How to Learn Spanish: 10 Ways to Reach Your Goals Fast

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Do you want to learn Spanish but don’t know where to start? There are a lot of resources out there, and too many of them promise to magically teach you Spanish in a matter of hours, days, or weeks…but that’s just not possible. In fact, the majority of Spanish resources available will just waste your time.

To save you that time, I’ll show you the best strategies and tools to learn Spanish the right way. From old-school methods like Spanish textbooks to modern tools like AI and social media, you’ll find everything you need to master this beautiful language. And to help you even more, I cover the biggest mistakes to avoid while you learn.

The Natural Approach to Learning Spanish

Most people believe that the best way to learn a language is to drill grammar rules into your brain and memorize thousands of random vocabulary words. But that will drive anyone crazy! A much more effective way to learn Spanish is to follow the well-established Natural Approach style of learning.

The Natural Approach is based on learning a language the way a child normally would: through your surroundings. This means that instead of studying Spanish and focusing on every little mistake you make, you’ll concentrate on naturally acquiring Spanish through immersion.

There are 4 stages you’ll go through to learn Spanish with the Natural Approach:

• Preproduction: The preproduction stage is all about naturally absorbing the language. Even if you don’t fully understand complete phrases, you might be able to recognize basic vocabulary in conversations, movies, or TV shows.
• Early production: Once you’ve spent some time immersed in Spanish, you’ll be ready to start using a few words and phrases. At this stage, you’ll be able to greet people, introduce yourself, and ask common questions.
• Speech emergence: With time, you’ll notice that it’s easier for you to connect words and form longer sentences. Once you reach this level, you’ll be able to express yourself using basic phrases.
• Intermediate fluency: Through continuous exposure to the language, you’ll be able to develop the Spanish skills you need to understand and communicate at an intermediate level. However, you might need other resources to achieve complete fluency.

By working your way through these stages, you’ll develop advanced conversation skills and be able to speak Spanish fluently and naturally. And while it’s impossible to learn Spanish in a few weeks (like some language learning programs claim), you can learn it quicker than you think if you follow the tips below. All of them are based on the Natural Approach.

In fact, you may surprise yourself with how quickly you can learn Spanish! There are a lot of factors that can influence how long it takes to learn the language. Let’s take a look at some ways you can jumpstart your Spanish-learning experience.

1. Start Reading Immediately

Trying to read Spanish from the beginning might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! The first thing to remember is that the English language has borrowed many words from Spanish, so there’s a chance you’ll already be able to understand some words. 

You also don’t have to start with heavy texts or even newspapers. I actually started reading Spanish with children’s books. It might sound a little weird, but it can be a great way to start building your confidence in the language. 

The stories are easy to follow and the words they use are simple and easy to understand. If children’s books aren’t your thing, there are quite a few other types of books specifically for Spanish learners. These give you more guidance as you start learning the basics.

2. Listen to Music and Podcasts in Spanish

What better way to practice Spanish than to listen to the greatest Spanish music hits? There are millions of Spanish songs you can discover while you practice your new language skills. Listening to Spanish music can also help you pick up natural-sounding phrases, slang, and popular sayings. If your goal is to learn Spanish from different Spanish-speaking countries, this can be a great option for you. Native Spanish speakers will love that you know their favorite songs too!

There are also Spanish podcasts that can train your ear. With podcasts, you can listen on the go or while you’re doing something else. There are podcasts that can teach you more about the Spanish language, but you can also find ones that cover any topic you’re interested in! Some focus on culture, interviews with native speakers, travel, sports, comedy, and more. Some podcasts even have episodes that only last 10 minutes, so they can be a super convenient resource.

3. Watch Spanish Language Movies and TV

One of the reasons why many people start studying Spanish is to be able to watch their favorite Spanish movies and TV shows in their original language. There’s nothing better than being able to understand what your favorite characters are saying without depending on English subtitles. But watching Spanish movies or TV shows can also teach you a lot about how Spanish is spoken in real life. From different accents and Spanish dialects to more subtle grammar topics like the use of “vos,” “usted,” and “tú,” movies and TV are really powerful when it comes to increasing your fluency. To get you started, here’s a preview of Gabriel García Marquez’ Cien Años de Soledad on Netflix:

4. Use the Internet and Social Media to Your Advantage

Using social media platforms to learn Spanish might seem like a stretch, but it’s actually pretty simple. These days, many people have taken to the Internet to share their experiences with language learning. This has created a wide community of language learners worldwide, and this community lets you connect with native Spanish speakers to practice what you learned and share tips.

