What is the Best Way to Learn Spanish?
Has this question brought you to this post? You are definitely in the right place😊
Other common questions among beginner and intermediate Spanish language learners relate to the fastest or most effortless way to learn Spanish or how to become fluent in Spanish.
What if we told you, though, you’ve been asking the wrong question? The right question you should be asking is:
What’s the Best System for Learning Spanish?
We’ll talk you through everything you need to know about this in this pretty long (but beneficial) post. If you’re in a hurry, you can use the table of contents below to skip ahead.
Table of Contents
- How We Learn a Language
- How to Become Fluent in Spanish – It’s the System
- The Spanish Syllabus – 4 Levels to Fluency? You Better Try 24 Levels
- Find Out What Type of Language Learner You Are
- How to Memorize the Spanish Language
- Spanish Learning Methods – Online & Presential
- Hybrid Spanish Courses – Self-study Courses with Tutoring Support
- Teaching Methods
- How Long Does It Take To Learn Spanish?
- The Best Way to Learn Spanish
- Conclusion
1. How We Learn a Language
We can boil down learning a language into key skills. When you learn Spanish, you need to be able to:
To master all four of these skills in Spanish, you will need to know a lot of Spanish vocabulary along with the grammar. That’s it.
You shouldn’t skip any of those skills. If you understand but can’t speak or can speak but struggle with writing, then you haven’t learned Spanish.
When you start out from scratch in any language, the first thing you learn is to present yourself.
Hola, mi nombre es Paul. Vivo en Berlin.
Hello, my name is Paul. I live in Berlin.
In any class or course, you will learn to understand, read, write and say those sentences right from the beginning.
That’s how it works. You start there, and with each new sentence and word you look at, you understand a little more.
Of course, it gets more complicated along the way, but you start here and progress until you reach that all-important goal: becoming fluent in Spanish.
So, how do you become fluent in Spanish?
2. How to Become Fluent in Spanish - It's the System
Most people are under the impression that becoming fluent in Spanish only requires speaking and listening skills. But believe us – to be fluent, you also need reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar.
However you decide to learn these skills, if you want to become fluent in Spanish you need to follow a tested language learning system.
So, what is a learning system?
A learning system consists of the following:
- A syllabus or curriculum (what to learn and in what order)
- A method (how you know and, if learning with a teacher, how your teacher teaches you)
Whether you’re a self-motivated learner or joining a Spanish course with a teacher, you need a system to study Spanish optimally. If you want to learn Spanish fast, a method is the best way to motivate yourself, and it’s the easiest way to learn Spanish!
If you’re planning to do Spanish classes with a teacher, then the teacher you choose is essential. However, you can have a motivating and friendly teacher who speaks a native level of Spanish, but without a sound system, you won’t become fluent in Spanish any time soon.
3. The Spanish Syllabus - 4 Levels to Fluency? You Better Try 24 Levels
Most course providers and schools follow the official language proficiency guides to determine which topics to cover and what order to teach them in.
In Europe and the US, two different guidelines define your proficiency level:
- CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference)
- ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)
You can read a complete comparison of both guidelines here.
Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)
The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) contains 6 levels:
- Basic User (A1 & A2)
- Independent User (B1 & B2)
- Proficient User (C1 & C2)
Each level is fully defined with exact learning objectives and ‘can-do’ factors to ensure you follow the learning in every section.
According to the CEFR, you reach fluency after finishing the 4th level, also known as the B2 level (vantage or upper intermediate).
With the B2 level, you’re able “to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.” (Council of Europe)
The CEFR has a pretty good logic for its curriculum; that’s why most course providers are geared to the CEFR guidelines when creating their content. As a result, they usually offer courses in one of the 6 levels we just looked at.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but the A1 level takes around 80 hours to complete, while other levels may take up to 220 hours per level.
This is just too many hours to keep your motivation going. When it comes to learning a language, motivation is a crucial factor in your learning speed.
This is why you need a system to break down your learning into manageable chunks. As the old saying goes, “you wouldn’t eat an elephant in one bite.”
