INTRODUCTION
We all know that it is so much fun and easier to connect with people when we have access to their language. Having a basic knowledge of a language is a window into a people’s culture and helps bridge the gap that separates us.
Spanish is the third most used language on the internet, and it is one of the easiest languages to learn. Generally, it shouldn’t take up to 9 months for anyone to learn to read and speak Spanish at an advanced level.
No doubt there are a variety of tools available to teach you Spanish; physical classes, virtual classes, online software, podcasts, phone apps, textbooks, and the excellent immersion experiences where you go and live in a beautiful Latin American country for a few months! (Talk about an adventurous gap year experience!)
However, knowing what works best for you can help you develop at a faster pace. I also believe that learning the language and having that cultural immersion broadens your horizon, giving you a new way of seeing the world. So what are the best ways to learn Spanish? To start making quick and smooth progress in your journey to ‘Spanishdom,’ here are some of the best ways to learn Spanish.
BEST WAYS TO LEARN SPANISH REDDIT!!!
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Audio courses:
When getting started, you need content that will fill your curiosity and fuel your excitement, so I recommend that you go for audio courses. One such is Michel Thomas Spanish, an audio course available either as a boxed set of CDs, as an app for IOS/Android, or as an audiobook through Audible. With this app, you get to have audio lessons with famous polyglot Michael Thomas, and what I love about this audio course is how quickly it gets you feeling like learning Spanish is something you can do. The lessons start with a few simple sentences, and these get built on until you’re able to say some quite complex sentences.
One of the philosophies of the Michael Thomas Method is that it should be stress-free for the student. You’re encouraged not to write anything down and not even to try to memorize anything. By the end of the course, you won’t be completely fluent. But you will be able to say and understand a few things in Spanish, and even better than that – you feel like learning Spanish isn’t an unconquerable mountain. You can do it. You will have the confidence and curiosity to keep going.
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Apps
These will help you to learn Spanish fast and for free. Here are some incredible apps that could aid you on your journey to learn how to speak Spanish:
- Spanishdict: This is a fantastic app that is easily accessible with or without internet access, and all you have to do is to type an English or Spanish word, and it will give you its translation, The most remarkable features about this app are that it not only gives you the translation of the word but also an audio button to teach you how to pronounce it. It equally gives multiple definitions and examples of common expressions and sentences, making learning so much easier! A conjugation table comes with this app to help you with those tenses; trust me, Spanishdict is your number one companion (especially if you decide to go on a road trip to Mexico!).
- Youtube: This red app can be your best aid with great access to hundreds of channels and teachers who do free Spanish lessons on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and more. Unique content to improve your Spanish from beginner level to at least intermediate proficiency.
- Duolingo: This excellent app helps you learn lessons competitively with a game format; you have to set yourself learning goals about the amount of time you wish to study, and if you fail at those goals, there are consequences. This keeps you motivated and determined to move on each level, thereby improving your Spanish-speaking skills. Another great thing about this app is that the lessons are concise, sometimes five minutes, which is perfect for one with a busy schedule.
- Mondly: This language app offers free daily lessons using rapid language learning techniques. It is very easy and fun to use. Mondly’s fun and innovative Spanish lessons will improve your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation fast. This is made possible because Mondly works with native speakers to record crystal clear voices so that you can enjoy flawless pronunciations and accents (exciting, isn’t it?). This fantastic app also helps you get started with an introductory conversation between two people in Spanish. Your first lessons commence with learning to match images with words for easy memorization and using words to create sentences. At the end of the 45-minute lesson, you can reconstruct that conversation with your voice. Its features also include a Spanish dictionary, a verb conjugator, and speech recognition technology, almost like having your Spanish instructor in your hands. The app breaks the learning process down into short lessons and organizes them into extremely relevant themes, making it possible for you to select your topic of interest and learn new words and expressions related to that topic until you have mastered it.
Voila! Those are some of the best apps that can help you get started on a good note in this lingual journey. The purpose of these is to help build your confidence and maintain your enthusiasm for the language because the very first challenge you’ll encounter in learning any language is staying motivated. I can confidently say these apps propelled me to seek out more ways of learning Spanish fast.
Please use the links below for more information on how to be an incredible Spanish speaker in a short time!