For example, YouTube has thousands of videos you can watch to practice listening and understanding Spanish. If you’re a big TikTok fan, you can browse for Spanish language creators and get useful tips on pronunciation, word use, and navigating different scenarios. Personally, I like browsing Instagram and Pinterest for infographics (that’s how I learned the difference between “ser” and “estar”). Overall, social media is the perfect place to connect with native speakers and other Spanish students, level up your pronunciation and vocabulary, and get quick tips.

5. Find a Top-Notch App or Course

Spanish learning apps and online courses are useful if you’re looking for some direction while you learn. The best Spanish apps teach you the most important grammar, the most frequently used vocabulary and phrases, and some even teach you about culture.

When it comes down to choosing the right Spanish course or app for you, you have to ask yourself: 

• What skills do I want to improve? 
• What dialect of Spanish am I interested in? 
• How much time do I have available? 

There are tons of Spanish apps and courses out there. Once you’ve thought about the questions above, check out the Siempre Spanish course risk-free to see if it’s a good fit for you.

6. Practice with ChatGPT or Other AI Programs

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the technological advances AI (artificial intelligence) has had recently. There seems to be an AI-powered app for everything these days: drawing, writing articles, choosing makeup, doing math – even learning languages! But can AI platforms like ChatGPT help you learn Spanish? 

Surprisingly, yes! All you need to do is ask it for help. In fact, a lot of popular language apps and language courses have already started using AI to make practicing Spanish easier. Some of these programs are so smart that you can practice having entire conversations with them. AI can even provide feedback on your writing skills too!

7. Learn the Most Important Grammar

Remember that the point of learning through a natural approach is not to drill grammar into your brain. You might be wondering, “Ok, then how do I learn the basics?” 

While you should learn through immersion as much as possible, sometimes it’s easier to understand difficult grammar points with some good old studying. 

To help you out, here are a few core areas of Spanish grammar you can start with:

-Verb Conjugations

A lot of people learning Spanish have a hard time with the verb conjugations and tenses. And that’s because there are a lot of them! They usually follow a pretty simple pattern though, so they aren’t too difficult. It just takes some time and patience to get the hang of them.

-Sentence Structure

The order of the words in Spanish is different from English sometimes. This can be a little confusing at first, but it gets easier over time. One of the best ways to learn sentence structure is to break down Spanish sentences. This helps you see where each word goes. 

When I was learning, I used colors to see where each word was supposed to go. That made it a lot easier to see the patterns. Here’s an example I created to show you what I mean:

Then, all you have to do is become familiar with the word order and start creating your own phrases. After some time, you’ll naturally become used to Spanish sentence structure and you won’t even have to think about it.

-Vocabulary

Another area learners struggle with is vocabulary. When you start learning Spanish, it always feels like you have to learn as many words and phrases as possible. Trying to memorize random words is overwhelming though, and it’s a waste of time if they’re words you won’t use. For example, what are the chances you’ll need to talk about politics if you’re only trying to book a hotel room in Colombia?

It makes a lot more sense to start by learning the most important words first. You can use flashcards, apps, watch YouTube videos, and even find children’s songs that will quickly teach you the vocabulary you need to start speaking Spanish. And don’t be afraid to ask, “¿Cómo se dice…en español?” (“How do you say…in Spanish?”)

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Use a Translator 

Some people think that using a translator like Google Translate is cheating, but it’s not. You shouldn’t rely on translators for full sentences, but they can come in handy if you need to look up a quick word or two. 

Technology is here to make our lives easier, so don’t feel bad if you need to pull up the translator tool on your phone to search for the meaning of a word! What’s important is that you’re able to fit that word into a sentence that is clear and understandable. Also, there’s a better chance that you’ll remember the words you look up if you use them immediately after.

9. Find a Language Exchange Partner

You can find hundreds of language learning communities online and look for a partner to practice texting in Spanish. Tandem and HelloTalk are both apps that help you find a language partner, and you can even look for someone who has the same interests as you. 

What’s great about this method is that they know you’re learning, so they’ll share tips and tricks to help improve your Spanish skills. It’s also a good option if you want to practice speaking because they won’t judge you. It’s an awesome way to build up your confidence and reduce how long it takes to learn Spanish! To see how long it will take you to learn Spanish, check out our fluency calculator below:

10. Sign Up for Lessons with a Spanish Tutor

Learning with a native Spanish tutor is really one of the most effective ways to learn the language. Not only do you immerse yourself in the language, but your tutor can explain things in a clear and easy-to-understand way. 