This saying isn’t the start of some strange recipe but means that you must break down your big goals. Anything is achievable if you can break it down into small enough objectives. If you try and take on too much, you’ll end up losing motivation. Therefore, to learn Spanish fast, you need to keep hitting small goals.
A good syllabus should keep you motivated
Rather than following the 6 levels of the CEFR (or 10 levels of ACTFL), it would be better to use a system or course with more achievable levels to keep you motivated.
The better courses have many levels which slowly build up a student’s knowledge without them feeling overwhelmed (or downright bored!) at any point.
Here at FU International Academy Tenerife, we design our Spanish classes according to the CEFR language levels.
However, we take things further and divide the first 4 CEFR levels into 24 sub-levels. Each sub-level has its content, learning objectives, and exam.
Aiming for Spanish Fluency?
To achieve fluency in Spanish, according to the CEFR, you need to reach level B2. For students who aim for fluency, we use 24 levels to get you to that B2 level in Spanish.
We call this the 24 Level System to Spanish Fluency®.
Aiming for Spanish Mastery?
We’ve divided the rest of the 2 levels (C1 & C2) into another 24 levels.
We call this the “48 Level System to Spanish Mastery”.
If you’re looking for a Spanish course or a teacher, make sure you can level up more efficiently, so you stay motivated throughout your learning.
Check out our Spanish live lessons that ensure you level up the right way to Spanish fluency or mastery!
4. Find out What Type of Language Learner You Are
To guarantee maximum language learning success, you must find out what type of learner you are. Figuring this out will help you to structure your study sessions and to learn Spanish more effectively.
Keep in mind, though, that your learning type is a guideline to know which type of content you should concentrate more on. In reality, you always need to use a mixture of different learning types, especially when learning a language, as both communication and social interaction aspects are essential.
Let’s find out which of the 5 language learning types you can best identify with.
- Visual – Learn through sight and use of charts and graphs.
- Aural – Learn through sound and music.
- Verbal – Learn through speech, both written and oral.
- Social – Learn through groups and conversing with others.
- Solitary – Learn on your own and through reflection.
Visual Learner
The first learning type and the most common one is the visual learner. About 60% of the world’s population learns best through optical techniques. A visual learner might have a hard time responding to words alone; what they need instead are visual aids and stimuli. Do you:
- Sometimes catch yourself reading a book, and at some point, you realize that you don’t even remember what was written on the last page.
- Get easily distracted by movement in the classroom?
- Have a great sense of direction and know how to read a map easily?
- Immediately forget the name of people you meet, but you can remember their faces?
Then you might be a great visual learner!
Because visual learners are usually more creative and have rich imaginations, they are great spatial learners. Patterns, shapes, and color codes work much better than reading a lengthy written text.
Learning techniques for visually-stimulated people include using whiteboards, images, photos, graphs, maps, drawings, infographics, color coding notes, and creating subtopics, mind-maps, and flashcards with both words and pictures.
It is beneficial to watch Spanish TV shows or movies, write notes with the names of things on them to remember vocabulary, or create flashcards with pictures.
Visual learners may find that self-study Spanish courses and Resource Sheets work best for their learning.
Aural Learner
Are you one who remembers a person’s name but not their face? In this case, you might be part of the aural or auditory learners. You need to hear information to learn and understand effectively.
While others struggle to get through a never-ending lecture, you easily grasp and remember the information. Auditory learners tend to scrutinize things, open group discussions and verbally express their interests.
To correctly remember information, they must orally repeat what they see, re-listen to recorded lectures or speeches, and, since they are easily distracted by noise, need a quiet study environment. An auditory learner might remember every detail of a conversation you have with them or know the lyrics to every song you hear on the radio.
The best techniques to learn efficiently are detailed verbal instructions, recited texts, information read or spoken out loud, and exciting and pitch-changing voices.
Do you think you are an auditory learner?
Then why don’t you try recording yourself reading and listening to a Spanish text? You could also check out our new Spanish Podcast or listen to our playlist of easy songs to learn Spanish. You may also find that Resource Sheets and self-study Spanish courses are great ways to learn Spanish.
Verbal Learner
The third learning type is the verbal learner. Processing new information comes easily to them if it is presented in the form of written texts or verbal communication.
