5 Tips To Learn Spanish Fast
5 Tips To Learn Spanish Fast
Learning Spanish can only be beneficial for you. It's the native language of more than 405 million people in 30 countries. It is even more common as a second or third foreign language, which means you'll never be without a conversation partner.
As a bonus, Spanish is a Romance language and thus relatively familiar to learners of other Romance languages - especially those with French, Italian or Portuguese backgrounds.
But how can you get started with your new life as a Spanish speaker?
In this short article, I will share with you 5 best ways to learn Spanish quickly.
Learn Spanish fast Tip 1: Travel to Spain (or another Spanish-speaking Country)
This is our first and our best tip to learn Spanish fast. The more time you spend in the country where your target language is spoken, the faster you will improve your fluency.
Why? Because living/studying/working abroad immerses you in the learning environment, much like a toddler learning their native language.
Taking a Spanish language course is also a terrific way to realize even faster progress and meet people with similar interests.
Another option is to work in a Spanish-speaking country. After only a short time, your vocabulary list will be as rich as your social life - and both will significantly improve your language level.
Since Spanish is spoken in Spain, Latin - and South America, there is (truly) no shortage of places to call your casa.
Turn your attention to lively Barcelona, cosmopolitan Madrid, balmy Malaga, beautiful Playa Tamarindo, fun-loving Santiago de Chile or stylish Buenos Aires.
Learn Spanish fast Tip 2: Telenovelas
Grab a bowl of popcorn and a notebook to quickly capture those awesome new words. Watching foreign movies and series is another proven and fantastic way to learn Spanish quickly.
The Spanish language film and television industry is booming, with Spain, Argentina, Mexico and Chile leading the way.
Movies you should have on your radar include the work of top directors
- Pedro Almodóvar,
- Alejandro Iñárritu,
- Alejandro Amenábar
- Pablo Larraín.
If feature films aren't your thing, you needn't worry. There's a huge supply of television series and soap operas (called telenovelas) which will delight your Spanish-loving heart.
Mexico is a well-known producer of telenovelas, and the constantly exaggerated and convoluted stories offer hours of entertaining television.
An additional piece of advice: turn on the Spanish subtitles (not those of your native language) so that you can better understand missed dialogues.
If you watch online or the DVD doesn't have subtitles, watch it again a few days later. By watching the same scenes and stories over and over again, you will soon just "get it".
Learn Spanish fast Tip 3: Spanish music
Just like watching movies and series, listening to music is a relaxing way to learn Spanish quickly. Spanish sounds will become routine in your brain.
Since there are so many native Spanish speakers, the range of available music is enormous. Discover artists on Spotify or via YouTube, and listen to them while doing chores, driving, at the gym or commuting.
To speed up your learning process, download the lyrics. Read them while listening to the music, and mark the new words as well as expressions as you go.
Look up the vocabulary online afterwards and listen to the song again. You'll be amazed at how much more you understand.
Learn Spanish Fast Tip 4: Spanish Community
While you can learn a lot of Spanish on your own, at a certain point it's more effective to get out and meet people. People have been moving out to other countries since before history was written, so diverse communities of immigrants and exchange students can be found in almost every major city in the world. That likely includes the city where you live.
You can find communities by searching online for cultural, cooking, or film events. You can also turn to your city's online emigrant community or its forums, for example, to find the postings of those searching for an English-Spanish language partner.
If nothing comes up, ask your contacts in the social networks. You never know beforehand who has a Spanish-speaking friend they can introduce you to!
Learn Spanish fast Tip 5: Spanish speaking friends
Speaking of Spanish-speaking immigrants and exchange students - you're in a unique position to help them and yourself.
How?
Think about it: When these expatriates arrive in your home country, they feel just as new and confused as you would feel. By using your time to show a newcomer around, or by listing your home as a homestay with the local university or language school, you'll help newcomers get oriented, show them around the city, and get some Spanish practice in the process.
Extra tip to learn Spanish fast: Read!
Once you've started building your Spanish skills, you should expand them by reading Spanish books. Always have a dictionary or app at your side and mark new and unknown words. If you don't know which Spanish books are good, we offer a selection of Spanish bilingual books and Spanish Frequency dictionaries.
We hope you enjoy our tips and that they will help you learn Spanish quickly!