clear.

Three months of speaking only in the present tense will give you the exact kind of training necessary to then tackle the many complexities of other tenses in Spanish. Plus, you’ll use the present tense so frequently that it’s great to have it mastered.

2. Practice the past and future tenses in private conversation classes.

After three months of speaking in the present tense, I decided to invest in a series of private conversation classes to practice conjugating in the past and future tenses. The conversation classes gave me the special attention I needed to make progress in this area. Having spent so long talking in the present tense, I was also pleased to find that I grasped the use of future and past tenses a lot quicker than I’d expected.

3. Keep a notebook purely for noting down the gender of nouns.

English nouns don’t have a gender, which makes the application of gender in Spanish that much more complex for the native English speaker. I found that when it came to gender, I had to keep a notebook with me at all times. The notebook was divided into two columns, front to back. One for masculine nouns and the other for feminine ones.

As time went on, I had grasped the general rules and noted down most common words. After some time had elapsed, I only used the notebook to record irregularities. In general, nouns which end in “a” are feminine nouns, but the Spanish language is full of exceptions to the rules. El clima (the weather) is a perfect example. It ends in “a” but it’s a masculine noun. My notes on the irregular nouns were what really helped me to move from basic to intermediate level Spanish grammar.

4. Write in Spanish every day.

Whether you’re filling in exercises from a Spanish grammar book, writing some creative prose or even contributing to a daily diary in Spanish, you must make a point of writing in Spanish every day. Start a Spanish learning blog if you like.

The only way to perfect Spanish grammar is to put your skills into practice and find out where your doubts lie.

I kept a diary in Spanish when I was learning. I came up against a brick wall of Spanish grammar doubts every day. In these moments, I had to research a little and find out how to express myself correctly before being able to continue. It was definitely one of my most successful self-help grammar tricks.

5. Take a specific course in the use of the subjunctive.

The only time we ever use the subjunctive in English is when we use constructions like, “if it were up to me, I would tell him how much I loved him.” In Spanish, the present and past forms of the subjunctive are used constantly.

It’s really difficult for native English speakers to get a grip on this area of Spanish grammar. That’s why it’s important to incorporate the help and advice of a trained professional. Intensive programs that focus on the subjunctive are the best. It’s also important to have a solid grounding in the fundamentals before taking on the subjunctive.

6. Learn which connectives match which grammar constructions.

Desde (since/from), pero (but), sin embargo (however), mientras (while), de todas maneras (anyway) and por lo tanto (therefore) are popular connectives which can be used to help you construct longer sentences and hold down longer conversations.

I found that by learning which connectives could be matched with the present, the past, the future, the conditional and the subjunctive tenses, I could better remember the grammatical order of a variety of sentence structures in Spanish.

I began approaching Spanish grammar from a mathematical point of view.

2 + 2 = 4, and in Spanish grammar, desde que (since) is always followed by the present or past subjunctive of the verb.

7. Read, read and then read some more.

When you read in Spanish, you learn how Spanish grammar works. You see the correct way to construct sentences and you can compare your writing with that of others. The only important factor to bear in mind is that source materials must be trustworthy.

Reading comes in all forms—besides conventional literature, blogs, recipes and movie subtitles can all be used for reading practice. Subtitled native content is extremely helpful, and some Spanish video-based platforms like FluentU go the extra mile by making subtitles interactive, letting users observe sentence patterns and other grammar structures in context.

I personally made time to read internationally recognized online magazines and newspapers every day. Not only was I able to keep up to date with current affairs, but I was also confident that the Spanish grammar I was reading was correct.

8. Find the patterns between English and Spanish grammar.

Patterns are important. They act as language stepping stones towards fluency. For example, in Spanish, prepositions are followed by the base form of the verb. In English, prepositions are followed by the gerund. Después de hablar (after talking) is just one example of this pattern in practice.

Finding patterns helps to highlight grammatical differences between two languages. I found this kind of study very useful. When I found grammar patterns, I was able to translate correctly. Many people make the mistake of making literal translations when communicating in another language, but it’s rarely a good idea. Spanglish is the product of poor translation. Make use of patterns.

9. Avoid bad habits.

Always incorporate tildes and other accents into your writing when communicating in Spanish. I really cannot emphasize this enough. It’s also essential to get into the habit of writing out every single word in full. Whether you’re sending a formal email or texting a friend, you should write correctly.

Some of my friends, who started to learn Spanish at the same time as I did, have ended up with very weak writing skills. When I write in Spanish, I write with confidence. I made my life easier by incorporating spelling and accents into my writing from the very beginning. I made them part and parcel of my learning experience.

Hablo (I speak) is very different to habló (he/she/it spoke) and it’s important to always demonstrate the distinction. You’ll find that, if you make the effort to write correctly in the early stages, you won’t have to think so much when writing in the future.

10. Have fun and enjoy the easy elements of Spanish grammar.

Spanish grammar is, for the most part, dense and confusing, but there are some elements that are wonderfully clear and simple. When using conditionals, for instance, you only have to add “ía” to the end of the base form of the verb.

It’s important to revel in these moments, because when you’re having fun with the language, you’ll learn more. When Spanish grammar makes it easy for you, smile, laugh and, most importantly, have fun chatting away in your second language.

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The 18 Best Ways to Learn Spanish by Yourself

I learned Spanish on my own, it took a long time and a lot of personal dedication.

The key is to throw yourself into the deep end, and in my case this was deciding to live abroad in Venezuela.

It was a stressful time but I knew it was the only way to really become fluent in Spanish.

So, my seven-year do-it-yourself Spanish program really did work, and these 18 learning methods were what allowed me to succeed.

Contents

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1. Watch Movies and TV

Spanish films and TV are a great way to build your vocabulary while improving your comprehension.