Charts or diagrams are more understandable for verbal learners when converted into words. Pictures and other visuals are easier to remember when they have a detailed description added. Text-based input and output are the key to successful studying for verbal learners.
During lectures, verbal learners will write down everything they hear, and take notes of their thoughts. With the focus on writing out information several times, repeating and reading over and over again, studying and memorizing is made easy for them.
If you identify as a verbal learner, private or group Spanish lessons may be most effective for you.
Social Learner
If you’re a people person, then you’re a social learner! Social learners enjoy communicating and socializing with other people both verbally and non-verbally. They listen well, prefer to socialize after class, bounce ideas off of others, work through tasks in a group, and are often trusted by others for their advice.
The best techniques for social learners are anything in a group. Some examples include group classes, role-playing, and forming study groups to work through the content together and share ideas.
If you’re a social learner, then why not sign up for a Spanish group class or a conversation lesson with a Spanish teacher?
Solitary learner
Contrary to social learners, solitary learners prefer to learn on their own. They work best when focusing on their thoughts and feelings without distractions. Most of the time, this learning type is suited for socially introverted people. Some extroverts prefer to study alone when learning something.
Solitary learners prefer to spend time on self-analysis, are concerned with goals and outcomes, think independently, and write down their thoughts for self-improvement.
Learning techniques that work best for solitary learners are self-study, personal reflection, and keeping a journal to write down thoughts or concerns.
Self-study Spanish courses and Resource Sheets are great ways for solitary learners to improve their Spanish.
Knowing your preferred learning type, you can better choose the right learning resources.
5. How to Memorize the Spanish Language
Now that you know your learning type and have identified the best techniques for learning Spanish, we can talk about the importance of memorization in learning the language.
Much of our learning relies on our ability to retain information. To memorize the Spanish language, you must be interested in it. But in addition to having a claim, you must also have a learning system in place (as we mentioned earlier) and a strong willingness to learn.
Two methods to memorize the Spanish language are Memory Palace and Spaced Repetition. These methods provide a structure to allow you to absorb what you’re learning in Spanish and retain and apply it.
Memory Palace
Memory retention is a vital part of the Memory Palace method. To learn and retain information, you must recall it by forming a memory palace. Otherwise, you’ll forget it.
So what is a memory palace, and how do you form it? A memory palace is an imaginary estate in your mind, something you visualize. It works by visualizing something you are intimately familiar with, such as your home or workplace, and associating it with your learning. The steps to create a memory palace are as follows:
- Select your Palace
You must select a place you are familiar with and define a particular route.
- Identify distinctive features
Please pay close attention to the features of the place you selected and any details. The aim is to create memory slots which are clues that contain a single piece of information to help you jog your memory.
- Imprint your Palace
The place and route need to be 100% imprinted in your head. You must ensure you can fully visualize it and all its features in your mind.
- Begin association
The next step is to fill all those memory slots you created in step 2. You do this by taking a known image and placing it with an element you’d like to memorize. The more crazy or ridiculous the association is, the more likely you’ll remember it.
- Visit your new Palace.
You need to spend time in the ‘place.’ Repeating the journey a few times will help with memory recall.
Check out this memory palace example to learn how to put this into practice.
When applying this method to memorize Spanish, you can visualize the text or specific facts you learned after every lesson and store them in your memory slots. This will make memorizing Spanish easier as the words and images you’ve created in your Palace will return to you when you need them.
Spaced Repetition
The flaw with the Memory Palace method is that it is tedious and requires a lot of effort. Spaced repetition is one of the more effective ways to memorize Spanish. Spaced Repetition is learning the same information or reviewing it at gradually increasing intervals, so it constantly stays fresh in your mind.
You don’t need to repeat your learning every day to memorize it; you must do it frequently enough to be comfortable remembering it.
Memorizing Spanish words is not enough, however, to learn Spanish effectively. Your ability to effectively learn also depends on other factors, such as the method you use to learn Spanish.
