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How to Learn Spanish Fast: A Positive Approach to Mastering the Language

Writer's picture: Languages on a PlateLanguages on a Plate

Updated: Oct 30, 2024


Many people set out to learn Spanish with the hope of becoming fluent fast, picturing themselves chatting away in no time. While it’s true that Spanish can be picked up faster than many other languages, the reality is that fluency takes a bit more strategy and structure. But here’s the good news: you absolutely can learn Spanish quickly if you approach it the right way, focusing on what really matters from day one.


The key to rapid progress in Spanish, despite what lots of sales pitches say, isn’t about memorising lists of vocabulary or endlessly grinding through grammar drills (although vocabulary and grammar knowledge is important to jump you up levels). It’s about building a strong foundation, practising regularly, and using high-quality resources to guide you.


In this blog, I’ll share some of the most common pitfalls that learners face and offer practical solutions to overcome them. And, naturally, I’ll show you how my course is designed to tackle these challenges so you can learn Spanish effectively and have a whole lot of fun on the way.


1. Celebrate What You Know, Don’t Stress About What You Don’t


One of the biggest mistakes learners make is focusing too much on what they haven’t mastered yet. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the unknown words, complex verb conjugations, and unfamiliar sentence structures. But this mindset can hold you back.

Instead, focus on what you already know and use it to build confidence. Spanish shares many easy cognates with English (words that are similar in both languages). For example, think of importante (important), famoso (famous), and adversario (rival, or adversary). These are high-frequency words that will instantly boost your comprehension and give you confidence in understanding spoken and written Spanish.


Interestingly, many higher-level English words also have close ties to Spanish because English’s more formal vocabulary comes from French (due to the Norman Conquest and the Normans being the ruling class - more one this in the future). And French, like Spanish, is Latin-based. Higher-register words such as evidente (evident), resistente (resistant), and observación (observation) share similar roots and can help you build your advanced vocabulary quickly.


In addition to the examples above, there are a few simple patterns that will open up thousands of cognates between English and Spanish:


  • Words ending in -ción in Spanish typically translate to -tion in English. For example, información (information), corrupción (corruption) and opción (option).

  • Words ending in -dad often translate to -ity in English. For instance, realidad (reality), actividad (activity) and libertad (liberty/freedom)

  • Words ending in -mente in Spanish usually correspond to -ly adverbs in English. For example, especialmente (especially), perfectamente (perfectly) and claramente (clearly).


By using these patterns, you can unlock thousands of new words without memorising long vocabulary lists. These rules make it much easier to rapidly expand your vocabulary with minimal effort, allowing you to understand Spanish more intuitively.


Rather than feeling bogged down by the things you don’t know, start piecing together meanings from the language you already recognise. When you embrace what you know, you’ll be able to move forward faster, learning more as you go without feeling like you’re constantly struggling.


2. Prioritise Listening Skills from the Start


Listening comprehension is often an underdeveloped skill for language learners, especially if your only experience of learning a language is from school. Many learners overlook listening because it can be hard to understand native speakers, particularly when they talk quickly or use regional accents.


But the truth is, listening is key to learning Spanish quickly. The sooner you develop your listening skills, the faster you’ll get comfortable with the rhythm and flow of the language. By focusing on listening early, you’ll tune your ear to the sounds of Spanish and start recognising familiar words and phrases in everyday conversation.


In my course, I’ve placed a somewhat significant emphasis on listening practice from the beginning. We use a variety of listening activities designed to help you train your ear for phonics, and improve your understanding of spoken Spanish. Listening is something many learners neglect, but once you start prioritising it, your overall comprehension will skyrocket.



3. Use Set Phrases as Building Blocks to Grow Your Language


At the start of your language journey, learning set phrases and collocations is essential for building confidence. But many learners fall into the trap of using these phrases rigidly, without expanding on them to develop their speaking skills. While phrases like cuando sea mayor (when I'm older) are useful (in fact really useful), they should be seen as launchpads for more creative language use.


For instance, once you’ve mastered cuando sea mayor, you can build on that by talking about other people: cuando seas mayor (when you're older). Or, by learning the grammar behind these structures in order to manipulate the language more. By using these set phrases as a launchpad, you’re effectively learning the grammar in action without getting bogged down in technical details. Set phrases are the perfect way to start because they’re already widely used and understood by native speakers, but they also open the door to greater flexibility.


In my course, we take these common phrases and show you how to adapt and manipulate them for different contexts. This means that instead of just reciting lines, you’ll be able to speak more naturally and use the language creatively.


4. The Goldilocks Approach to Grammar: Not Too Much, Not Too Little


When it comes to grammar, learners often fall into two camps: too little or too much. Some people skip over grammar entirely, focusing instead on learning vocabulary and hoping everything will somehow fall into place. Others swing too far the other way, diving deep into every grammatical rule they can find and ending up overwhelmed with information they don’t know how to apply.


The secret to fast progress is the Goldilocks approach to grammar: not too much and not too little. You need enough grammar to understand how the language works, but not so much that it becomes a barrier to using it. Many learners, especially those who get past the beginner stage, tend to over-compensate and drown themselves in rules, charts, and exceptions. While that’s important in the long term, it’s not always helpful in the early stages.


In my course, we break down the essentials of Spanish grammar into manageable chunks and provide you with immediate practice so that you can apply what you’ve learned straight away. This balance helps you understand the structure of the language without feeling overloaded, and you’ll gain confidence as you go.



5. Don’t Forget to Have Fun


A major reason many people struggle to learn Spanish quickly is that they don’t enjoy the process. If your learning routine feels like a grind, it’s going to be hard to stay motivated. But when you make learning fun and engaging, you’re more likely to stick with it and see faster results.


Many of my students have told me that while they enjoyed using gamified language apps, they were frustrated that, after months of "streaks", they still couldn’t string together basic sentences. They might have completed hundreds of activities but were still unable to confidently say when their birthday is or ask for directions in Spanish.


Although it was something that I always wanted to do, all of these conversations and complaints (plus my own learning and teaching experiences) led me to create my course. I've developed it to include interactive and engaging content but with a focus on pedagogy that gives you real skills you can use to build your Spanish language.


How My Course Will Help You Learn Spanish Quickly


After years of teaching Spanish and designing language-learning curriculums, I created this course to address the most common challenges learners face. It’s designed to help you build language skills quickly while enjoying the process, focusing on key areas that lead to fluency.


Here’s how my course can help you:


  • Listening practice: Develop your listening comprehension through engaging audio exercises that feature different accents and speaking speeds.

  • Grammar tutorials: Learn grammar in a way that makes sense and immediately apply it with interactive tasks.

  • Interactive activities: With over 100 carefully designed steps, you’ll stay motivated and on track with activities that make learning enjoyable.

  • Real-world applications: You’ll learn Spanish that you can use in real conversations, not just in quizzes or tests.


This course is designed by a qualified teacher (me) with years of experience in shaping language-learning programmes. Many of my students have gone on to study at top universities like Oxford and Cambridge, and I’ve drawn on my expertise to create a course that’s efficient, engaging, and effective.


Learning Spanish doesn’t have to take years. With the right approach, you can make rapid progress and start using Spanish in real-life situations much faster than you might expect. If you’re ready to take your Spanish to the next level, my course is the perfect place to start. Designed for rapid results, it will give you the tools and confidence you need to succeed.




Screengrabs from my course:





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