If you’re a beginner, try watching Spanish movies with English subtitles. And once you’re beyond the beginner level, try watching Spanish movies with Spanish subtitles.

It might seem odd to watch in Spanish and read in Spanish at the same time, but it really does work wonders. Reading skills develop a lot faster than listening skills. By reading and listening at the same time, I was really able to improve my pronunciation.

Watching films in Spanish is also a great way to improve your knowledge of regional accents while sampling different Spanish-speaking cultures. Thankfully, two of the countries with the clearest Spanish accents, Mexico and Spain, are also the most prolific producers of Spanish language features.

One of my all-time favorite Argentine movies from the ’80s is “Made in Argentina.” I love listening to the Argentine accents in this movie and watching them drink mate from their PH patios.

Fortunately, there’s a wealth of Spanish language movies on Netflix and videos from native speakers on YouTube. These options will become even more helpful as your Spanish improves.

But for beginners, video content can be a challenge without reliable subtitles and a dictionary close at hand. Luckily, there are programs like FluentU that help you learn with authentic Spanish videos by giving you the language learning tools needed to comprehend them and practice what you learn.

2. Learn from Authentic Videos with FluentU

FluentU is a program that uses authentic videos like TV clips and movie trailers to immerse you in Spanish by showing you how native speakers use it in their own media.

Try FluentU for FREE!

FluentU’s videos all have interactive captions, which let you look up words while you’re watching, so you can understand what you’re hearing and learn new words as you go.

The program’s built-in video dictionary lets you look up words to find a definition, example sentences, a pronunciation guide and a list of videos that use the word. You can also add words to custom flashcard decks to review later.

For me, FluentU has been a very convenient way to increase my confidence with Spanish comprehension during the times that I’m not in a Spanish speaking country and have little opportunity to talk with native speakers.

It’s also been great for studying aspects of the language I need to review, since the videos can be searched by subject. And the videos are from authentic native sources, including clips from TV shows like the ones I saw in Argentina.

FluentU reinforces what you learn with personalized review quizzes that use spaced repetition to adapt to your answers and optimize your learning. And on the iOS and Android apps, there are speaking questions that let you use your device’s microphone to practice pronunciation.

3. Learn Grammar with Textbooks

Unfortunately, unless you’re an infant or toddler, you’re unlikely to pick up Spanish grammar with the natural ease with which you learned your first language.

Grammar is a technical and detailed topic, so it’s a subject that a textbook can handle more thoroughly than most resources. And doing the exercises in a textbook will help you get the rules solid in your brain.

I found a really simple grammar book and CD for beginners called “Hugo Spanish in 3 Months.” It was an excellent source for picking up the basic tenses, prepositions and popular phrasal constructs. It also has explanations related to plurals and gender.

It’s full of short explanations and exercises and all the answers are in the back of the book.

I set aside one hour at the end of every day to go through the exercises. Whenever I came across a section that troubled me, I’d keep going back to repeat the exercises until the grammar began to sink in.

It’s also worth noting that I kept going back to this grammar book for reference well into my third year of living in Latin America. By that time I was really quite fluent, but little grammar doubts would pop up here and there when in conversation with friends.

I carried a notebook with me at all times, made notes for myself at the moment and then looked them up in “Hugo” later on that same day. In fact, I still carry a notebook with me!

4. Learn Vocabulary from Novels

Learning Spanish vocabulary should be a priority right away. There’s not much you can do with grammar if you don’t know words!

Early on, you’ll want to learn words efficiently. That is, you need to study the basic core vocabulary that could come up in almost any conversation or piece of writing.

But once you’re past the basics like colors and days of the week, you’ll start wanting to build your vocabulary up to include words you could encounter in a wide variety of scenarios. And probably the best way to do that is by reading novels.

Reading at home was, without a doubt, the single most useful activity I made time for early in my learning. I read anything I could get my hands on, but I loved reading novels by Paulo Coelho, translated from Portuguese to Spanish.

Why choose a Portuguese writer? Coelho’s writing is just so simple that it’s perfect for beginners. His sentences are short and easy to understand. His vocabulary is pretty basic too.

I’d read a chapter, underlining anything I didn’t understand. Then, I’d look the words up in my paperback dictionary, note down the translations and read the chapter again. I learned so many new words and phrases, and it thoroughly prepared me for stringing sentences together.

5. Immerse Yourself Wherever You Are

Full Spanish immersion is a highly effective learning method, especially if you want to pick up Spanish quickly. The most well-known way of accomplishing is to travel to a Spanish speaking country, since it forces you to start picking up the language to survive everyday interactions.

If you can’t travel abroad, travel to places in your hometown where Spanish-speaking people hang out. Before leaving London, I used to go to a lot of salsa clubs, and I remember having a really great time.

I’d also eat in Spanish restaurants, drink in Spanish cocktail bars and I even joined a Spanish conversation group at one point.

Another great strategy is to transform your home into a Spanish learning hotspot! In fact, to learn Spanish, one of the ultimate strategies is to change your environment into a place that promotes Spanish learning and education.

One fun way to do this is to label your house. Just get a ton of post-it notes and stick them to as many items as you can with their names written in Spanish.

Once you’re familiar with the vocabulary around the house, you can challenge yourself by creating a simple sentence in your mind when you see a word. Or just remove the post-its altogether and try to mentally name the objects you see.

Keeping Spanish on your mind in your everyday life will help the vocabulary sink in faster, and get you to the point where you start thinking in Spanish (more on this later)!

6. Listen to Radio and Podcasts

Listening to the radio in Spanish is a challenging but fun way to get some Spanish into your brain during your down time. Understanding what someone says in a foreign language without seeing their lips can be tricky. I found it impossible to comprehend at first, but I recommend sticking with it.

Spanish radio can be a great way to make your commute go faster. And in my case, it got me hooked on some awesome Spanish-speaking musicians like Andrés Calamaro, Vicentico, Joaquín Sabina, Anita Tijoux, Calle 13 and Gustavo Cordera.

