How long does it take to learn Spanish? (It’s faster than you think)
Why? Why Spanish and why now? I don’t agree that you need to have an urgent motivation to learn Spanish to be responsible, like moving to a Spanish-speaking country, having Spanish-speaking family members, or wanting to get a new job. Of course, these are all fantastic reasons to learn Spanish, don’t get me wrong! But I think that curiosity, interest, love for the language and the sheer pleasure of learning it can be enough. According to FSI (The US Foreign Service Institute), if you spend 3 hours per day learning Spanish, you’ll achieve fluency in around six months. Reduce your Spanish time to one hour a day and, according to FSI, it will take about 1.5 years to learn. You can do this by joining language exchange groups (online or in person), signing up for Spanish lessons (but make sure you get plenty of practice rather than just one hour per week!) Or making sure you spend quality time with Spanish speakers on a regular basis. You’d be surprised at how helpful native speakers can be online if you tell them you want to practice your Spanish! What’s going to truly make a difference on how long it takes you to speak Spanish is the amount of time you dedicate to usage, not just exposure. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of language learning. We constantly feel we lack the time. Yes, sometimes family life, work, studies or even a cold can temporarily cause you to take a break, and that’s okay! It’s all about taking a look at your schedule, tracking each activity and realizing what could be done a little more efficiently.