Best way to learn Spanish

 

In truth, the title is somewhat misleading because there are nearly as many ways to learn Spanish as there are people.

Everyone learns differently: some people need a teacher to explain everything to them, while others prefer to listen, read, or watch videos on their own. For instance, I have a very good auditory memory, so I love listening to the language I’m learning, and I find it helps me progress significantly.

There are many effective language learning techniques. The choice depends on the learner and the way they feel most comfortable, as well as their specific goals, but the truth is that it is very difficult to conclude which is the best way to learn Spanish.

In this article, we will explore the different ways and resources that students can use to facilitate the acquisition of Spanish in its various aspects, as well as the most effective tools to achieve this.

 

 

Ways to learn Spanish

 

Total immersion: the most effective

 

Immersion in environments where the language is spoken is one of the most effective ways to learn Spanish. This could mean living in a Spanish-speaking country, working in an environment where the language is spoken, or surrounding yourself with native speakers whenever possible.

Even if you are a beginner, a study program in a Spanish-speaking country can be the best way to ensure that your second language learning includes real-life practice.

In addition to the benefits of language learning, your time abroad can be one of the best experiences of your life. Some programs may place you with a host family, so you’ll be surrounded by Spanish speakers.

 

 

 

Spanish classes

 

Enrolling in Spanish classes can provide structure and solid foundations in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. These can be:

• University courses. Ideal for those who prefer a structured academic environment.

 

• Language centers and Official Language Schools (EOIs) offer courses at different levels and sometimes allow you to follow the course in different modalities: face-to-face, blended, and distance or online.

 

• Private classes. For personalized learning, a private teacher can be very beneficial, and you have the advantage of receiving direct feedback and practicing Spanish from day one. On Spanish55 or LanguaTalk, you can find teachers for adults.

 

The advantage of this type of teaching is that the teacher directs your learning, provides you with the necessary tools and strategies for its development, and evaluates your progress.

 

 

Self-taught

 

• It’s much cheaper than attending face-to-face courses.
• You study on your own schedule.
• You can study anywhere: at home, in a waiting room, on the subway, etc.
• You progress at your own pace.

 

 What do you need to learn?

 

Study grammar

 

This is a hotly debated topic. In classical language learning, grammar was very important, but modern teaching tends not to be too obsessed with it.

We are often told that studying grammar isn’t worth it. It’s boring and mechanical work, and native speakers break grammatical rules all the time. However, when you need to learn the fundamentals of a language, a bit of grammatical knowledge can be very helpful. Knowing the basic rules can boost your confidence when writing or speaking Spanish, and make it easier to tackle more complex structures later.

Instead of completely avoiding grammar, try to study the minimum level you need to start expressing yourself.

In this sense, the textbook is one of the most traditional but very useful formats, as you can find theory and practice for language learning. You have very competent publishers in this field, such as Difusión, Edelsa, or Santillana.

 

Develop your vocabulary

 

Most students make great efforts in learning vocabulary, and it’s natural because if you know a lot of grammar but little vocabulary, you won’t be able to maintain a fluent conversation.

If you are starting, begin by learning the most frequently used words in a normal conversation. It makes no sense to learn words you will use very little.

 

Use your senses

 

From pure experience, we know that one of the most effective ways to learn vocabulary is not just to “say” the words mentally, but also to pronounce them out loud and then write them down. In this simple way, you write, see, speak, and hear the vocabulary, thus making it easier for your brain to assimilate it.

 

Keep a dictionary close by

 

In addition to knowing the meaning of words, using a dictionary is very useful for refreshing your memory about synonyms and learning antonyms and related words (semantic fields), which is another way to learn vocabulary.

Currently, there are many excellent dictionaries that will help you a lot in resolving all your doubts, both in paper and online. In this last format, I really like Wordreference.

 

Practice using new words in conversation

 

It is possible to have a large vocabulary and not know how to use it. If you find an interesting word in a reading, make sure to use it in everyday conversations, in the messages you write, etc. Incorporating new words into your daily routine and using them in conversations helps retain them.

 

Use flashcards

 

These are cards that have a question on one side and an answer on the other. In this case, the question could be the word in your language, and the answer, its translation into Spanish. A great favorite tool for studying with flashcards is Quizlet. It is very comprehensive and has a free version.

 

 

Relate words to each other

 

It’s essential to relate new words to those already known by observing their common roots because they will help you understand their meaning when you encounter them.