Podcasts are also a great way to practice listening to native Spanish speakers. You’ll probably want to start with podcasts targeted at Spanish language learners, because they contain simple vocabulary, spoken slowly and clearly.

Once you get better at it, you can start listening to Spanish podcasts for native speakers. In these podcasts, the vocabulary is harder and the podcast hosts talk at a normal, native speed. Using this type of podcast will boost your listening comprehension skills to the stratosphere.

7. Download Spanish Apps

Language apps fit perfectly into the self-study system, and they have a lot of advantages over other methods, namely:

And there are tons of great apps to learn Spanish. When choosing yours, remember to go for one that’s compatible with how you’re learning the language (by yourself) and comprehensive enough to take you through at least two language levels.

For example, you may want to opt for the gamified app Duolingo if you want to go from complete beginner to intermediate, while other apps may be better suited for advancing existing Spanish skills.

Here are few more you can try:

LingQ is a sensational app to try out. It offers so many features, including the ability to track how many words you’ve learned, a playlist to shuffle content, targets so you know what you’re working toward and so much more. There’s a lot of downloadable audio material, so if you’re somewhere without internet access, you can still study Spanish.

Also, they feature vocabulary review using Spaced Repetition System, or SRS, which means that words you’ve learned keep showing up in your lessons. That way, those words stay in your mind, and you don’t forget them. As vocabulary grows, the SRS accommodates that by offering different words for reinforcement.

Reword is also a neat app to have if you’re a fan of flashcards—which I personally am. There’s something old school about flashcards, but they endure as a solid learning tool because they work.

The Reword app allows users to create word lists, track progress and more. With over 4,500 words and phrases offered, this app will keep most of us busy for quite a while.

8. Travel to Spanish-speaking Countries

After using multiple self-learning methods for several months to a year, you might find your progress reaches a plateau.

The good news is that this means you’re ready to take the next big step in your study of Spanish: going to a Spanish-speaking country.

I spent around seven years traveling to Spanish-speaking countries before I made the move to Venezuela and it gave me lots of confidence. I got better at sharing with locals and recognizing through context what they were trying to say to me. It was always a real buzz and kept me wanting to improve my language skills.

If you take this leap yourself, you’ll be shocked first at how much vocabulary there’s left to learn, and second at how quickly you improve. Almost every moment is an opportunity to practice comprehension and communication.

The more Spanish you hear, the easier it becomes for you to understand in any context.

9. Keep a Spanish Blog or Journal

The idea of keeping a Spanish blog is something anyone can do, even as a Spanish-speaking beginner.

The idea is to create a free, basic blog (Blogger and WordPress both have great platforms for this) and begin by adding an editor’s note explaining that you’ve set up this blog to help you improve your Spanish writing skills and to document your progress.

If you prefer writing on paper, or just prefer to build your skills offline before sharing them with the world, you could start keeping a journal in Spanish.

Journaling is also a great way of practicing and improving your Spanish writing skills, and since you normally won’t show what you write to anybody, it’s also the perfect environment to make spelling mistakes, so be careful!

Writing about your day or your week will give practice putting your thoughts into words, forcing you to broaden your Spanish skills to express what you need to say.

10. Take Online Spanish Courses

A highly effective method for learning Spanish on your own is to take some online Spanish courses. Let’s face it; we pretty much travel with our laptops, tablets and phones at all times—which means that any online course will be at your disposal anytime, anywhere.

Keep in mind that you’re more likely to devote time to a program that holds your interest. For me, I enjoyed from time to time using Coffee Break Spanish and Fluencia. They both incorporate Spanish culture into their lessons, which really helps spice things up—at least it did for me!

Coffee Break Spanish has several options for Spanish courses. Their Coffee Break Academy offers courses ranging from beginner level to intermediate. There’s even a “master” course to help push you to toward total fluency.

The Coffee Break Spanish Reading Club is a fantastic way to build vocabulary skills. The focus of this course is to use weekly texts to introduce cultural insights while building reading skills.

Fluencia is another excellent course for Spanish language learners to consider using. This site is heavy on cultural information, so if you’re looking to learn more than just the mechanics of the Spanish language, this course is for you.

Lessons use native speakers and are broken up into topics that make for an organized, efficient method for learning. Lessons include conversations—perfect for pronunciation practice!—as well as vocabulary and cultural segments.

11. Get a Language Partner

Many of us do really well partnering up to learn. A language partner will help challenge you and make your language learning journey less solitary and more social!

If you’re not currently living abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, you can find a partner using sites like Conversation Exchange or MyLanguageExchange. Most people with profiles on these sites are seeking to practice a language with someone more fluent, with the hope of both partners gaining language skills.

Having a language exchange partner will help you with pronunciation, grabbing idioms and learning about the Spanish culture. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll progress when you start spending time with your language exchange partner. It’ll hardly feel like work when you’re enjoying the language learning process.

If you’re in an area with a Spanish-speaking population, consider going local for a language partner. Join a local club—maybe dance, cooking or even a book club!—to speak face-to-face in Spanish instead of digitally.

12. Get a Spanish Tutor

Sometimes when you’re learning by yourself, hitting a plateau isn’t entirely uncommon. That’s when you might consider enlisting a little help on the side. Getting a Spanish tutor to help you is the perfect way to power up your language learning progress again, especially if you’re not being exposed to Spanish regularly as I was when I was learning.

Depending on where you live, access to a native Spanish tutor, even just a short-term one, might be limited. Fortunately, there are plenty of digital tutors.

Spanish via Skype offers Spanish tutoring with fully qualified language teachers. Their lessons come with training materials, and their scheduling is intended to be flexible so that you can book a session to suit your needs. I love that feature—who wants to be stuck to someone else’s schedule? Language learning on your time will fit into your schedule!