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One-on-one lessons with a tutor
Having gained confidence and fueled your enthusiasm through these apps, the next best thing is to get a tutor, and technology has made it a lot easier to connect to people who are willing to help you through this journey…Yes, the price is a little bit on the high side in comparison to a software subscription or a textbook, but there are some huge benefits to learning with a good tutor.
Firstly, the method forces you to speak out loud and gives you instant feedback on your pronunciation and overall progress, which you may not always get when learning on your own.
Secondly, a tutor stops you from giving up along the way, keeps you accountable for your work/effort, and helps you get past any difficulties you encounter while learning.
You can also get customized lessons, perfect to fit your schedule, and work on things you truly want to work on. That is to say; the entire session is focused entirely on you. Huge advantage!
There are tons of tutor services popping up all the time. Some of the screen and select tutors for their platform, and you can be certain you’ll get a good experience regardless of who you choose; just find a tutor with the skills you need.
Some Spanish tutoring apps include:
- Spanish55: When picking a Spanish tutor, there are a few things you should look for in terms of conciseness and qualifications. If you are eager to get started and don’t want to go through the process of interviewing multiple tutors, we recommend you check out Spanish55. They’ve carefully selected a team of language tutors qualified to take you step-by-step in your journey towards fluency.
Their onboarding process starts with a 55-minute consultation over Skype, where they will learn about you and your goals in the Spanish language. They will then assign a tutor that is right for you, depending on your needs and goals. This initial stage is free. Spanish55.com caters to adults who want a structured learning approach, flexible schedules, and commitment. From what I’ve seen, their customer service is attentive, and students rate them highly.
- Lingoda: This app is great because it offers comprehensive online Spanish classes that focus beyond grammar and vocabulary. The courses cover useful, realistic topics like ‘Life abroad,’ which will be helpful in daily conversations, enabling you to seek more confidently. You get to learn from native-speaking teachers in a virtual interactive class of 3 to 5 students. This app is designed to cater to the needs of learners of all levels, from beginner to advanced, and you can learn at any time, 24/7.
- Italki.com: One of the best Spanish tutoring apps that I would personally recommend is iTalki. They have tutors of varying skill levels for over one hundred languages. Lingo also has excellent reviews- with a variety of tutors who match your different interests and goals.
Amazingly, you can find an excellent teacher for $10 or less per hour. Through the power of the internet, you can speak with someone thousands and thousands of miles away and get excellently targeted tutoring focused on you! You can also live the experience in a Latin American country by having a language immersion. It is a truly unique experience. In countries like Guatemala, you can do a homestay experience and have private classes for a fairly cheap price.
Please use the links below for more information on how to be an incredible Spanish speaker in a short time!
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Use of Grammar books
The next tool to improve your Spanish is to employ the use of grammar textbooks. A good grammar textbook will come in handy at this stage because you have already gotten acquainted with the language, and you can probably have simple conversations. You already see results, and it is time to start fine-tuning your skills with some grammar study. This requires memorization and repetition – committing a whole bunch of patterns to memory and testing yourself till it sticks. You could grab pretty much any Spanish grammar book and run through some verbs or other topics for at least ten to twenty minutes a day, and you’ll see significant progress.
You should also try to focus on common phrases, not individual words because phrases are easier to remember – they carry meaning and tell a story, painting a picture in your mind. Focusing on common phrases will help you in forming sentences and will further improve your vocabulary and pronunciations.
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Reading and listening to Spanish
This is one of the best ways to improve your fluency in the language, and here is where things get exciting. At this point, what you are recommended to do is to expose yourself to new vocabulary through texts (novels, newspapers, etc.), television, and radio (programs, jingles, music, news, etc.). This is a much more natural way of learning grammar, patterns, and conventions, and it is easier than reading a grammar textbook. It is much more likely to stick to memory.
You could begin with children’s stories, shows, etc. because they are much easier to understand. Listen to slow audio, and even if you do not understand, you look it up to find its meaning. You can also strengthen your recollection skills by using flashcards. Train your brain and have a little fun while at it! You can change the language settings of your devices to Spanish.
The necessity of interacting with a program, or better yet, a video game in Spanish, will give you a sense of what it is like to live in a Spanish-speaking country. Newspapers and news websites are also great places to start reading Spanish because they tend to use simple language and fairly restricted vocabulary. You can choose to start your day with a Spanish newspaper to stimulate your brain. This helps you learn actively rather than just passively absorbing information. Some Spanish news websites include the popular Spanish daily, El Paris, CNN’s Spanish Service, and Madrid’s ABC newspaper.