In the same way, it’s good to relate the vocabulary you know by topics: the human body, travel, food, etc. This will help you memorize them.

 

Associate words with your language

 

One way to memorize new words is by relating them to words in your own language, especially if you are a speaker of Latin languages. Obviously, these have some advantages, but anyway, it’s quite likely that there are words close enough to your language to help you remember them in the future.

 

Do vocabulary exercises

 

It’s essential to practice as much as possible. You can use games, traditional exercises, activities where you have to assess your knowledge, apps… You’ll see how, little by little, you improve.

 

The four skills

 

Listening

 

It’s the natural way to start learning a language, just as children do since they are born.

The more you listen to Spanish, the better. If you can’t do it all day, do it on your way to school or work, while you exercise or clean the house.

It has been proven that listening to audiobooks, music, or podcasts, and watching movies and TV series in Spanish is a great help in getting familiar with the accent and pronunciation.

 

Listen to the radio

 

For learning a language, stations that broadcast news 24 hours a day are especially recommended. I myself have the Radio Garden app to improve my English.

 

Watch the news in Spanish

 

It’s undeniable that watching TV helps with learning Spanish. The more you hear words and phrases aloud, the easier it will be for you to converse fluently. I advise you to watch TV with subtitles in Spanish so that you read and listen at the same time.

 

Listen to audiobooks

 

Make sure they are recorded by native professionals. Here I have to recommend my audiobooks from the best authors of Spanish literature by levels, from A2 to C2. Get to KNOW THEM, I’m sure you’ll like them, and you can listen to them when you’re doing activities that don’t require much attention, like walking the dog or cooking.

 

Download an app on your phone

 

Mobile apps and online platforms can be very useful, as they often also use audio, textual, and visual learning combined. You can use these apps whenever it suits you best, for example, Duolingo, Mondly, or Babbel.

 

 

Talk as much as you can

 

In addition to listening and knowing vocabulary and grammar, you have to start speaking as soon as you start learning a few words.

• Find a language exchange partner who is learning your language or groups that meet regularly. Check out Meetup, there you can find what’s right for you.
• Hire a Spanish speaker to talk to you over the Internet. You can try italki, where prices are not high.

Libraries, cultural centers, and Official Language Schools have conversation groups, and they also organize activities, like cooking, theater, gardening where Spanish is the vehicular language. And of course, if you can, travel to a Spanish-speaking country; it will be a deep cultural and linguistic immersion that will greatly advance your Spanish.

 

 

Read in Spanish

 

One of the fundamental tools that have always been used to learn languages are written texts because they hold all the linguistic and cultural richness of a language, they are the best way to fully introduce us to the heart of a new language, so read everything you can.

Reading is one of the best ways to improve a foreign language and is essential for learning more vocabulary, as it is also the way native speakers acquire a more elaborate vocabulary.

When reading, try to deduce what you don’t understand from the context before looking it up in the dictionary or on the Internet. You don’t need to look up everything, the important thing is that you understand the general idea of what you are reading.

Read all kinds of things and about the topics that interest you most, magazines, books, blogs, newspapers… Graded readings appropriate to your level are very useful, many of them come with glossaries with the more complicated words.

 

Fortunately, today there are many ways at your disposal to practice this important skill:

 

• Take advantage of all the texts that appear in your Spanish manual. Many of them are accompanied by activities to see your reading comprehension level. They will help you a lot to keep progressing.

 

• Search for blogs on topics you like such as cooking, sports, fashion, technology, science, etc.

 

• On the Internet, visit Spanish-language sites that contain articles of general interest, such as the magazine Muy interesante.

 

• Read newspapers. They will help you obtain greater and better vocabulary (and a broader view of the world) although this will go better with an intermediate or advanced level. I recommend El País and La Vanguardia.

 

 

Reading books

 

Reading books are an excellent tool for students to approach literature gradually, step by step. This activity helps you expand your vocabulary and learn new grammatical structures.

Choose the ones you like the most and enjoy them. If at the end of the book you have activities, do them without looking at the solutions beforehand to activate your neurons.

Many books come with a key that will allow you to access an app, with which you can listen to the audiobook, that is, the read version of the book. This is an excellent option to listen while you read. It can make the process much more enjoyable and also help you a lot with pronunciation.

And at this point, I also want to introduce you to my books from the best authors of all time in Spanish. These are very complete books because they contain the works adapted to each level of Spanish and include nothing less than the audio of the text and, in addition, interactive exercises for you to work on skills, grammar, and vocabulary. Get to know them HERE.