13. Read the News in Spanish

Newspapers and news websites are a great place to start reading Spanish, because they tend to use simple language and a fairly restricted vocabulary.

Starting the day by reading the news in Spanish is also a great way to fit in the 20-30 minutes of Spanish practice that’ll be your bread and butter as a self-taught student.

14. Play Spanish Learning Games

Spanish learning games are an ideal addition to any language program. Who doesn’t love to play? It’s loads of fun that translates into stress-free language learning!

Drops will definitely add a level of entertainment to your learning program. It’s a visual method, which means that they use concise illustrations to show word and phrase meanings. You’ll see what words mean, instead of reading the translation.

This is a convenient learning and practicing method that can be done in five-minute increments. It’s a blast to see how far you can get in that time frame! See what I meant about a little friendly competition against yourself?

Digital Dialects is a go-to spot for Spanish learning games. There are many to choose from—and they cover essential topics that learners will need to know. Numbers, colors, nouns, basic phrases, food and so much more are up for grabs here.

The games in Digital Dialects vary by topic and there are options for additional games within each topic. So once you finish the first games that are offered, you then have a chance to play more difficult games. It’s a smooth way to transition from basic Spanish to more intermediate learning materials.

Sometimes one of the best things you can do as you’re learning a language on your own is to give yourself permission to play!

15. Learn with Spanish Language Music

I love finding ways to study Spanish without feeling like I’m actually studying.

Arguably one of the easiest methods for learning Spanish is by listening to Spanish songs over and over again to the point that the words are stuck in your head.

Through music, you’ll refine your pronunciation and accent, as well as learn new expressions, slang and grammar structures. Song lyrics also tend to be geared towards the masses, making the language accessible and applicable in real life.

Plus, Spanish music is enormously diverse, so there’s something to suit all musical tastes!

Bands like Maná and singers like Juanes were great for me when I started learning. They never sang too fast and were clear in their pronunciation, so it was pretty easy for me to learn the lyrics. Plus their songs are super catchy!

Start by listening to some Spanish songs on YouTube. Once you find one you like, find the lyrics online, print them and try to sing along.

Spanish music will fit well into your exercise routine, when it would otherwise be difficult to get some studying in.

You probably won’t want to listen to podcasts while running, walking your dog or lifting weights, but you might find a reggaetón playlist is just the thing you need to keep you motivated during your weekly workout regimen.

16. Learn Spanish with Recipes

Food has always been a great entryway into new cultures. By eating the national dishes, you’ll get a taste of history, social customs and the language itself. Besides, you have to appeal to different senses to make Spanish more memorable.

At first, you can try making dishes you’ve made in the past, but in Spanish instead of English. This way, if you trip up on any vocab, you can make an educated guess based on experience.

In my case, once I felt pretty comfortable with the kitchen and cooking lingo, I moved onto completely new recipes in:

These ones were ideal for a me because the recipes require less than 10 ingredients and have very few instructions.

Generally, cookbooks are very accessible for beginners, since instructions are all in the infinitive. So go for whichever book piques your interest.

Learning all these new food vocabulary and names of dishes will also make it miles easier when you’re ordering meals at Spanish or Latin A restaurants.

17. Practice Thinking in Spanish

Thinking in Spanish is a nice way to get a bit of language practice while carrying out your everyday activities.

Whether you’re mentally making a grocery shopping list or thinking about what to wear to work tomorrow, try to use Spanish while doing it.

Try to mentally translate everything you read into Spanish, whether it’s a social media post or a restaurant menu. Once you build this habit, your mind will get better at forming Spanish sentences on the fly.

You can also talk to yourself in Spanish (though perhaps not when others are around). Getting some speaking practice can boost your confidence for future conversations with native speakers.

18. Change the Language on your Phone to Spanish

Okay, I know this one sounds a little scary, especially if you’re a beginner. But if the goal is to include Spanish in your day-to-day life, then wouldn’t it make sense to make that change on your phone?

If you’re a newbie in Spanish, this might be a struggle. Ideally you would wait until you at least have a basic grasp on Spanish. But if you know where everything is on your phone anyway, just give it a shot (you can always switch back if it’s too much for you).

Once you’ve adjusted to the switch, the next step would be changing the language settings on the rest of your devices.

Changing the default settings on your phone, laptop or game console to Spanish is a great way to incorporate a range of common vocabulary into your day.

Meanwhile, the necessity of interacting with a program or, better yet, a video game in Spanish will give you a sense of what it’s like to live in a Spanish-speaking country.

What Is the Best Way to Learn Spanish?

There are tons of ways to learn Spanish, and the reality is there isn’t a singular method that is better than the other. It’s about finding what works for you, what matches your goals and what you need to do to reach those goals.

Knowing your goals and reasons for learning Spanish will give your studies direction and give you the tools for staying motivated throughout the learning process.

Whether you go down the DIY route like I did or opt for something more structured like a course, the two best ways to maintain your Spanish learning journey long term are immersion and consistency.

By learning Spanish, you’re welcoming a change in lifestyle, which means that you have to surround yourself in all things Spanish. It’s like all five of your senses have to be saturated in the language, which can be done by moving to a Spanish-speaking country, or by following the tips I’ve outlined above.

Consistency is also a huge factor. Nothing will stick in the long run if you don’t practice on a regular basis. Doing a little bit every day is way more effective than having an extremely long review session every weekend.

So there you have it, my plan for learning Spanish by yourself.

Follow these steps, and there will come a day when someone compliments your Spanish and inquires how you learned the language so well.

And then, you can proudly respond, “I taught myself!”

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

How to learn Spanish

Thinking about learning Spanish but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you are not even sure if you can handle it? Then this article is for you. We have analyzed in detail the possible difficulties to give advice on how to learn to read, write and speak the language of Cervantes. We have also collected many useful resources — both for beginners and for those who want to improve their level.

