When it comes to learning a language, the odds are that most people try to avoid it. But that’s not the case with Spanish.
Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and is a member of the Indo-European language family. Over 500 million native speakers speak it in countries including Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. If you are considering learning Spanish, here’s some advice!
Is Spanish Hard To Learn?
Spanish is fun and easy to learn as it’s similar to English. It can help you open yourself to new cultures, opportunities, and ideas. Furthermore, it has been classified as a category one language and the simplest among all languages! Lastly, it’s also simple in terms of pronunciation and spelling.
If you are interested in knowing more about the difficulty in learning Spanish and what you can expect, here are 11 things we have for you!
1. Official Language of Spain
Spanish, also called Castilian, is the mother tongue of almost 72% of Spain’s population.
Even though the Spanish Constitution names Spanish as the country’s official language, there are some areas where other dialects are official.
Respectively, these are Galician, Basque, Catalan, and Aranese.
Spanish is the second most widely spoken native tongue on the planet, and people use it to communicate everywhere!
2. Spanish is Among the Simplest Languages
You should achieve conversational fluency in Spanish within 8 to 12 months as a new learner and dedicate an average of 1 hour per day to improving your Spanish.
Spanish, which has more than 500 million native speakers worldwide, is one of the simplest languages for native English speakers to learn.
As you can see, many words, including adoptar (to adopt) and participar, have similar meanings in English and Spanish (to participate).
Spanish and English also share the Subject, Verb, and Object sentence structure, which makes understanding sentence terminology easy!
3. Descendant of Latin
Along with Sardinian and Italian, Spanish is a Romance language that descends from Latin and differs from it by about 20%.
As well as that, Spanish is the official language of 18 countries, including Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
Spanish is frequently referred to in Latin America as Castilian, after the language from which modern standard Spanish descended.
Currently, Central and South America, the Canary Islands, some parts of Morocco, and the Philippines also speak Spanish!
4. Spanish is a Category I Language
Western European languages, including Spanish, fall under Category I language.
There are six levels in learning this dialect, with A1 being a complete beginner and C2 a proficient speaker who can convey the language virtually at a native level.
Most people frequently consider B2 to be the entry-level level of fluency. Your working vocabulary will consist of roughly 4000 words.
Above all, having completed several exercises and classes to achieve fluency in the language, one can say they have reached the C1 level in Spanish!
5. Spanish Grammar Rules, Speech, Interjections
When learning Spanish, remember that there are various ways to convey “you” (second person) and that not all Spanish idioms can be translated into English.
Additionally, infinitive forms of verbs are rarely used in sentences. Instead, verbs are usually conjugated using the present, past, future, or other tenses.
Meanwhile, interjections are a valuable part of Spanish grammar for learners. They are short words or sentences, making them easy to remember.
Finally, never underestimate the value of a decent dictionary. You should get your English-Spanish dictionary from a free download like Cambridge Dictionary, Lexico, or Reverso!
6. Focus on Common Use Cases
When learning Spanish for the first time, it’s best to concentrate on the most frequent use cases.
An excellent place to start is a list of the top Spanish expressions, such as hola, adios, por favor, gracias, and salud.
Over a week or two, you should create a regular schedule for Spanish study that lasts 30 minutes or even an hour!
7. Learn Spanish For Travel
Some students claim that learning Spanish will make traveling much more manageable.
If you’re visiting a country or areas of a country that speak Spanish, learning and speaking the language can make your travels easier.
Additionally, as Spanish is an official language in some of the most beautiful countries on earth, you’ll be able to easily interact with the locals there.
When you travel, your language skills can help you move around new places, adapt to different cultural norms more efficiently, and build business partnerships!
Lastly, you can also improve your Spanish skills on your global journey.
8. Knowing Spanish Makes You More Employable
Great minds say it’s all about who you know and the value of your network! You may meet new individuals as you learn Spanish and go about your everyday activities, travels, or employment.
Additionally, numerous countries in Latin America are seeing economic growth, and your skills in Spanish can vastly improve your professional opportunities.
Moreover, Spanish-speaking expatriates are migrating to the United States, increasing the pool of local Spanish speakers.
As a result, there are incredible possibilities for career advancement!
9. Spanish Learning Resources – Textbooks, Websites, Apps
Among the book recommendations for Spanish learners that offer free ebooks are Maguaré, Read Conmigo, Fables in Spanish, and The Spanish Experiment.
In addition, reading news stories is also a great idea. You may stream Hola Qué Pasa (free) and News in Slow Spanish ($22.90) to familiarize basic level with more nuanced literature.
Applications with automatic and human translation, such as Toucan (free), Lyrics Training App ($29.99), and Conjugato (free), can also help you learn more effectively.
Lastly, you can also watch Spanish Academy TV, Easy Spanish, and SpanishPod101 for free on streaming sites!
To learn more, you can also see our posts on Czech, Russian, Tagalog, and Dutch.
Conclusion
Spanish is easy to learn. It has a logical structure, has one of the richest vocabularies, and uses grammar that makes sense. Spanish can come in handy with your travels and is worth pursuing. You don’t have to visit Spain or South America to use it. There are plenty of Spanish speakers worldwide.
Ultimately, it’s a language that can open doors for you regarding career and business opportunities. But, most of all, it can be a handy addition to your skill set. So, it’s never too late to start learning!