I am often asked, “how long does it take to learn Spanish?” I am afraid this is largely a million-dollar question and one for which there’s no generic answer.

Sadly there are simply far too many variables involved, in that so much depends on how much effort a student is prepared to put into learning the language, and also which method or program they will be using. Add to that the fact that while some students may opt to use the services of a private tutor, others will select a classroom environment instead. Actually, some students will rather opt for using one or other home study program which makes use of books, multimedia, software, and audio recordings. You also have to ask whether the individual will be learning the language in a land where it’s spoken as the local language, or whether they’ll be learning it in their home country. Similarly, the standard of a program or the experience of a teacher will also influence the outcome.

Since these variables will have such a direct effect on how long does it take to learn Spanish, it is just not possible to provide a simple response to this question. In fact, I have personally met students who after half a year, were able to communicate confidently in conversational Spanish, but I have also known individuals who have attempted to study the Spanish language for a period of years, frankly on an on and off basis, and yet after many years they can hardly get by.

Instead of attempt to offer a simple answer to this question, I would prefer to offer what I feel to be the fastest way of learning Spanish. The most important step of all, is for a student to take advantage of every available opportunity regarding interacting in the language they want to learn, irrespective of what language that might be.

While you definitely do get those who are firm believers in the lecture room approach, I feel it takes too long unless it is done with another technique. In my experience, a self study strategy of good quality is by far superior in that it allows a student to proceed at their own speed rather than being tied down to the average classroom pace. This is very true regarding scholars who are truly serious about learning Spanish.

In this case, I would suggest a person to select a credible program which includes a variety of audio lessons, multimedia lessons, and naturally, written Spanish. In addition, they should choose a program which allows for lessons to be downloaded onto a mobile device so that the student can listen on their iPod as an example. Remember, if you’re serious about learning a language, then you should aim for being able to not only speak it and write it, but also to read it and understand it. Unless a program covers all four of these areas, it must be avoided or at least, you may need some further material.

As you probably have already heard, Rocket Spanish is an intensely popular program, and not without reason. Considering that it addresses all 4 of the area’s mentioned, it has gained a reputation for providing students with a top foundation for basic Spanish which in turn will ensure that you are able to speak confidently in Spanish inside a comparatively short space of time. Likewise, Rosetta Stone is known to be just as good, in that it also addresses the four areas mentioned above. Furthermore, it is available in two versions so that people can select between the “Spain” version and the Latin American Spanish version. Judging from testimonials, it would appear that the Rosetta Stone program takes slightly longer to work through, which of course means it’ll take you a little longer before you develop conversational Spanish but in general, it ranks right up there with Rocket Spanish. Also, Rosetta Stone is quite a bit more expensive.

As you can see, there are too many variables involved for me or anyone else to be in a position to give a simple response with regards to “how long does it takes to learn Spanish. However, you have doubtless also gathered by this point that there are many things you can do in order to speed up the method. Actually, many scholars go as far as using both the programs discussed with each other to develop conversational talents as rapidly as possible. However, unless you are continuously exposed to the Spanish language, no program will be capable of making you one hundred percent smooth. On the other hand, providing you’re at an intermediate-to-advanced level, you could consider subscribing to Puerta del Sol Audio magazine which is a Spanish language abilities Magazine. Similarly, you’d be surprised at how much you can benefit from joining a Meetup group in your area that focuses on learning the Spanish language.