I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I’m afraid that this is essentially a million-dollar question and one for which there is no generic response.

Unfortunately there are simply too many variables concerned, in that so much relies on how much effort an individual is willing to put into learning the language, and also which method or program they will be using. Add to that the fact that while some students may decide to use the services of a private mentor, others will choose a classroom environment instead. In reality, some people will rather select using one or other home study program which makes use of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also need to ask whether the student will be learning the language in a place where it’s spoken as the local language, or whether they’ll be learning it in their home country. Furthermore, the quality of a program or the experience of a teacher will also influence the result.

Because these variables will have such a direct result on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is just not feasible to provide a simple response to this question. In fact, I have personally been involved with people who after six months, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but also , I’ve met individuals who have studied the Spanish language for a number of years, albeit on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.

Rather than attempt to provide a simple response to this question, I’d rather offer what I feel to be the quickest way of learning Spanish. The most vital step of all, is for a student to seize every available opportunity with regards to interacting in the language they wish to learn, regardless of what language that may be.

While you definitely do get people who are firm followers of the school room approach, I actually feel it takes too long unless it is done with another method. In my experience, a self study method of high quality is easily superior in that it allows a student to progress at their own speed instead of being tied down to the average study room pace. This is very true regarding students who are truly serious about learning Spanish.

In this situation, I might suggest a student to opt for a reputable program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. Additionally, they should select a program which allows for lessons to be downloaded onto a mobile device so that the student can listen on their iPod for example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim for being able to not only speak it and write it, but also to read it and understand it. Unless a program covers all four of these areas, it needs to be avoided or at least, you’ll need some additional material.

As you could have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an extremely well-liked program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s discussed, it has gained a reputation for providing students with a first foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you are able to communicate confidently in Spanish within a relatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is considered to be quite as good, in that it also addresses the 4 areas discussed above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that people can select between the “Spain” version and the Latin American Spanish version. Judging by testimonials, it would seem that the Rosetta Stone program takes slightly longer to work thru, which of course means it’ll take you a little longer before you develop conversational Spanish but generally, it ranks right up there with Rocket Spanish. Also, Rosetta Stone is quite a bit costlier.

As you can see, there are too many variables concerned for me or anyone else to be in a position to give a single response with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you’ve potentially also gathered by this point that there are several things you can do in order to speed up the method. In fact, many people go as far as using both the programs discussed with each other in order to develop conversational skills as fast as possible. However, unless you are steadily exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you one hundred p.c fluent. On the other hand, providing you’re at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you could consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language skills Magazine. Similarly, you’d be shocked at just how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that concentrates on learning the Spanish language.

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