5 Reasons Spanish is Easy to Learn (And 10 Obstacles to Becoming Fluent)
If you’re wondering how hard it is to learn Spanish, there are different factors you need to consider. In this guide, I’ll tell you 10 reasons why Spanish is hard to learn and 5 reasons why learning Spanish is easy. You’ll also see some super helpful tips to make studying Spanish much easier. After reading this article, you’ll know everything you need to start your Spanish studies!
Table of Contents
How Hard is It to Learn Spanish? 5 Reasons Why Learning Spanish is Easy- 1. English and Spanish Both Use the Same Alphabet
- 2. Spanish Pronunciation is Logical
- 3. Shared Vocabulary
- 4. Similar Sentence Structure
- 5. It’s Easy to Find Resources to Learn Spanish
- 1. Verb Conjugations
- 2. Gendered Nouns
- 3. Accent Marks
- 4. Ser and Estar
- 5. Subjunctive Tense
- 6. Different Varieties and Dialects
- 7. Different Pronunciation from English
- 8. False Friends
- 9. Prepositions
- 10. Idiomatic Expressions
- 1. Create a Study Routine
- 2. Immerse Yourself in the Language
- 3. Start Speaking As Soon As Possible
- 4. Try Non-Traditional Study Methods
- 5. Use Social Media
- How Hard is Spanish for French Speakers?
- How Hard is Spanish for Arabic Speakers?
- How Hard is Spanish for Filipino Speakers?
- How Hard is Spanish for Portuguese Speakers?
How Hard is It to Learn Spanish?
It might come as a surprise, but Spanish is actually one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. Some people think that because Spanish is a Romance language and English isn’t, Spanish is completely different from English. But this isn’t true! Both languages have a lot in common. Some words are the same, and the grammar is even similar to a certain extent.
According to the Foreign Service Institute, it takes around 600 – 750 class hours for English speakers to become fluent in Spanish. This is a lot less than other languages, like German (900 hours), Vietnamese (1,100 hours), and Arabic (2,220 hours). While there are some difficult aspects of Spanish (like the subjunctive verb tense), it’s not really a difficult language to learn overall.
Let’s take a look at why it’s actually easy to learn Spanish.
5 Reasons Why Learning Spanish is Easy
Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers for several reasons. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to pick up the language! Here’s why:
1. English and Spanish Both Use the Same Alphabet
One of the most intimidating parts of learning a new language is dealing with a different alphabet. If you’ve ever tried your hand at Hebrew or Thai, for example, you know what I’m talking about. Memorizing a new alphabet can be hard, frustrating, and time-consuming.
With Spanish, you don’t have to worry about this. Just like English, Spanish uses the Latin alphabet and only has one additional letter. The only letter in the Spanish alphabet that you’ll need to learn is “ñ”!
2. Spanish Pronunciation is Logical
What’s cool about Spanish pronunciation is that you don’t have to constantly guess if you’re saying words right or wrong. In English, certain letter combinations can change the sounds of certain vowels. A classic example is “pony” and “bologna” (why do they rhyme!?).
In Spanish, the letters always make the same sounds no matter what crazy combinations you create. This makes the process of learning Spanish pronunciation much easier and you won’t have to second-guess yourself every time you want to talk with a native speaker.
3. Shared Vocabulary
Believe it or not, Spanish and English share a lot of their vocabulary. Both languages belong to the family of Indo-European languages and share a lot of history. For example,