Learning Spanish
Learning Spanish
Here are some resources to get you started, or help you along
Learning a new language can seem a daunting task, especially for adults who are busy with careers, kids, projects and the hundreds of things that keep us constantly occupied. On top of this, being exposed to the refrain that if you really want to learn a language, you need to immerse yourself in a culture that speaks that language can lead to apathy or hopelessness if you aren't able to immerse yourself in such cultures.
But I want to reassure you that you can learn enough Spanish to "get by" even if you are not immersed in a Spanish speaking culture, and even if you are busy doing the other million things you have to do. I personally spend between 2 and 4 hours 1 a week practicing and learning using some of the tools below, but you can start out with as little as 5-10 minutes a day.
Spanish Language Apps
Duolingo is one of the most popular language learning apps. It's available for iOS and Android, and takes a game-like approach to learning. It has a free and a paid tier 2, but only offers 1 Spanish course - it does not have a course dedicated to learning Latin American Spanish 3. It tends to spam you with notifications, so I turn those off. I also find its game approach unsatisfactory, so I use Duolingo rather sparingly. Alternatives to Duolingo include Babbel, Pimsleur, Drops, Rosetta Stone, etc.
The app I use more these days is Mondly. For me it offers the right balance of fun and useful learning activities. Like most other apps, it only offers a course in Spanish as spoken in Spain, which means you'll end up learning some vocabulary that is wrong for Mexico. It has a "hands-free" speech input feature that I like, although it sometimes makes pretty annoying mistakes in understanding what you say to it. But daily lessons can typically be completed in less than 10 minutes, and targeted lessons (such as travel, eating out, sports, family, etc) are self-paced so you can do as much or as little as will fit in your day.
Going deeper
The linguist Michel Thomas has developed a language-learning approach that requires very little time investment on the part of the learner. There are no assignments, no writing, no rote memorization. Instead, the learner simply listens to recorded lessons and pauses the lessons to speak when prompted. The lessons are constructed as a series of audio courses wherein the instructor is teaching one or two students. So you are listening to the instructor and the students interact. There is an iOS and Android app for the Michel Thomas language programs, and you can start with free lessons to see if it works for you, and then you can purchase the full language packages. The apps are not great - they do a bad job of remembering where in the audio program you are, and information doesn't carry over well if you, for example, get a new phone. But the content and the learning system are very good.
A similar approach to the Michel Thomas method is offered by a language learning program called Language Transfer, developed by Mihalis Eleftheriou. This is also a series of audio recordings of an instructor and a student, which you pause when prompted to speak something. Mihalis goes a litter deeper into things like etymology, which he uses as a mechanism to create associations in the mind of the learner, rather than using memorization as the learning model. There is an iOS and Android app for Language Transfer, and the app is, similar to Michel Thomas', a bit rough around the edges, but it works and the language courses are free. You are encouraged to support Language Transfer via donations. I like Language Transfer a lot, and it continues to be an integral component of my personal Spanish learning curriculum.
And deeper still
Conversing with a native speaker is a critical part of any language learning exercise. The pre-canned app stuff is great for daily re-enforcement learning and picking up new vocabulary, but the immediate feedback loop of live learning with an instructor will accelerate one's comprehension and enjoyment of the language. There are a few online platforms that match a learner up with a native speaker - italki being one of the most popular. With italki, you can hop onto a live conversation with someone in Mexico, for example, without paying anything. They also offer paid tiers wherein you can schedule time with vetted instructors. I've used italki in the past, but never found a groove with it - it feels a bit random to me to not have a curriculum or consistent lesson plan. Another issue is that I tend to be more of an introvert - italki might work better for more extroverted people.
What works best for me in the live conversation space is learning with dedicated instructors who are following the same curriculum. For this, I have been using Ask a Mexican. Ask a Mexican offers one-on-one classes over Zoom; the instructors are Mexican, so you will be learning the correct dialect for Mexico. In addition to traditional grammar, the instructors also focus on Mexican slang and how people actually speak the Spanish language in Mexico. Mexican culture is also integrated into the curriculum. Ask a Mexican is very approachable, low friction and the cost is quite reasonable. And, as its name implies, you are encouraged to ask anything you want about Mexico - and not just about language.
Using your Spanish
The most important thing to keep in mind about learning a language is: don't be afraid to use it! As you are learning Spanish, use your Spanish when you interact with people in Mexico or anywhere else where Spanish is spoken. You will make mistakes - this is inevitable. But mistakes are understandable and accepted. Native speakers will be glad that you are making the effort to converse in their native language, and they will appreciate it, mistakes and all! And better yet - you will continue to learn by using Spanish in real-world contexts. It will re-enforce what you already know, and you will start to build confidence around speaking the language. I am by no means a fluent speaker of Spanish, but I use it all the time when I am in Mexico - even when whomever I am speaking to replies back to me in English. And on more occasions than I can count, I've had interactions with people who will politely take the time to correct me when I make a mistake. This is such a fundamental part of the learning process, and it costs you nothing! You will begin to see a whole new world open up to you as you speak the language, and you will be met with warmth and acceptance merely because you are making an effort. So please do make the effort; the on-ramp to learning Spanish in today's connected world couldn't be any easier.
This doesn't include the time I spend conversing in Spanish when I am in Mexico ↩︎
For most apps, upgrading to the paid tier is worth it ↩︎
While most of Spanish is the same regardless of locale, there are many differences in vocabulary between Latin America and Spain. And each Latin American country has some of its own specific vocabulary and slang. The default for most Spanish apps is Spanish as it is spoken in Spain. ↩︎