Spanish or Espanol ranks among fourth as the most widely spoken language in the world. According to Ethnologue.com, an authoritative website, some 512.99 million people around the world speak Spanish.
It is the official language of 20 countries. It is spoken in more than 50 countries, including the US, where it ranks as the second most widely used language.
Given these facts, it would be worthwhile to consider Spanish, if wish to know a foreign language for any reason.
There are several institutes across India that conduct Spanish courses. However, Espanol is a straightforward language to understand.
With some extra efforts and proper study material, you can start speaking Spanish at home too. Here I describe how to learn and speak Spanish fluently.
How To Learn Spanish Language Fast
1. Free Online Self-Study Courses
Here are two excellent online resources to learn Espanol language.
a) Duolingo
For every Indian that wants to learn to speak Spanish- or at least basic conversation in this beautiful language- I strongly recommend Duolingo.
You can learn Spanish online for free through this website. Duolingo also provides an app that can be downloaded on your smartphone to take Spanish language courses while you are outdoors or on the move.
As usual, the first step is creating a profile with Duolingo. This is a straightforward process. All you need to do is fill your age and some necessary details.
Alternatively, you can log in at Duolingo using a Facebook or Google account.
Once you log in, the website will ask whether you are a beginner or expert. Click on beginner. Now, you can access online lessons. There are four levels of lesson
- Casual: Five minutes per day.
- Regular: 10 minutes per day.
- Serious: 15 minutes per day.
- Insane: 20 minutes per day.
Choose the one that best suits your needs. You can access these lessons anytime during the day as well as through the Duolingo app.
Remember to keep headphones handy, since you will require them to hear how Spanish words are pronounced.
b) Babbel
Babbel offers very simple and easy Spanish learning online. You can also access Spanish lessons by downloading their mobile app on your smartphone.
To learn Espanol on Babbel, it is not necessary to sign-up or register. However, I recommend you sign-in using a Facebook or Google account.
Registering on Babbel gives you access to higher levels of the free Spanish language course. Without registration, you can access only the simple ones.
Babbel’s online tutorials are very easy. Babbel will display an English word such as ‘Hello’. Below, you will find two words in Spanish words.
You have to click on the right word in Spanish that means ‘Hello’. In case you click on the wrong matching word, Babbel will display the correct answer.
This beginner’s course for Spanish learning is very simple on Babbel. However, you will need an excellent memory since it is essential to remember these necessary words as you go along. This free online course gets tougher as you enter higher levels.
2. YouTube Courses
You can also learn to speak Spanish from various audio-visual courses available on YouTube. Opt for those created by native-Espanol speakers, especially Americans that are fluent in both English and Spanish.
The inherent advantage of learning Spanish with YouTube videos is correct pronunciation.
There are countless channels that teach Spanish on YouTube. However, I recommend Learn Spanish 24/7 with SpanishPod101 TV.
This YouTube channel has life lessons. For the Spanish language learning from this channel, go for videos made specifically for beginners. As you go along, you can watch live lessons conducted by experienced Espanol language teachers.
The first step is to subscribe for this YouTube channel. This feature enables you to get notifications whenever a new video or live course is on.
Further, you can search for countless videos on this channel that teach Espanol in the fun-to-learn and straightforward way.
3. Spanish Language Courses: Reputed Universities
If you wish to acquire expert level skills in the Spanish language, I suggest you attend courses conducted by reputed universities in India.
Most universities have Certificate in Spanish, Diploma in Spanish and Advanced Diploma in Spanish or similar courses.
Each course is has a one-year duration. This is the best way for learning the Espanol language since it involves classroom studies.
Further, all instructors are highly qualified and have expert level fluency in that language. Therefore, you also get opportunities to converse in Spanish with a trainer and your fellow students- which is vital to develop excellent vocabulary, reading, written and spoken skills.
Holding a certificate or diploma from these universities fetches your job as a translator. Alternatively, you can also open a small home business of providing translations. You are also certified to conduct classes in this foreign language.
Also Read: How to Improve Spoken English
4. Spanish Learning Books
Another good way for learning and speaking the Espanol language quickly is with language books. You can buy these easily at any good bookstore or online.
Nowadays, a lot of these Spanish learning books also come with CDs or DVDs. They complement lessons that feature in the books.
Hence, you are learning Spanish in two distinct ways: One by reading lessons and other by hearing the language and watching videos contained on the CD or DVD.
I would suggest you also buy an excellent English-Spanish dictionary for beginners to acquire knowledge about the language.
A visual dictionary is better since it will help you learn Spanish with pictures and graphics. Some dictionaries also come with free CD/ DVD of offer a free app for customers.
5. Watching Spanish Movies
This is something you would love. With the Espanol spoken in so many countries around the world, there is no shortage of movies in this language.
You can easily find them on YouTube or buy online. Most Spanish movies from Spain or countries in South America come with English subtitles. Hence, you know what is said, vocal tone and accent.
When buying online, makes sure they come with English subtitles. Spanish movies are incredibly impressive.
They help you learn of the culture of these countries as well as etiquette and customs. While teaching you Spanish, you also grasp how to form sentences and words.
These are best if you want to master conversational Spanish.
Other Ways to Learn Spanish Language
There are different ways for Spanish learning too.
- By using Google Translate and hearing to how Spanish sentences and words are spoken.
- Essential Spanish teaching guides that are available at very cheap rates at bookstores.
- Trying to converse with Spanish speaking people- if you can find any.
- Reading familiar quotes in Spanish and their English version.
- Using essential Spanish words while communicating with relatives. They may not understand the language immediately but over a few days, comprehend what you are saying.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, It is one of the simplest foreign languages to master, even if you are a residing in India where there are few native speakers of this language.
Learning Spanish opens vistas to get lucrative jobs as a translator or open business. Further, you can also get a great job in countries like the US where Spanish is widely spoken.
Once you assimilate Spanish, it is easy to understand two other languages- Portuguese and Italian. The vocabulary of these three languages is relatively similar.
Hence, learning Spanish paves the way to learning Italian and Portuguese too. There are several private coaching classes in India where you can learn Spanish.
I have no opinion about their standards or teaching methods. Hence, it is your discretion to join one.