What is the best way to learn how to speak Spanish fast?
Listening to Spanish audio and watching movies. It gets you acquainted with the sounds and rhythms of the language. Who doesn’t love those telenovelas? Watching Spanish films is another effective method to improve your knowledge of regional accents while sampling different Spanish-speaking cultures—one of the best ways to learn Spanish fast. Watching Spanish shows with subtitles is an effective way to get more acquainted with the language. Spanish music is enormously diverse, including salsa, tango, reggaeton, and banda, as well as variations on common western styles like rock, pop, rap, etc. Once you’ve found your favorite genre, tune in and start grooving to the rhythm while learning new expressions! A Spanish rap playlist might just be the thing to keep you motivated while lifting weights.
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Listening to Spanish Podcasts Regularly
Podcasts are also one of the best ways to learn Spanish fluently. They are usually targeted at Spanish language learners, meaning they contain simple vocabulary, spoken slowly and clearly. This is a great way to enhance your listening and comprehension skills. Some of my favorites include Espanolistos and Coffee Break in Spanish. With these podcasts, you can listen and follow along with transcripts. Perfect for learning during your commute.
You should remember that it takes a long time to become “perfect” at speaking another language, so it is essential to focus on strategies that keep you motivated and enthusiastic, especially when you’re just getting started. Also, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself if you’re not perfect at it so that it doesn’t affect your confidence to practice. Go out there and start using your new language. Focus on just expressing yourself; perfection can come later.
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Begin writing in Spanish
- Another way to improve your Spanish skills is to take on the habit of writing in Spanish. Whether you enjoy writing poetry, songs, stories, etc., as a hobby or own a journal, writing in Spanish will make your experience even more enjoyable. This is a great way to stretch your mind and think up new words, which means more vocabulary.P.S.; Consistency! Consistency!! Consistency!!! : Above all else, do not forget that consistency is key to making and maintaining sustainable progress. The best way to learn Spanish fast is by forming the habit of learning every day. It has to be part of your daily routine because your speed depends largely on how committed you are to improving every day. This step is more of a bonus point, but it is equally as important as the others mentioned above.
8. Making use of language exchanges to speak to native speakers
Using language exchanges to talk to native speakers is another excellent and free way to learn Spanish fluently. Technology has made the world a global village where you can easily connect with people from different parts of the world, as long you have an internet connection. All you need to do is to find a native speaker of Spanish and begin interaction. The whole aim of this is for you to practice what you’ve learned by having real conversations.
HelloTalk is an excellent app that provides this service, and it is super easy to use. Once you find a Spanish speaker who is interested in learning your language, you connect and begin the language exchange. The app encourages you to help one another by correcting each other’s mistakes, plus it’s always good to make friends everywhere around. Your language exchange partners or friends will also teach you certain expressions you do not find in grammar books like slang and idioms, extending your speaking abilities and improving your comprehension.
Most Latin friends are simply content with just speaking Spanish the whole time and making conversation with you in their native tongue. So basically, I had an informal Spanish lesson with a native speaker without spending a dime. Exciting, isn’t it?
Where can my Spanish language partners be found? Look no further than Italki.com. Italki allows you to search for a plethora of native Spanish speakers eager to strike up a conversation. You can quickly exchange Skype information and then schedule a language exchange.
However, the fastest way is to have a language experience in a Spanish-speaking country. If you study in a Spanish-speaking country you will be immersed in the culture and speak Spanish in no time. Most language schools organise weekly language exchanges and you will be surprised how fast your Spanish will improve. Contact us for more information and start your language adventure today.
CONCLUSION
So are you ready to get ready and learn Spanish after acquiring the best ways to learn to speak Spanish fluently? Then be sure to check out these language programs in Latin America or visit some of the bonus links below to get yourself started. Let us get you started on this exciting journey!
As you will notice, most of the methods mentioned above can be done from the comfort of your home. I’d like to add that knowing what works best for you and sticking to it can help you develop faster. I also believe that learning the language and having that cultural immersion makes a very unique experience. Immersing yourself entirely in the language will make you start thinking and acting like a native, and it gives a more natural flow to your linguistic journey, giving you an edge.
BONUS LINKS
What is the best way to learn Spanish fluently?
Ans.: Please use the links below for more information on how to be an incredible Spanish speaker in a short time!