Learning Spanish FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about our site and
mission
+ What is this site about?
This site has been made for all the people who want to learn conversational Spanish.
+ What is your mission?
Our mission is to provide you with practical and useful information, so that you can make the best choice to learn to talk in Spanish as fast and easy as possible.
+ Who are you to give advices about language learning?
My name is James. I don’t have any language education, however languages have always been my hobby and passion.
At present I can talk in 7 languages – English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Turkish and Bulgarian.
Three of them (including Spanish) I studied by myself. If you want to learn more about me, please read the free white paper “How to Stop Struggling and Start Talking Spanish Now” downloadable from our site.
I have experience as interpreter and tourist guide, and also as private tutor as well.
+ How do you think you can help all of us who want to learn to talk in Spanish?
I can help all the Spanish enthusiasts by sharing with them my rich experience in language (not only Spanish) learning. I’m interested both in learning and teaching. I have tried really a lot of language learning methods and systems. What is more I went through really a lot of teachers and language classes. The most important is that I can help both beginners and intermediate learners.
+ How can we take advantage of your willingness to help us?
You can benefit in 3 ways:
*Download and read our free whitepaper “How to Stop Struggling and Start Talking Spanish Now”
*Subscribe and read our regular newsletter
*Check regularly the content of our site, so that you could find the right answer to your question.
+ Are you a native Spanish speaker?
No. My native language is Bulgarian, and my second language is English. Spanish is my third language but I have been practicing it for about 20 years.
Frequently Asked Questions about learning Spanish language and keeping
your motivation
+ Is it possible to learn Spanish by myself?
Yes. You can learn Spanish on your own, provided that you:
1)Feel motivated enough
2)Find enough time
3)Study the right way (which depends on your self-study tool or tutorial).
+ Do I need to have any special talents or inherent abilities to learn Spanish by myself?
No. You don’t need any talent, neither to have any ancestors with outstanding language abilities.
+ Is it possible to learn Spanish without leaving home?
Yes, it is possible due to various communication technologies at present. I achieved my most significant knowledge of Spanish without leaving home, and this was more than 15 years ago, the global ere had not yet begun. Nevertheless I recommend taking advantage of every opportunity to travel abroad and practise your target language in a real environment.
+ What features do I need to be a successful Spanish language learner?
I have described them in the whitepaper “How to Stop Struggling and Start Talking Spanish Now”. The good news is that all of them can be cultivated and that you can achieve all your goals with enough time and labor.
+ To learn Spanish well shall my job or education be related to linguistics and/or literature?
Absolutely no. Speaking about myself, I have a technical background and never had any intention to commit my career to linguistics. I lack any linguistic education, yet I am fluent in 7 languages.
+ Is learning Spanish on my own is cheaper or more expensive than attending a Spanish learning class?
If 'cheap' and 'expensive' means for you the money paid, I can assure you that studying a language by yourself is ALWAYS CHEAPER than any course at a language school.
If you are your own teacher however, there are other issues, apart from money, that are to be invested in your self-training.
You’ve got to be responsible, you’ve got to be your own guide, you are both the student and the teacher, you are expected not only to study, but also to take decisions, to be active (while in a course it’s your teacher who guides you and your classmates) and creative.
So, you pay much less money, but you have to put more devotion, more decisiveness, more responsibility and more enterprise into the whole study process.
The good news is that the proper language study tools and programs make this task much easier, by stimulating your mind and your ability to memorize and apply what you’ve learnt, thus prompting you to make faster progress.
+ If I’ve studied any other foreign language before, will this help me?
If you studied any other foreign language before, this will bring you some advantage. During your previous study you probably developed some useful studying habits and learning tips. This means you have a better idea of yourself and your capabilities as a “language student”, which is wonderful.
+ Shall I study Spanish and another language simultaneously?
No. I don’t recommend this to anyone. Instead of scattering your energy, time and efforts in more than one direction, you can first study intensively Spanish, and when you become fluent – start with the other one. Mind however that you’re supposed not only to study but also to maintain your level afterwards!
Frequently Asked Questions about most effective methods
for learning Spanish
+ Should I take up Spanish provided that I was bad in languages at school?
Of course you should. Having been bad at languages at school means nothing. Most of what we learn in our language lessons at school is inapplicable and useless.
+ What do you think about traditional language learning methods at school?
In my opinion language education at school is insufficient and the language classes are uninteresting and boring. I think that both the textbooks and the teachers are to blame.
I am stating this quite responsibly, both judging from my own experience and from impressions of other people’s experience at school.
+ What’s wrong with these traditional learning methods?
They teach you mainly how to read and write, and do it in a rather clumsy and ineffective way. After finishing such a language course not only your talking but also your listening skills are practically at a zero level.
Frequently Asked Questions about most effective Spanish
learning programs
+ Is it important to choose the right program for learning Spanish?
Yes, it is very important, especially if you have little experience in language study. A comprehensive program alone however, cannot guarantee you success. Your willingness and time is decisive.
+ What does 'the right program" actually mean?