6. Spanish Learning Methods - Online & Presential
Self-Study
Learning Spanish without a teacher is possible, but it’s not the fastest way. Even if you know with a teacher, you have to spend a reasonable amount of time learning the content on your own too. There’s some homework for you, whether it’s going through vocabulary lists, understanding grammar rules, reading, or training your listening skills with audio or videos.
In the following, we concentrate on the best Spanish self-learning methods you can choose from.
Resources to Teach Yourself Spanish
We regularly post articles that help you find the best resources to learn Spanish. Below is a selection of our free articles that give you the best free resources to teach yourself Spanish from home.
- 17 Free Podcasts Every Spanish Learner Should Listen To
- The 13 Best Youtube Channels to Learn Spanish
- The 11 Spanish Blogs Every Learner Should Read
- The 7 Best Free Spanish Learning Games
- Spanish Movies That Will Help You Learn Spanish
- 25 Easy Spanish Songs – Learning the Fun Way
- How to Learn Spanish with a Dictionary
If you want to know where to start, you’ll need to figure out your exact level of Spanish. The CEFR self-assessment grid can be a little hard to follow, especially if you’re a beginner. Check out our free and easy Spanish level test to find exactly what level you’re at instead!
After figuring out your level, you can use one of our Resource Sheets to reach the next level. Our online self-study sheets give you that vital system we discussed at the start of this article. Every Resource Sheet includes clear learning objectives and links with more than 15 hours of Spanish educational content in order to reach the next level.
Self-Study Courses
Another option to improve your Spanish is an online self-study course. We’ve researched the 11 best self-learning Spanish courses online for you.
Our course, of course, is to be noticed from this list. We chose to differentiate our lessons with a unique combination of self-learning, webinars, and teacher and community support.
However, self-study isn’t always enough. You can use every resource in the list above to improve your skills, but one part will always be missing – learning to speak Spanish.
Teacher Guided Classes
Private lessons online
Conversational skills are one of the hardest to practice because you need the help of a native speaker. If you still want to study from home, one option is to work on your skills yourself and then take conversation classes to supplement your learning.
Find out more about our online conversational and general Spanish classes and how we can help you finally learn to speak Spanish!
Presential classes with your local Spanish teacher
With this option, you have classes with a Spanish teacher or Spanish school local to your home. Although presential classes with a local Spanish teacher are a great way to learn and practice your Spanish in person, it lacks the wholesome Spanish learning experience that a total immersion course abroad offers.
7. Hybrid Spanish Courses - Self-study Courses with Tutoring Support
Why not combine the best of both worlds with a hybrid Spanish course? Our unique COMBI Course is a combination of self-study, tutor guidance, and community support.
You will learn Spanish at your own pace, however, each written task will be corrected by one of our teachers. Moreover, you can interact with other students in the community forum and even organize voice rooms to practice speaking. If you feel that you need more explanations, of course, you can book a private lesson!
If you’re a total beginner you can complete Level 1 for FREE.
8. If You Learn with a Teacher, Ask for Their Teaching Methods
While there is agreement over what to learn in Spanish and in which order, there are a lot of different methods used in the classroom to teach Spanish.
We have been teaching Spanish at the FU International Academy in Tenerife for twenty years. Our experience led to the creation of our system of learning. Once you have an excellent syllabus in place, you need good teaching techniques. This is why we base our actual day-to-day teaching methods on scientific research.
The best way to teach is by using different styles and methods rather than just sticking to one outdated plan that you first saw written in chalk on a blackboard! We design each class with relevant and varied activities that help you learn and stay motivated.
Krashen’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition
We also strongly believe in the theories of language scientist Stephen Krashen. Krashen’s hypothesis suggests that you will learn a language at the optimal rate as long as you understand the learning material and your classes are slightly higher than your current level.
5 Classroom Teaching Methods
The teaching methods for Spanish language learning that we apply in our classrooms in Tenerife and our online courses are:
- Direct
Also known as the ‘natural approach,’ this method replicates how you learned your native language as a child. The teacher will only use Spanish and ban using your native language in the classroom. They will usually use this method by asking questions in Spanish, and they’ll then gently correct you when you get something wrong. This is an excellent method for improving your spoken Spanish, but it’s difficult to understand grammar rules using the direct method only.