 

Start writing

 

To achieve fluency in Spanish, you need to start thinking and acting like a native speaker. A great way to start thinking in Spanish is to start writing in this language. And I’ll tell you why.

 

• First, writing allows you to consolidate the vocabulary and grammar you are learning.

 

• In addition, writing fosters the ability to think in the foreign language, a crucial step to achieving fluency.

 

• Writing texts forces you to organize ideas, and having to construct sentences and paragraphs, you have to process and use the language actively, which improves your linguistic competence. This is especially important at more advanced levels, where precision and depth of knowledge of Spanish are fundamental.

 

• Another relevant aspect is that writing allows you to reflect calmly on the use of the language, something that is not always possible when you speak. When writing, you have the opportunity to review and correct your mistakes, and learn from them.

 

 

What can you write?

 

A lot of things. Here is a list of activities you can do to practice and improve your writing on your own:

• Write a personal diary: Note down your daily experiences and thoughts in Spanish.

 

• Write emails or letters: Write emails or letters to friends who speak Spanish or to a language exchange partner.

 

• Participate in online forums: Join online communities where Spanish is spoken and actively participate in discussions.

 

• Write comments on blogs or social media: Search for blogs or social media posts on topics of interest and leave comments in Spanish.

 

• Write short essays: Choose topics of personal or current interest and develop short essays (the famous compositions) to practice text structure and coherence.

 

• Do creative writing exercises: Participate in creative writing challenges, like writing short stories or descriptions of imaginary places.

 

• Translate texts from your native language to Spanish: This can help you better understand grammatical structures and vocabulary.

 

These activities not only help improve writing but also increase exposure to Spanish in different contexts, which is fundamental to acquiring fluency in the language.

 

Very useful tips

 

Plan

 

Especially if you are learning Spanish on your own. The first thing you should do is decide how much time you want to study each day. Learning a language is a slow process that, depending on the level of mastery you seek, can take from several months to several years.

One of the advantages of studying on your own is that you can do it wherever you want, it’s not always necessary to be in front of a computer. You know that there are enough resources that allow you to do it on the bus, in the doctor’s waiting room, or while you’re cooking.

 

 

Create a habit

 

Habits can be built in a little less than a month, so the important thing is that you create the habit of learning every day. If you don’t start forming a study habit, you won’t be able to progress much.

 

Be consistent

 

Once you have created the habit, it will become increasingly easier to be consistent. Have perseverance and patience. To study a language you don’t need to study for a long time, but you do need to study frequently. It’s better to study one hour each day from Monday to Friday than 5 hours in just one day. In the first case, the progress will be much greater because the effort is more continued.

 

Integrate Spanish into your life

 

Immersion techniques are very effective because they correspond to real-world Spanish language use situations.

Ask yourself: What parts of my daily life could be in Spanish from now on? You can do this in several ways:

• Change the language of your electronic devices to Spanish. This includes your phone, computer, and any other devices you use regularly.

 

• Consume media in Spanish. Watch movies, TV series, listen to the radio, podcasts, audiobooks, and music in Spanish. This not only improves your listening comprehension but also opens your ears to different accents and slang.

 

• Read books, newspapers, and magazines in Spanish. Start with simpler texts and progress to more complex materials as your level improves.

 

 

What if you don’t have time to study?

 

To study Spanish, you can use those moments of the day when we can’t do other things: while you go to work, school, college or university; when you are traveling, doing household chores, etc. Take advantage of those moments to listen to an audio or pull out that Spanish book you are enjoying from your backpack.

 

Making mistakes is normal

 

For some people, especially perfectionists, it’s embarrassing to speak because they believe their level is not good, but to speak a new language you first have to take risks and start making mistakes to correct them. Making mistakes is an important part of learning because it allows you to move forward.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

In short, learning Spanish is a task with many facets that includes a combination of traditional and modern methods, cultural and technological immersion, as well as a good dose of persistence. There are many things that work, but what works for you may not be exactly the same as what works for someone else, so don’t be afraid to try various methods to see which one you prefer.

It’s normal to feel frustrated or stuck at times. The important thing is to maintain a positive attitude and persevere despite difficulties. So, what is the best way to learn Spanish? Ultimately, the best way is the one you enjoy the most and where you can make steady progress.

 

Keep going. In the end, the effort will have been worth it!