If you can’t find a Spanish tutor in your area, there are online platforms that can connect you with teachers at an affordable price. The most popular ones are italki and Preply. You can take as many lessons as you want or study the topics that interest you the most. Most Spanish tutors online have pretty flexible hours, so you can schedule your Spanish classes whenever you have free time.

Studying with a language tutor also helps you avoid a lot of common mistakes that Spanish learners make. If you’re studying alone, it’s even more important that you know about them!

Mistakes to Avoid When Learning Spanish

Now that you know how to learn Spanish, I think it’s important that you also know how not to learn it. Even if you’re using the best tools, they won’t help you if you develop these bad habits. So to make sure your path to fluency is as short as possible, make sure you avoid these traps!

Translating Everything Literally

A lot of popular phrases in Spanish make no sense when you translate them literally. For example, “Hablar sin pelos en la lengua” literally translates to “Speaking without hairs on your tongue.” This is one of the first phrases I learned and I had no idea what it meant…even after I looked at the English translation. It actually means “to speak with no filter,” and that’s why I couldn’t figure it out – It has nothing to do with its literal translation. 

So how can you figure out the meaning of these expressions during a conversation? The answer is simple: you need to learn phrases in context. Even if you’re somewhere where Spanish isn’t spoken, you can read, watch, or listen to authentic Spanish material to learn these phrases. This will help you sound more natural without having to memorize and translate everything in your head.

Falling Into the Trap of False Cognates

Spanish vocabulary can be easy to learn because a lot of words are similar to English. However, there are quite a few words that look similar to English but have a completely different meaning than their English equivalent. These are called false cognates (or “falsos amigos” in Spanish). For example, “actualmente” doesn’t mean “actually” (it means “currently”) and “embarazada” doesn’t mean“embarrassed” (it means “pregnant”)…even though they sound alike! Take a look at the table below to see some more examples of false cognates:

As you learn more Spanish, you can expect to run into quite a few “falsos amigos.” However, if you follow the Natural Approach and learn the language through immersion, you’ll be able to spot false cognates. All you have to do is pay attention to how they’re used in conversations or texts. Their context will show you their actual meaning!

Not Using Articles or Pronouns Correctly

The Spanish language has more pronouns (like “I” and “you”) and articles (“the” and “that”) than English. They can be hard to memorize and confusing to tell apart. You may be confused when you learn that inanimate objects can be feminine or masculine in Spanish (how can you tell?!), but this isn’t nearly as complicated as it sounds. There are a few helpful tricks that can help you crack down the mystery of the gender of objects. If you don’t use articles and pronouns correctly, others won’t be able to understand what you’re talking about.

Not Practicing Pronunciation

Learning the correct pronunciation is a vital step when you’re studying Spanish. Have you ever found that it’s easier to remember words after you’ve used them a couple of times in conversations? That’s because speaking helps you build muscle memory of each word.

Spanish and English have a few different sounds. But guess what? Spanish is easy to pronounce because the letters always have the same sounds (unlike English). Memorizing the sounds of the Spanish alphabet will help you correctly pronounce any word, no matter what letter combination you encounter. After some practicing, you’ll have no problems saying words like “muerciélago,” “buñuelo,” and “vergüenza.” Keep in mind that there are different accents, so make sure to practice the pronunciation for the Spanish dialect you’re studying:

Being a Perfectionist

Being a perfectionist is the worst thing you can be when you’re learning Spanish. I get it, no one wants to sound silly or unintelligent when speaking. But making mistakes is a natural part of learning a language. What matters is that you practice speaking and take note of your errors so you can make changes in the future. You’ll achieve your goals much quicker if you frequently practice your Spanish skills.

The Best Way to Learn Spanish is to Start Today!

Now that you know how to learn Spanish with the Natural Approach and what mistakes you should avoid, you’re ready to begin! Immersing yourself in Spanish is the fastest route to fluency. Following the tips in this guide can help you find the best resources for you, overcome your fears, and feel more confident when speaking Spanish. All you have to do is have no fear and be consistent with your studies and you’ll reach fluency before you know it! For more information, check out Langoly’s Spanish Hub to help you learn everything you need to know!

How to Learn Spanish FAQ