Nearly 10% of the world's population are Spanish speakers. This fact might motivate you to learn this language. If you want to be able to speak Spanish, take it slow by learning phrases that people usually use. If you're starting to master the language, you can hone your skills by doing activities related to Spanish, such as watching movies in Spanish, or taking courses to make yourself fluent in the language.
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Method 1 of 3: Studying Common Phrases
Step 1. Introduce yourself
One of the easiest ways to learn Spanish is to know how to greet other people. This can help introduce you to Spanish. Apart from that, you can also start communicating with other people in Spanish.
- Hola (OH-la) means "Hello" in Spanish. Even if you don't understand Spanish, you probably already know and understand this word. There are other Spanish greetings you can use, such as buenos días (booEHN-os DEE-as), which means "good morning," or buenos noches (booEHN-os NO-chehs), which means "good night."
- After learning the word "hello," you can then practice saying "¿ Cómo estás ?" (KOH-moh ess-TAHS) which means "How are you?" This question can be answered by saying estoy bien (ESS-toy bee-EHN) which means "I'm fine."
- You can also say mucho gusto (MOO-choh GOOS-toh) which means "Nice to meet you." After that, learn how to pronounce "My name is": me llamo (meh YAH-moh). By combining these two phrases, you can greet someone in Spanish by saying " Mucho gusto, me llamo Gilang," which means "Nice to meet you. My name is Gilang."
Step 2. Find Spanish loanwords in English
While you may not pronounce Spanish loanwords in the same way as fluent Spanish speakers, you may already know some Spanish words if you speak English fluently.
- Making a list of known Spanish can be a good way to expand your Spanish vocabulary because this list can be used as the foundation of your language.
- For example, there are some Spanish foods you may already know about, such as tacos and burritos.
- Also, there are some Spanish words that are the same as English (though they may be spelled or pronounced differently), such as animal and chocolate.
Step 3. Understand nouns by gender
One of the things that makes Spanish different from Indonesian and English is that all things have gender. In general, if the noun ends in o then the noun is masculine, whereas if the noun ends in a then the noun is feminine (although there are some exceptions).
- Unlike English and Indonesian, Spanish does not have the pronouns "this", "that", or "it". All nouns have gender, and even inanimate objects are referred to as persons using the same pronouns.
- Note that the gender used must match the gender of the word, not the gender of the object or creature it refers to. This will be a problem if you talk about animals. For example, when talking about dogs, you would say " el perro " (ehl PEH-rroh), which is a masculine word, even if the dog is a female.
Step 4. Memorize Spanish pronouns
Like English, Spanish verbs are conjugated depending on the pronoun you want to use. However, Spanish does not require speakers to pronounce pronouns or insert them into sentences. Your readers or listeners will understand the pronouns used by paying attention to the conjugations of the verbs.
- For example, if you want to convey a wish, you can say " yo quiero " (YO kee-EHR-OH) which means "I want to,". However, you can say " quiero " and the other person will understand the pronoun it refers to
- Here are the Spanish pronouns: yo which means "I", nosotros which means "we" or "we", él which means "he" (for men), ella which means "he" (for women), and ellos and ellas which means "they". Use ellas when you refer to a group of feminine objects or creatures and ellos to refer to a group of masculine objects or creatures or of multiple genders.
- Spanish has two forms of "you" pronouns, namely the formal and informal "you" pronouns. Use tú if you are talking to someone you know, or are not much older than you or younger. To refer to someone who is older, someone with power, or someone you don't know, use the polite and formal word usted. The plural for "you" (meaning "all of you") is ustedes. In Spanish, there is another plural for "you": vosotros or vosotras. Other countries that use Spanish as their official language use only ustedes.
Step 5. Understand basic Spanish sentence structures
While basic Spanish sentence structures are quite similar to Indonesian and English sentence structures, there are some differences that you should be aware of. Understanding proper Spanish sentence structure will help you to think and speak Spanish comfortably.
- Like Indonesian and English, Spanish sentences consist of a subject, followed by a verb, and an object. For example, when you say " yo quiero un burrito ", this sentence means "I" (subject) "want" (verb) " burrito " (object).
- Different from English, but similar to Indonesian, in Spanish adjectives are usually placed before objects. For example, if you wanted to say "red book" in English, you would put an adjective before the object (red book). In Spanish, you would say libro rojo (LEE-bro ROH-ho).
- There are some exceptions to this sentence structure. For example, demonstrative adjectives, such as "ese", "este", and "aquel") as well as possessive adjectives, such as "mi", "tu", and "su") are placed in front of the object or creature described.
