How hard is it to learn Spanish if I know English?
How much time will it take to start speaking Spanish fluently?
20 answers from our tutors
Best answer
Hola Priu, creo que en un año y medio podrias lograrlo , es importante el tiempo dedicado, la forma en la que estudies el español y la inmersion que tengas en el idioma, dependiendo de esto lograras la fluidez. Mi consejo es que seas dedicada y constante :), y te sumerjas en el idioma a traves de contenidos creados en español. :)
- PabloI enjoy teaching everyone from beginner to advanced. I like to focus on the needs of each learner
when learning Spanish, phonetics might be a significant barrier at first, but improvement comes through repetition and persistence
Becoming fluent in a language depends on many factors, including your current level of proficiency, the amount of time you can dedicate to studying and practicing, your motivation and dedication, and the opportunities you have to use the language in real-life situations. In general, it can take several months to several years to become fluent in Spanish. If you are starting from scratch, it may take a year or more of consistent study and practice to reach a conversational level of proficiency. However, if you already have some knowledge of Spanish or are exposed to the language regularly, you may be able to achieve fluency more quickly. It's important to remember that becoming fluent in a language is a journey, and it requires patience, persistence, and consistent effort.
- Consuelo ChaparroEnglish teacher, Spanish tutor
If you know English, you are lucky. English and Spanish are like cousins. They share the very same roots, such as Latin and Greek and we share a lot of cognates. The most important part is not to be afraid of making mistakes (verbs and gender are the complex part). Another happy thing about Spanish is written in the same way that is said. That makes things a lot easier.
Según mi experiencia podrías hablar en un año y medio. En el español lo único complicado son las conjugaciones verbales y el modo subjuntivo pero después es simple. Solo tienes que tener constancia y muchas ganas de aprenderlo :)
HOLA Priu todo proceso al inicio es cuesta, pero cuando tienens ganas e interes en aprender algo que t e motiva saber, lo intentaras una y otra vez hasta ir perfeccionando el español, hay muchos tips que te ayudaran a lograr esta meta y la practica muchas veces nos convierte en expercto... animo tu puedes lograrlo.
- Angela Okeke-RamosNative Spanish speaker living in UK for 15 years with experience tutoring from A level to GCSE.
Much easier than if you were to learn Spanish first and then English which for me was a real struggle as a native. So, as an English speaker you have an advantage in that you have many more dialects and accents to pick up on ranging from north American to Central and Spanish accents/dialects. Plus, Spanish words are very often read the same way you would read in English.
if you have the willingness to study spanish, I wouldnt be as hard. But some vowels are way different and grammar is more complex than in english. But if you know any other language such as italian or french, it wouldnt take you a lot of time to learn.
Learn a language is always going to be a little bit hard, but there are ways to learn with fun!
- JennyCertified ESL Teacher who helps her student in Conversational English.
Coming from the Philippines, I found it easier to learn Spanish because 30,000 or more Filipino words are derived from Spanish words (e.g abogado, amiga, amigo, casa, etc.) Thus, it is easier for me.
Spanish is classified as a Tier 1 language by the FSI, meaning that it is a language that is closely related to English, generally requiring about 600 hours of classroom instruction to reach a B2 level from the Starter level. With effort, one can learn to speak Spanish quite well within a year of immersion within a Spanish language environment. It might also depend on where you end up going in the Spanish speaking world. Colombian Spanish is quite easy to learn. The Mexican and Rioplatense (ARG/URU) variants are not quite as bad albeit they do have a lot of slang not had in other regions. The hardest version of Spanish to learn is the Chilean variant.