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Here’s what I knew about learning Spanish coming into this: Spanish is apparently one of the easier languages for a native English-speaker to learn because there are a very large number of cognates (words that are substantially similar in both languages - Thanks wiki). For example, most English words ending in -tion are almost identical in Spanish except for a slight change at the end where -tion becomes -ción. So attention becomes atención, liberation becomes liberación, etc. Thus, vocabulary will probably be fairly easy for you to learn. On the other hand, learning Spanish grammar will likely prove to be more difficult. Many Spanish grammatical concepts, such as the subjective and having to choose between two different past tenses, will be difficult to grasp in the beginning.
Here are the premier Spanish language tutorial companies:
Rosetta Stone
Rocket Language
Lingolex
StudySpanish
Looking back, this seems pretty easy, but at the start I was pretty frustrated. First off, Rosetta Stone is useful in terms on online support (My order was shipped 10 days late, but the customer service girl was pretty friendly), but that’s about it. I sent it back once it arrived on my doorstep. If they would have sent it to me sooner I may have kept it. With that said, I opted for the next guy down the list which was Rocket Spanish. You may have seen their advertisements around, so they’re pretty well known. I figured I would give them a shot.
It took me about 8 weeks total to understand the Spanish spoken language, and about 9 to put it to some real-world That’s what the Rocket people won’t tell you. Trust me, I thought the learning curve is there. It’s either that or I’m an idiot, which could very well be the case, or I just needed more time (work, kids, work, kids). Putting this to use is tough actually. The first hurdle I had to get over was sounding like someone who barely knew what they were talking about. It’s like joining a gym. You feel like you should lose a few pounds before you join up and start working out. Anyway, after a few odd looks, most people came around and helped me work on my dialect, coaching in a way. People are actually much nicer when it comes to these things than most people credit them for. It all comes down to time and effort rather than difficulty and learning curve. Now I’m able to understand a majority of the Spanish language movies on TV when I can’t find anything else to watch. That alone made it worth it! :) I made a list about why you should learn Spanish. Check it out below:
TOP 10 REASONS TO LEARN SPANISH
1. I wanted to communicate with 350 million native Spanish speakers worldwide
That’s no small drop in the bucket. Spanish is spoken by at least an estimated 350 million people around the world and is currently the 4th most commonly spoken language worldwide. Knowing Spanish opens the door for you to communicate with 1/3 of a billion speakers worldwide. That’s a lot of people, and a lot of great Mexican restaurants!
2. I wanted to communicate with the Spanish-speaking individuals in my city
Perhaps this is why 53% of students learning languages in US colleges and universities are learning Spanish over languages. You have the opportunity to use your language skills right at home. I’m from Chicago and we have a large Spanish speaking segment of our population. This is just good to know.
3. To enhance my travel experiences
When visiting a far-off country like Spain, knowing the mother-language will definitely help. If you take a little time to learn, your understanding and appreciation for the places you visit will be improved tremendously. I’m taking the family to Mexico this summer. All-inclusive!
4. Employment potential
Knowing a second language is a great job skill. In fact, many jobs today require a minimum of basic proficiency in another language. Just having a basic knowledge may be all it takes to separate yourself from the crowd of applicants for the job you are pursuing. Let’s face it, with this economy, every bit helps.
5. Improve my knowledge of my own language
Credit here goes to Wikipedia: “Spanish is from the Romance language family of languages, its roots coming primarily from Latin, the language spoken by the Romans. As you might know, English, too has many words of Latin origin. Because of this, knowing Spanish helps speakers of English (as well as some other European languages) broaden their vocabulary in their native language. Often times, these same Latin roots are at the base of many sophisticated words in English, so Spanish learners can also become more proficient in English.”
6. Learn Spanish to prepare to study abroad
Personally I can’t do this, but hey, there’s plenty of young kids (or those of you who are young at heart) that can put this to use.
7. Better appreciate Spanish-speaking cultures
While not impossible to learn Spanish never having experienced the culture first hand, direct exposure to the culture will give language learners insights into the language that would otherwise not be possible.
8. Learn Spanish to make friends
Imagine all of the friends it is possible to make while on vacation, during study abroad, through having a common interest in music, or even while at work.
9. Learning Spanish makes acquiring the next foreign language easier
Through hard work, perseverance, and lots of practice, the next language you learn is much easier to master by comparison. I might try Polish next, that way I can understand what my grandfather is yelling about during Christmas dinner.
10. Spanish art, music, literature and film
I’m a huge fan of foreign film, so being able to read the subtitles, especially after a glass of wine, is a definite plus.