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Facts about Spanish

Features of the Spanish language

How to learn Spanish on your own?

Learning Spanish from scratch can seem like a daunting task. For this reason, many give up at the planning stage or quit at the very beginning, quickly losing interest. So how do you make language learning an enjoyable part of your daily life, rather than a burden?

Vocabulario — How to learn Spanish words?

Linguist and polyglot Alexander Arguelles evaluated different volumes of vocabulary and what they allow to do:

250 is not such a scary figure. Moreover, there are already words in Spanish that you will recognize because they sound similar in many languages. But so that you don’t waste your time on vocabulary that may never be useful to you, we will give you some tips on where to start and which ways of learning to choose:

Gramática — How to learn Spanish grammar?

The Spanish grammar can be overwhelming. To a simple question about the number of tenses in the language, some linguists will answer «126 if you count the gerund.» Also, beginners will not be pleased with the presence of cases. All this may be enough to completely abandon the idea of ​​learning the language. But in fact, only a few tenses are enough for everyday communication, and there are only two cases, and they concern only pronouns and articles. So, just like with vocabulary, start with the basics:

Comprensíon auditiva — What to listen to in Spanish?

Listening skill often lags behind. This is especially true for those who learn Spanish — the high rate of speech and the peculiarities of regional dialects make listening difficult. Let’s figure out how to get used to authentic speech, choose the material suitable for your level and get the most out of it:

Comprensíon de lectura — What to read in Spanish?

When reading, it is also important to be able to choose the right study materials and create a suitable environment for studying, but in addition to this, special techniques come in handy:

Expresíon escrita — How to write in Spanish?

Writing is an active skill that will require putting together all your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar. Of course, if you are going on a hike in the Chilean mountains, writing is not so important to you. But if you are thinking of moving there and planning to get a language certificate, it is a completely different matter. From the psychological point of view, starting to write in Spanish is not as difficult as speaking. But there are many difficulties. When you learn a language on your own, there is no one to point out your mistakes. Finding a competent reviewer is not easy, and learning to write like a real hispanohablante is even more difficult. The main thing here is to approach the task systematically:

Expresíon orale — How to learn to speak Spanish?

You can perfectly know grammar, have a large vocabulary, read Spanish literature without problems, but not be able to squeeze out a word in response to a simple question ¿De dónde eres? The language barrier is a very common problem. The reasons are the fear of making a mistake or not understanding the speech partner, as well as being embarrassed by the accent. To avoid this, start working on your speaking skills as early as possible:

Pronunciación — How to improve pronunciation in Spanish

There is nothing wrong with an accent as such. In live communication, understanding each other is much more important than perfect pronunciation. But with an active immersion in the Spanish language environment, you will begin to adopt the accents of the native speakers. Here’s our advice so you don’t get confused and speak like a local abroad:

Where to learn Spanish?

Learning Spanish on your own

Spanish is not the most difficult language for English speakers, learning it yourself is very possible. Its studying is simplified by its relationship with English and the principle «as it is heard, so it is written.» However, difficulties with this method are obvious: you will have to organize studies yourself. It takes a lot of self-control and discipline, especially in the absence of evaluations, grades, and deadlines. It can also be difficult at first to figure out where to start and how to focus on all the skills at once.

Also, compared to English, there are significantly fewer textbooks and free online courses for learning Spanish.

Spanish language schools

If you can’t educate yourself, you can always consider studying Spanish in a language school. This way, your training will be supervised by professional teachers. However, keep in mind that you will be studying in a group, which means that less individual attention will be paid to you. If there are difficulties with understanding Futuro Simple, you will most likely have to catch up with the class on your own.

Spanish with a tutor

The main advantage is the individual approach. The tutor will create a curriculum based on your goals, financial capabilities, and time constraints. If you only need to learn the basic phrases to explain yourself at the airport, hotels, and restaurants in Argentina, the lessons will be aimed at just that. And if you want fundamental knowledge, but can’t comprehend Subjuntivo, you can linger on this topic a little longer. Preply, italki, and Live Lingua are examples of good platforms to find an online tutor — either a native speaker or simply a professional teacher.

Language courses in Spain

This is an excellent opportunity for an intensive immersion in the language and culture of a new country. Such courses can be found not only in the capital and major cities but also in the smaller ones. If you don’t like huge cities, you can find an option in a quiet town, where there will be almost no tourists. And if the European atmosphere doesn’t suit you anyway, you can go to more exotic Latin America. But keep in mind that the former option is not cheap at all. Despite the fact that the cost of living in Spain is lower [9] than the European average, you still have to spend money on flights, accommodation, transportation, food, and entertainment. And when choosing a city, be sure to find what the climate is like, so as not to suffer from the heat. Winters in Spain are very mild, but in summer temperatures in some regions can reach +35°C and higher.

Why learn Spanish?

In addition, along with Spanish, the Romance group includes, for example, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Moldovan. It will be much easier for you to start learning related languages ​​if you have a Spanish base.

Spanish for study

Higher education is not necessarily limited to the universities in your city or even your country. Knowing Spanish, you can choose between universities in more than twenty countries in North and Latin America. In many of them, you can stay to work and live after graduation.

Spanish-language programs can even be found in US universities. For admission, you must confirm a high level of knowing language by passing DELE or SIELE. For undergraduate studies, as a rule, you need B1, and for Master’s programs — B2-C1. You can enroll in preparation courses for these exams, both at home and abroad.

When preparing for admission, pay special attention to several aspects:

University of Salamanca, Spain

Spanish for work

Knowledge of Spanish is a popular requirement in international companies, it offers many new possibilities. New professional areas will become available to an applicant with Spanish, where you can get a job even without an appropriate diploma. This includes work in education, tourism and hospitality, the hotel business, and even the technical field. Many international companies train technical support operators from scratch, the important prerequisite is the language. Requirements vary by employer and position — usually Intermediate / Upper-intermediate or Advanced, especially for teachers.