- The Communicative Approach
The communicative approach aims to impart communication skills for the classroom and real-life situations in particular. The focus lies in having a flowing and interactive conversation instead of dull memorization of grammar.
By involving someone in actual conversations within a realistic situation or context, they will learn how to use the language and be able to produce a meaningful discussion themselves.
Games, role plays, and problem-solving tasks are often used to apply this method in the classroom to provide the student with immediate reaction and evaluation and practice spontaneous conversations and language flow.
- The Structural Approach
Often the position of the words in a sentence is different in the Spanish language when compared with the student’s mother tongue.
Each language has its rules of arrangement and structure of letters, words, and phrases. To produce a meaningful sentence, it is crucial to let go of the patterns of your language and understand and apply the meaning behind Spanish grammar.
The structural approach aims to provide the learner with the grammatical background and knowledge of arrangements and patterns in a particular order. These are called structures of the Spanish language. These structures convey meaning and sense to create a flowing and rational conversation.
- The Flipped Classroom Teaching
Usually, a day of lessons looks like this – you go to school early in the morning, learn new things, and in the evening, you deepen what you learned with homework.
This can be too much for a person depending on their other commitments in life. It can also be very demotivating because everyone learns at a different pace.
This Flipped Classroom Teaching Approach addresses this problem and makes the student their teacher. Instead of explaining the issues in school and doing homework at home, each individual sits down to watch educational videos and other materials provided by the teacher.
The approach allows each individual to learn at their own pace and with their concept. The individually prepared and learned material is then studied and deepened with the group and the teacher in class. This leaves more time for individual attention, answering more complex or challenging questions, and additional time for joint exercises and conversation. The individually prepared and learned material is then studied and deepened with the group and the teacher in class.
- Grammar-translation
Although it might sound complicated, you will have done this if you’ve ever studied a language in a classroom. Grammar-translation is when your teacher explains a grammar rule to you in your language, then asks you to complete a gap-fill or verb conjugation exercise in Spanish. This can also be followed up with a paragraph to translate for homework.
At FU International Academy in Tenerife, we use a unique combination of these different teaching methods to ensure you learn Spanish effectively.
9. How Long Does It Take to Learn Spanish?
This is a good question. How fast you learn Spanish or any other language depends on the following:
- The quality of the system (syllabus & methods)
- Motivation, efforts and talent
- Your time investment
Quality of the system (syllabus & methods)
We’ve already spoken earlier about the importance of having the right system when learning a language, so it should be familiar to you now, right? So let me tell you something about the second point of motivation, efforts, and talent.
Motivation, efforts and talents
When learning a language, you have to want it. You need the right motivation. This then leads to the question..
Why do you want to learn Spanish?
- Do you need Spanish for a job or studies?
- Are you about to move or travel to a Spanish-speaking country?
- Do you have a Spanish-speaking partner?
- Or do you just enjoy learning new languages?
Once you identify why you want to learn Spanish, you’re more likely to be motivated and willing to put the necessary effort into achieving your language goals.
Motivation and effort go hand in hand, and both significantly impact reaching the next level of Spanish. If you don’t try hard, you won’t achieve your goals. How well you learn a language ultimately depends more on your own efforts than your teacher’s.
Do you need a unique talent to learn a new language?
Some people are definitely more talented in language learning than others. Of course, it’s nice to have talent, but it’s not necessary.
What’s more important is the fun of learning and lasting motivation. Above all, this is the right learning plan and method.
Time investment
It is uneasy to predict the amount of time you need to reach a fluent level in a language as it really depends on so many conditions, but let’s try to do the calculations anyway.
So let’s assume you have found your WHY, and you are fully motivated to learn to speak Spanish and put the necessary effort into it.
Let’s also assume that you have an average talent to learn languages and your final goal is to speak Spanish fluently. So now, we actually try to answer the following question…
How long does it take to speak Spanish fluently?