The right program shall:
1)Match to your needs and your plans about Spanish
2)Provide the most important of what you have to learn to achieve your goal
3)Reveal you the most effective way to learn all that fast and easily
4)Match to your learning style and personality
+ What is the most important when choosing the right program for learning Spanish?
Before starting to search for the right tutorial, you should have answer to the question “What am I going to use Spanish for?”
+ Are there any differences between various kinds of Spanish learning program?
Yes, depending on what the self-training is focused on.
For example a language self-learning tool might be composed entirely around dialogues and conversations – that is mainly around listening and speaking activities.
Another program might be more comprehensive, and include much more reading, writing and grammar.
Even if your target is to learn conversational Spanish only, choosing one of the Spanish tools available on the market – a book, a set of audio lessons or a software program – you will discover that each of them has own benefits and disadvantages.
Your maximum and really important target however, is to start developing your listening and speaking skills. Listening and speaking are actually the implementation of what you learn and memorize.
Therefore I recommend:
1)Regular repeating of all the listening and speaking exercises,
2)Start listening from the very beginning to natural speech on the radio and TV.
+ What should I do next after I’m through with my beginners’ Spanish learning program?
After you finish your tutorial, you might continue with its next level. Most self-learning tools are composed in at least two levels.
+ Do you advice me to switch to another learning program after I’m through with my first one?
At this moment the answer to the question “What do I need this language for?” might be different than some months ago, and this is absolutely normal.
If you first wanted to study conversational Spanish, but now you feel you need to go deeper and deeper and study in much more details, you could switch to a different program.
I myself have done this a couple of times for lots of languages. Here I should probably remind you that the money you would spend on another tutorial is definitely less than subscribing yourself to a language school training course.
Frequently Asked Questions about how to gett better and better in Spanish
+ What is to be able to think in Spanish?
This means that your thoughts flow in Spanish, which in particular includes the following:
-When you want to say or write something, you compose it directly in Spanish, instead of composing it in English and then translate it.
-When you listen or read, you subconsciously understand everything, without any need to explicitly translate it into English.
+ What does it mean to be “fluent” in Spanish?
“Fluency” means:
1)To be able to think in Spanish. This means when you want to say or write something, to be able to compose it directly in Spanish, instead of composing it first in English and then translate it.
2)To have well developed various language skills – listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar.
+ How many Spanish words do I need to have in my vocabulary to be able to communicate fluently?
About 2500-3000. This number is absolutely achievable in a couple of months, provided that you study Spanish every day and combine your study with enough exercises.
+ How long will it take to get fluent in Spanish?
Provided that you study every day, 2-3 months will be pretty enough.
Mind however that once you become fluent, you are supposed not only to keep what you’ve learnt, but also to expand your vocabulary.
+ Shall I study every day?
If you want to progress fast and to make your study easier, I recommend you to study every day.
+ How long time a day should I study?
I think between 1/2 hour and 1 hour a day is fairly enough, provided that you use this time efficiently. Of course, you could study an hour and a half (or even two hours), but beware not to overwork yourself. Language study shall bring you pleasure, not make you bored and/or tired!
+ Do I need any Spanish language consultant?
If you are beginner – no, you don’t need any. If you are an advanced learner – you could consult somebody when you already get to master the “aerobatics”. It might not be necessary however, since Internet is very powerful reference source if you know where to search. And it can be used both by beginners and advanced learners.
+ Where should I put the stress during my Spanish studies?
You should listen and talk a lot. What is more you have to learn correctly all the new words and phrases in every lesson/unit – both their meaning and pronunciation.
Frequently Asked Questions about coping with
problems
+ What if I cannot understand what I hear on the radio or on TV?
Don’t worry if you cannot understand a lot of what you hear. Just try to discover, to recognize the Spanish words and phrases from all the lessons you’ve passed through so far. If you fail to do that,
1)Review again the words in your vocabulary; pronounce each one of them a couple of times.
2)Perform the listening part of your lessons again; do that only for those lessons where you have problems.
3)Listen more and more. Set yourself targets. Each target should comprise recognizing a certain amount of words from your vocabulary.
Start with natural speech listening sessions lasting 5-10 minutes a day. The more words you learn, the more ready you would be to extend this time.
+ What to do if I see I make no progress in Spanish?
The solution is simple:
•More reading and listening, and,
•More practice – try to repeat what you read and listen, try to imitate.
+ How to understand people who are speaking in Spanish too fast?
Only listening practice will help, more practice is going to gradually train your ears better and better. Anyway I recommend regular revision of your vocabulary, so that you could set yourself a target to discover every single word you’ve learnt so far in the conversation you hear.
+ I studied Spanish years ago. Now I feel I have forgotten most of what I had learnt. How long time will I need to refresh my memory?
Bringing the forgotten issues back to your memory is much easier than the process of initial study (this process is far behind you!) The better you used to manage the material years ago, the less time and efforts it will take to refresh your memory. To do that you could use the same learning program you used before, starting from where you think you’ve lost your touch with Spanish.
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