Spanish companies are considering candidates with a B2 level and above. Additionally, with a foreign diploma in a number of specialties, you will need to go through the qualification recognition procedure — homologation.

Most countries in Hispanidad do not require a language certificate for a work visa. However, knowledge of professional vocabulary and the official style of speech, as well as having ability to conduct business correspondence and formally communicate with colleagues are necessary. However, keep in mind that many Spanish-speaking countries have high unemployment rates, so it will not be easy for a foreigner in the labor market.

Spanish for immigration

Usually, immigrants first receive a residence permit. It can be of four types:

The requirements for the level of Spanish vary greatly depending on the country and the reasons for getting the residence permit. As a rule, those who want to apply for citizenship will have to pass the obligatory language proficiency exam — they need a certificate of DELE at level A2 and higher. But even if you are not going to get a Spanish passport, it will not be easy to live without knowledge of the language. First of all, work on the vocabulary that you need in everyday life — going to the store, visiting the hospital, etc. At the initial stage, you can also focus on ready-made sets of basic vocabulary — for example, video lessons Spanish for every day or 70 basic Spanish phrases.

Spanish for travel

Spanish for travel has its own specificities. You will need a grammatical minimum, but you will have to prioritize learning the most used words and phrases. Writing as a skill is not so important, but it is imperative to be able to talk. Fortunately, there are many manuals and phrasebooks for tourists, including free ones, and language courses and tutors will be able to prepare you for the trip in a short time.

Exams in Spanish

Most often, a certificate is required for admission to a university in a Spanish-language program. Also, exams are needed for work, especially in the fields of education and tourism. There are also those who just want to test their strength.

There are two international exams — DELE and SIELE. Each of them has its own characteristics:

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How to Learn Spanish Quickly with One Simple Tip

All Spanish learners work from the same basic recipe.

However, there’s a part of the process that is unique and personal to you: the specific ingredients, tools and methods you use.

Anybody making actual progress in Spanish needs to spend time on their own figuring out how to get words, verbal conjugations and sentence structure implanted in their synapses.

Contents

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How to Learn Spanish Quickly: One Simple Tip

Memorization is something you’re familiar with already. Memorizing labels for objects and actions, ideas and explanations.

One less-conventional idea is to take this a step further and memorize longer chunks of Spanish, things you don’t understand yet. Quotes, songs, riddles, tongue twisters – whatever appeals to you.

Why Memorizing Chunks Will Help You Learn Spanish Fast

Here are 30 reasons why this is a good idea:

Using the half-hour represented above for repeating memorized items in Spanish to yourself can dramatically aid the imprinting process and help you learn Spanish quickly. If there is a particular verb conjugation your brain currently refuses to accept, memorize something that includes it, repeat it regularly for a week, and presto – the word is yours.

Maybe, at the start of the week, the verb you’re working on is the only term in the memorized piece you understand. Don’t worry about it. Now that you have the item memorized, look up each of the other terms as time permits and before long all of them will be solid additions to your ever-enlarging Spanish Rolodex of vocabulary. The more you do this, the more likely it is that you will be exposed to nuances of various terms, which will make your vocabulary all the more useful to you.

An Example to Get You Started

Here’s a riddle for your memorization consideration:

Una caja muy chiquita,
blanquita como la sal.
Todos la saben abrir,
nadie la sabe cerrar.
¿Qué es?

The term-by-term translation:

A box very small,
white as the salt.
Everybody it (they know) to open,
no one it (he/she knows) to close.
What is it?

The riddle in English:

A very small box,
white as salt.
Everybody knows how to open it,
no one knows how to close it.
What is it?

La respuesta (The answer): un huevo (an egg)

It’s beneficial to the learning process for you to consider both the term-by-term translation and the actual, polished translation, especially at the beginning of your journey into Spanish. It’s thinking about the term-by-term version that helps you literally come to terms with the fact that “la” in the riddle is the article, “the,” when used next to the word for salt, but then in its next two uses it’s the feminine pronoun for “it,” standing in for the feminine noun for box.

Term-by-term consideration also speeds up your ability to get comfortable with Spanish verb conjugations. “Everybody” is plural, so the verb form needs to be the one that goes with “they/you plural.” “No one” is singular, so the verb form needs to be the one that goes with “he/she/it/you formal.” Repeating the riddle over time, knowing why a verb form is used where it is, aids your brain in selecting the correct verb tense automatically in the future.

Using a resource with accurate subtitles can help you chunk and memorize your favorite song, TV quote or anything else you’re interested in. Even just watching Spanish TV shows will get you used to hearing phrases in context.

You can take it a step further by using an immersive program like FluentU, which is a language learning app and website that teaches Spanish through authentic videos. FluentU has accurate subtitles vetted by language experts, which are available in both English and Spanish (or both, if you prefer). You can click on any word to learn what it means, helping you to get that term-by-term translation without leaving the video player.

The program also uses multimedia flashcards and personalized quizzes to reinforce the Spanish you hear, so you start memorizing relevant chunks of the language faster. The quizzes also have speaking questions that let you practice pronouncing Spanish out loud.

The more you repeat memorized items aloud, the more progress you will make on pronunciation, a vitally important part of learning Spanish well. Like all muscles, those used for speaking need exercise in order to perform well, and the more you produce Spanish words the easier it will become and the better you will be at it. Yell. Whisper. Be silly. Exaggerate the Spanish accent. Try another accent entirely and then come back to the Spanish. This is all about you and your brain synapses, sweetie, and in my book that means you’re going to be the best expert on what works. Playing with this language you’re learning is healthy, and helps prevent the process from becoming a chore. I once decided that what I needed was to say, “plotting big trouble for moose and squirrel” in Spanish. With a Russian accent, of course. Try it yourself: “tramando problemas grandes para alce y ardilla.” It’s still one of the most reliable ways to make myself smile.