As we mentioned earlier, according to the CEFR, you reach fluency in Spanish after finishing the B2 level (vantage or upper intermediate). With the B2 level, you’re able “to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.” (Council of Europe)
We have divided the A1, A2, B1, and B2 levels of the CEFR into 24 more detailed levels. To reach your goal of Spanish fluency, you will need to finish these 24 levels (Spanish Mastery takes another 24 levels to complete, so 48 levels in total). Every level has its own learning objectives.
We have divided the learning content in a way that every level needs more or less the same amount of time investment, depending on the way you learn.
There are 5 different ways of reaching the next level of Spanish:
- Self-learning with random Spanish resources
- Self-learning with our Spanish Resource Sheets (following a syllabus)
- Spanish online courses with self-study content
- Private Spanish online lessons with a teacher using whiteboard technology
- Spanish immersion intensive courses in a Spanish-speaking country
Self-learning with random Spanish resources
Looking for Spanish content on your own, and learning just randomly without a teacher or a syllabus, is the slowest way of learning Spanish.
There’s also a good chance you’ll lose motivation and give up on it sooner or later.
We can’t even estimate how much time you would need to make sufficient progress!
Self-learning with our resource sheets
Our Resource Sheets enable you to read, listen to audio, watch videos and do all the exercises independently but with a course of study. To complete a level once, you need an average of 12 hours. With at least one repetition and additional vocabulary learning, you’ll quickly reach 24 hours. But this is still not enough.
The speaking and communication part needs to be added when learning without a teacher or a speaking partner. You should add at least 6 hours of private conversational classes or general classes with a native speaker (who follows a syllabus).
Finishing a level with Resource Sheets would take around 30 hours. To complete all 24 levels to reach fluency, you need approximately 720 hours.
Spanish online courses with self-study content
Spanish online courses are similar to structured resources. The difference is more quizzes and a final exam at the end of the system.
For example, finishing a level with our 2-week course would cost approximately 10-12 hours. With one repetition, it’s around 24 hours. However, with an online system, communication is missing. Add 4 hours of conversational classes or general classes.
Therefore, finishing a level with an online self-study course would take 28 hours. To complete all 24 levels to reach fluency, you need about 670 hours.
Private Spanish online lessons with a teacher using whiteboard technology
This is the most effective way of reaching the next level of Spanish online. Based on our experience, you’ll need approximately 6 hours of online classes plus another 10 hours of self-studying.
So, you’ll need approximately 16 hours to reach the next level with private online lessons. That’s 384 hours to get a fluency level.
10. The Best Way to Learn Spanish
Spanish immersion intensive courses in a Spanish-speaking country
Studying in a Spanish school is the easiest way to learn Spanish. This is because you have the help of a native teacher and a Spanish learning system. Our intensive Spanish courses here at FU International Academy Tenerife contain 20 x 45-minute classes per week and are one of the fastest ways to learn Spanish.
You can achieve one of our Spanish sublevels every week. Reaching your next level of Spanish would only take one week! In total, it’s 15 full hours in the classroom plus 5 hours of self-study, so 20 total hours per week and level.
You must invest 24 weeks (480 hours) in reaching Spanish fluency.
For us, nothing can beat a Spanish immersion course and we highly recommended it because it requires that you surround yourself with the Spanish language.
11. Conclusion
Learning Spanish takes time and work. You can come to experts in teaching Spanish for advice (like us! 😉), but you have to do all the work at the end of the day.
Don‘t believe any gurus trying to sell you the newest programs and methods or quick fixes to learn. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Learning the vocabulary and grammar yourself; no one else can do that for you. However, if you decide to put effort into achieving fluency right now, we’re here to help!
Check out the options:
- Free Online Beginners Course
- Spanish Resources Sheets
- Spanish Online Courses
- Spanish Online Lessons
- Spanish Courses in Tenerife
Or sign up for our newsletter.
All the best on your Spanish learning journey!
Would you like to take your Spanish to the next level?
Whether you’re a complete beginner or you’re an advanced student, with us you’ll reach the next level of Spanish quickly and easily. With 24 Levels to Spanish fluency, the next level is always close by, so you will never lose motivation.
You can choose between:
In both cases, you’ll learn Spanish using our successful 24 Level System to Spanish Fluency® and our unique Spanish teaching methods.
