Are you thinking about learning Spanish?
Learning Spanish can be very beneficial. However, you need to understand that learning a new language isn’t an overnight process. A lot of people get discouraged when learning a language because they feel like they’re not progressing quickly enough.
Achieving fluency in Spanish, or in any language for that matter, takes time. So, how long does it take to learn Spanish?
Check out this guide to discover the timeline for learning Spanish.
How Long Does it Take to Learn Spanish?
According to a report by the United States Foreign Services Insitute, it takes approximately 480 classroom hours to achieve conversational fluency in Spanish. According to this report, Spanish is a Group 1 language (along with Portuguese, Romanian, Italian, French, Swahili, German, and Indonesian), which means it’s one of the easiest languages to learn for native English speakers.
However, just because Spanish is easier to learn than, say, Japanese, doesn’t mean it’s an easy language to learn overall. Learning a language, no matter what that language is, takes a lot of work.
But does it really take 480 hours of work? It’s important to understand that this study focuses on how many classroom hours it takes to learn a language. Many language students found that when they step outside the classroom and immerse themselves in a new language, they learn much quicker.
And, it’s also important to understand that this is just an estimation. For some people, language learning comes naturally, while others need to work a little harder at it.
Factors That Impact How Fast You Learn Spanish
When learning Spanish, there really isn’t any need to track the number of hours you’ve put in (unless it helps keep you motivated). It’s not like when you hit 480 classroom hours, you’ll magically be fluent.
However, it is important to understand that different factors play a role in how quickly you achieve fluency. These include:
- Your Previous Experiences Learning Languages
If you speak another language besides English, or, if you’ve spent some time studying another language, you’re going to have an easier time learning Spanish.
If you speak a Romance language (French, Italian, Romanian, or Portuguese), Spanish will be even easier for you, as it’s also a Romance language. The five Romance languages all derive from Vulgar Latin. These languages share a similar vocabulary in grammar.
For example, the word for “pool” in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian is “piscina”, and in French, it’s “piscine”.
Even if you don’t speak a Romance language but you know another language besides English, you’ll have an easier time learning Spanish. Studies show that students who know two languages have a much easier time commanding a third language than students who only know one language.
However, if you only speak English, don’t let this discourage you. Although English isn’t a Romance language, it shares many similarities with Spanish. There are around 20,000 cognates between English and Spanish. A cognate is a word that has a similar origin.
For example, the word for “family” in Spanish is “familia.” The word for “class” in Spanish is “clase.” And, the word for “center” in Spanish is “centro.” These are just a few examples, and there are thousands of more! Your knowledge of English can take you very far in the Spanish language.
- Your Chosen Learning Methods
Your chosen learning methods will also have a huge impact on how quickly you learn Spanish. While there’s nothing wrong with learning in the classroom, it’s not the quickest way to learn.
The best way to learn Spanish is to fully immerse yourself in the language. This means surrounding yourself with native speakers and only speaking Spanish as much as possible. While this may seem impossible, there are immersion opportunities all around the world.
Guatemala, Spain, Colombia, Ecuador, and other Spanish-speaking countries all have Spanish-language schools geared toward English-speaking learners. These schools give you the opportunity to live with a host family while taking classes. This is one of the most efficient ways to learn the language, as it allows you to surround yourself with Spanish speakers 24/7.
However, we realize that traveling to another country to learn Spanish isn’t realistic for everyone. Luckily, there are tons of online and offline resources available for learning Spanish, many of which are free or low-cost. Here are some ways you can learn Spanish from the comfort of your home:
- Download an app
- Practice with a friend who’s a native speaker
- Watch tutorials on Youtube
- Read the newspaper or listen to the news in Spanish
- Watch Spanish television shows on Netflix
- Use Spanish subtitles for English-speaking shows
- Check out Spanish books from the library
You can also try this free online Spanish lesson if you’re interested in hiring a tutor.
- How Much Time You Dedicate to Learning
Of course, how much time you put into learning Spanish each week will affect how quickly you learn the language. However, while you should be consistent with your studying, you shouldn’t try to cram in as much information as possible. This will just cause you to forget everything in the long-term.
If you’re learning from home and you’re unable to immerse yourself in the language, set a goal for how many hours you want to study each week, and stick to it. Even if you can just dedicate 20 minutes per day to learning Spanish, you’ll improve your skills vastly over the course of the year.
- How Often You Practice Speaking
You can download all of the apps you want, make all of the flashcards you want, and listen to all of the podcasts you want, but if you don’t practice speaking Spanish, you’re not going to get very far with the language.
While speaking a new language for the first time can be intimidating, it’s the best way to learn it. Attempting to learn Spanish without ever speaking it is like attempting to become a racecar driver just by reading about racecars. Eventually, you just need to hit the ground running.
If you’re nervous about speaking Spanish to others, here are some things to keep in mind:
Accept That You Won’t Improve Unless You Just Do It
Reading Spanish won’t make you a better Spanish speaker. Listening to Spanish also won’t make you a better Spanish speaker. The only way to become a better Spanish speaker is to…Speak Spanish!
While studying and reading and listening can improve your knowledge of the language, if your goal is fluency, then you need to get out there and speak.
Be Prepared
If you’re nervous about speaking Spanish aloud for the first time, try memorizing some common scenarios. Think about things you do in your everyday life- ordering coffee, saying hello to friends, introducing yourself to a stranger, etc.
Then, learn the key Spanish phrases to say in these scenarios. While learning key phrases won’t make you fluent, it’ll help you get by, and it’ll help you get through those initial conversations with more confidence.
Accept That You’re Going to Make Mistakes…A Lot of Them
If you wait to speak Spanish unit your Spanish is perfect, you’re going to be waiting the rest of your life. Making mistakes is a part of learning a language. When you make a mistake, embrace it, learn from it, and move on.
Guess what? Most native speakers don’t care at all about your mistakes. They’re just happy you’re putting in the effort to learn their language. No one is going to be mad at you for making a mistake, so don’t let your fear of messing up hold you back.
However, when you do make a mistake, try to make note of it so you can improve for your next conversation!
Practice With Strangers
If you can, try to practice your Spanish with strangers. The great thing about practicing with a stranger is that you’ll never see them again, so you don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself!
Practice With Yourself
Don’t have any strangers you can practice your Spanish with? No worries- you can also practice with yourself. While having a conversation with yourself isn’t ideal, it’ll at least get you used to saying the words aloud.
This way, when you go into your first conversation with a native speaker, you’ll already have a bit of practice under your belt.
Are You Ready to Learn Spanish?
Now that we’ve answered the question, “How long does it take to learn Spanish?”, it’s time for you to get started. Remember, you’re not going to achieve fluency overnight, so take your time and enjoy the learning process!
And, be sure to check back in with our blog for more language learning tips.