Showering is usually an excellent place to speak out loud to yourself without annoying anyone, and the acoustics are often pretty decent. Select a song you enjoy in Spanish – better yet, select two, one fast and one slow. Lyrics (“letras” in Spanish) for most songs can easily be found online by searching for the song title paired with the band name, meaning you can sing along right away. (Warning: Some posters of lyrics are more accurate than others.) “Sirena” by Sin Bandera has some lightning-fast lines that can sound like an unintelligible blur. Follow along with a set of lyrics, though, and the blurs separate into words. Words that, with practice, you can sing as fast as the professionals as you gain prowess in enunciating even at high speed. Use something slower, like “Tengo” by Franco de Vita, to work on vowels.

A Tip for Learning Spanish Numbers Quickly

Numbers giving you trouble? Especially longer numbers like, say, the year you were born? 1996 = mil novecientos noventa y seis. 1987 = mil novecientos ochenta y siete. 1950 = mil novecientos cincuenta. The average red light lasts around 30 seconds to a minute. If you say, in Spanish, the year you were born every time you stop at a red light for the next week, odds are good it will be flowing so smoothly for you that you will be looking for ways to work it into conversations any chance you get.

Give it a try. Add items of your choice to your recipe. Long before someone is fluent they can benefit from having memorized bits of text. It speeds up your ability to be comfortable with sounds and structures, and begins cementing certain vocabulary into your mind. You’ll be improving your pacing and pronunciation, and you’ll also be helping your brain develop a sense of what “sounds right” grammatically in your new language.

Onward to fluency!

More Examples for Helping You Learn Spanish Quickly

“Es gracioso: siempre me imaginé cuando yo era una niña que los adultos tenían una especie de caja de herramientas interior llena de herramientas brillantes: la sierra del discernimiento, el martillo de la sabiduría, el papel de lija de la paciencia. Pero cuando crecí me di cuenta de que la vida te da estas herramientas oxidadas viejas y dobladas – las amistades, la oración, la conciencia, la honestidad – y te dice ‘Haz lo mejor que puedas con ellas, van a tener que alcanzar.’ Y sobre todo, contra todo pronóstico, lo hacen.” –Anne Lamott

(“It’s funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools – friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty – and said ‘do the best you can with these, they will have to do’. And mostly, against all odds, they do.” –Anne Lamott)

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How to Learn Spanish in a Month in 8 Steps

A lot can happen in 30 days.

But to learn Spanish in a month? You’re an ambitious one! That’s quite a task.

You’ll need to write in Spanish, read in Spanish, listen, sing and even dream in Spanish!

It’s going to be intense, but certainly worth it.

Here are eight steps to help you get the most out of learning Spanish in a month.

Contents

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1. Turn Your Life into a Spanish Crash Course

Of course, there are different checkpoints on the road to achieving Spanish fluency. You have to be somewhat realistic about which of these you can reasonably reach in one month.

If you’re starting from zero, you cannot expect to become a Spanish-speaking diplomat in 30 days, but you can surely learn a lot if you set your mind to it and have a good game plan. You could easily learn how to hold decent conversations and write out any messages, emails or letters you might like to send.

Regardless of where you’re starting from, the first step is setting a goal for how much you expect to learn. Then you’ll begin putting together a foundation for how you’re going to get there.

If you’re going to start immediately and you’ve only got one month to get the job done, it may be hard for you to manage taking a class. Signing up for one and starting a new schedule can take a little time, and classes may all run for more than a single month. In this case, grabbing a solid beginner’s textbook (or maybe a slightly more advanced one if you already have Spanish knowledge) and reading a chapter a day can take you a long way,

There are dozens of textbooks available for decent prices on Amazon. One that’s a highly-rated and quick-paced book for beginners is “Easy Spanish: Step-by-Step” by McGraw Hill.

Using this book for your 30-day challenge will assist you in breaking things down into manageable lessons. With 15 chapters, doing 1 chapter every 2 days would mean you’ll finish the book and have covered many topics in the course of your month.

Spending a grand total of 2-3 hours on your overall reading skills and vocabulary knowledge every day can get you very far in the course of your month! Pair this chapter-by-chapter textbook work with flashcards and vocabulary lists, and you’ll be all set.

2. Immerse Your World in Spanish

If you can’t go abroad, you still have hope. There are many opportunities to bring the language into your life, no matter where you live.

Aside from English, Spanish is the most common language spoken in the United States, and in a number of states a substantial portion of residents are fluent or native in Spanish.

Finding a community of Spanish-speakers can be much easier than you may think. On the MeetUp website you may find a group of Spanish-speakers looking to meet up at a local cantina, a language exchange swap or even a group of equally curious English-speakers wanting to form a Spanish study group, depending on what’s in your area.

Not actually practicing the language—you know, live, in person, naturally—is one of the ways that many fail in their goals for the month. In your 30 days, actually using the language actively for at least 30 minutes a day can be extremely beneficial to your learning and show you how much progress you’ve made on a daily basis.

If you’re searching for it, it can’t be that hard to find. You can try making the Hispanic restaurant down the street your new nightly hang out. Pay a visit to a Hispanic museum, see a film in Spanish or seek out whatever else you can tie to your studying that your hometown may have to offer.

And instead of enjoying your regular English jams, books and programs for the month, try replacing them with some Spanish entertainment instead. Heck, you can even go to your Facebook settings and change your language to Spanish—and try even more methods for learning with Facebook.

You can always combine these 30 minutes of active practice with the previous chapter-by-chapter textbook and vocabulary plan. Just jot down all the new vocabulary you encounter while interacting with this Spanish-language media.

3. Use FluentU

Another great way of immersing yourself in authentic content and getting some solid study done at the same time is to use FluentU. The language learning website and app exposes you to Spanish as it’s used by native speakers, which benefits your pronunciation, vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension as a result.

It curates authentic, engaging Spanish videos—like music videos, news reports and inspiring talks—and pairs them with extra learning tools. There are thousands of them, so you’re bound to find lots of videos that pique your interest.

While you can learn through authentic on your own, it can be tedious to search for appropriate videos, find correct definitions and then review everything you learn so you don’t forget it all. Interactive subtitles, a contextual video dictionary and multimedia flashcards on the FluentU program make learning seamless and much faster, and you can even take personalized quizzes (complete with speaking questions) to track your progress.

Plus, it’s available as both iOS and Android apps, which makes it easy to use on-the-go.

4. Get a Personal Tutor

Those who have succeeded in similar ventures give much credit to having a personal tutor.

It’s easy to see that the benefits of having a personal tutor are huge. By having a tutor, you can be selective about what you learn because their objective is to teach you and you only. They’ll target the methods, resources and overall lesson plans to your specific needs.

Learning the things most relevant to your life and having the content on your exact skill level will make the process far quicker and smoother. The tutor will work at your speed and meet your learning preferences.

So, ask around and view your local postings to see who is available in your area.

Having a good tutor for at least 30 minutes every weekday can really push you right up towards your goal here. That’s at least 8-9 hours of personalized Spanish studying you’ll have at the end of your month! Sounds like it might be expensive, yeah—but if you’re just trying to get as far as you possibly can in one mere month, you might want to invest to go that extra mile.

You can also use italki (linked above) to find a language exchange partner instead. These guys are free, but they come at the precious cost of your time. For every half-hour they teach you Spanish, you’ll need to teach them your native language for the same amount of time. They’re also harder to get to commit to practicing every day.

5. Study, Study, Study

If you want to learn as much as you can in a month, you’ll have to sacrifice most of your free time to studying. Always keep a book, dictionary and translation app handy, because you never know when some free time will open up that you can devote to studying.

When you’re sitting on the bus, waiting in line or working out, there’s always some way to fill that time with Spanish!

Fill your phone up with Spanish reading material, like e-books and audio in the form of podcasts and audiobooks.

Find some Spanish-language videos as well, whether on a platform like YouTube (with its vast selection) or a video-based language learning program like FluentU (which has interactive subtitles and personalized review quizzes).

Whenever you’ve got an idle moment, or one during which you could be multitasking by popping some Spanish audio on in the background, you can be studying! You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn with that in-between time throughout your day.

The longer you spend studying like this, the stronger in Spanish you’ll be at the end of the month. A minimum of 30 minutes of this, perhaps even scattered around in minute-long increments, is the recommended daily dose.

6. Label Everything You Touch

So this one may get a little obnoxious, to you and to everyone who lives and works around you, but nobody ever said this month was going to be easy. It’s time to bring a little more color into your living space. And, hey, people might actually find this endearing and educational.

Go to the store, grab the biggest set of sticky notes you can find and label everything you own with its Spanish translation. The foods in your cabinet, the desk you’re sitting at (el escritorio), the lamp (la lámpara), the computer you’re reading from (la computadora), your bed (la cama), your bar of soap (la barra de jabón)—okay, maybe that’s a bit far unless you can label the box it came in, but you get the point.

To save precious time, buy yourself a Spanish Vocabulary Stickers set, which comes with pre-made, color-coded labels for over a hundred of the most common items you’ll find in your home and office.

Not only is this a quick and almost effortless way of studying, it will catch you up on your vocabulary goals, give you the words you need to know the most and even make you realize whether it’s time for a garage sale or not.

7. Don’t Use Any English

It has been said that you don’t fully understand a language until you can think in it.

This may be difficult depending on where you live, but entirely replacing English with Spanish in your everyday life—and consequently in your brain—can greatly escalate the process.

If you need to call a company to ask for information, press the button that they indicate to proceed in Spanish. If you go shopping for food, read the Spanish-language labels only and shop as much as you can at a Hispanic grocery store or in the Hispanic aisle at the supermarket.

Not being able to communicate in anything but Spanish can push your motivation for learning it to the brink, but you’re not alone. The website Fluent in 3 Months features videos, articles and more about how to become fluent in any language in a strict time frame.

You can find memoirs of people who have traveled abroad and attempted to become fluent in Spanish in only three months, including two men who ventured to Spain and didn’t speak a word of English for the entire three months.

Not saying to ignore Grandma’s weekly phone call, but it’s definitely a good idea to use as much Spanish and as little English as you can in your allotted time frame.

8. Go Abroad

If you can afford to make it happen, spending these 30 days of learning in a Spanish-speaking country can be extremely helpful.

Being in a Spanish-speaking country means that every time you go out, you’ll find Spanish. Seeing it every day on street signs, advertisements, restaurants and more can really help cement it into your brain.

Luckily, Spanish is the language spoken in the highest number of countries around the world, so you have quite a few to pick from. Spain, Central America, many places in the Caribbean and most of South America use the language, so wherever you’re at in the world, managing a fair-priced trip shouldn’t be extremely difficult.

Just imagine, lounging on the beach, drinking margaritas and chatting with locals—educationally of course.

So there we have it: 8 steps, 30 days and up to 3,000 words.

By spending around 4 hours a day studying and practicing, you can make a huge advancement in your Spanish knowledge.

But remember—that’s not 4 hours of staring at a textbook! You could be listening to reggaeton, dancing salsa, chatting with friends, going out on a MeetUp adventure, shopping for food, listening to a podcast on technology or reading a great novel.

After a few days, this will turn into your recreation time and your lifestyle, not just your Spanish study routine.