Step 6. Learn situational words and phrases
Depending on your reasons for wanting to learn Spanish, there are some words that will be very useful to you when you start learning to speak Spanish. Learning the words and phrases you use in everyday life can help you master the basic structure of Spanish-
- Think of a word or phrase that is spoken frequently every day. For example, you might say "please" (por favor) and "thank you" (gracías) several times a day. por favor (pohr fah-VOR) and gracías (gra-SEE-ahs) are easy-to-learn and polite Spanish words.
- When someone says gracías to you, you can reply by saying " de nada " (deh NA-da) which means "You're welcome" (or literally "It's nothing").
- It's also a good idea to learn Spanish "Yes" (sí) and "No" (no) if you don't already know them. Here's how to pronounce the two words sí (sii) and no (no).
Method 2 of 3: Doing Activities Related to Spanish
Step 1. Visit a country where Spanish is the official language
Once you've mastered some of the basic phrases used in conversation, visiting a country where Spanish is the official language can help you learn and understand the language quickly.
- Doing language-related activities is probably the fastest way to learn any language. When you realize it, you use this method to learn your first language. You may have learned good speaking before going to school and learned the rules of grammar, reading, and writing.
- Doing Spanish-related activities is beneficial if you want to be able to speak Spanish. However, this does not teach you how to read and write in Spanish. Therefore, you should keep learning spelling and grammar. However, it can be easier to do if you have mastered how to speak Spanish.
- There are many schools and programs in Spanish-speaking countries that allow you to learn Spanish by interacting directly with the people and culture of Spain and Latin American countries. If you don't have enough money to go abroad, you can take part in various Spanish-related activities at home.
Step 2. Watch Spanish-language television shows
You may have trouble identifying individual words when listening to people speaking Spanish. This will make it difficult for you to understand what the other person is saying. Watching television shows in Spanish can help sharpen your hearing in distinguishing the sounds of words.
- Search for a television show or movie you like with Spanish dubbing. You can identify words and understand what is being said on television shows or movies because you already know the context of the conversation.
- Using Spanish subtitles and Spanish dubbing when watching television shows or movies can help you follow along and understand what is being said. In addition, it also trains the brain to associate certain letters with specific sounds.
- When you're starting to understand Spanish, watch a television show or movie you've never seen and put your skills to the test.
Step 3. Talk to a Spanish speaker
You don't have to travel to Spain or a Latin American country to find a native Spanish speaker who wants to talk to you.
- Talking and listening to how native Spanish speakers speak can help you understand the flow of the conversation. Native speakers can also correct mistakes made before you embarrass yourself or cause misunderstandings because the other person misunderstood what you were saying.
- Note that each country has its own pronunciation. Spaniards have a different pronunciation than people who learn Spanish in Mexico. Also, people from Mexico will have a different accent than Colombians, as will the difference in accents between British and American people.
- When you're just learning Spanish, it's a good idea to look for native Mexican or Ecuadorian speakers as they usually speak more slowly.
Step 4. Listen to music in Spanish
Listening to music is a good way to identify individual words and combine them into complete phrases or sentences in your mind because song lyrics are usually repetitive and slow. Try listening to the song while singing it over and over so you can get used to the pronunciation and understand the lyrics.
- If you have satellite radio, you can search for radio stations that broadcast songs and talks in Spanish. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find Spanish-language radio stations on the AM or FM frequency.
- Apart from the radio, you can also listen to Spanish songs on the internet. You can start listening to music online by searching for songs that are currently popular in certain Spanish-speaking countries, such as Mexico or Colombia.
- Search for some songs that you like and find the lyrics on the internet. This way, you can listen to the song while reading the lyrics to help you understand how words are pronounced and written.
Step 5. Change the language used by the device (device)
By using the settings available on your smartphone, computer, or tablet, you can change the device's default language from English to Spanish. Once you understand the layout and user interface of your device, you can learn these names in Spanish.
- Many websites and social media platforms allow you to change the default language. You can even change your browser's default language or use a special plugin to translate English pages into Spanish. However, be careful because the translation results are not always accurate and not of good quality.
- You can also search and read Spanish-language websites. Many websites have videos that contain video transcripts. That way, you can hear and read the video transcript at the same time.
Step 6. Label household items
Looking at an item and its name in Spanish every day can help you memorize the item's name and increase your Spanish vocabulary.
- The items you will need are paper, tape, and a pen or marker. Make sure you use a tape that won't peel the paint off or damage the item you're tagged with because you might tear it off.
- Don't label everything right away, as this can overwhelm you. Select 5 to 10 items, look for a translation of the item's name in Spanish, and label it. If you have memorized the name of this item, remove the label and label another item. You can re-label an item if you forget the name.
Method 3 of 3: Take the Course
Step 1. Confirm whether you want to take the course
If you have the money and time, taking a course or inviting a private tutor can help you learn Spanish faster.
- By taking a course or inviting a private tutor, you will receive assessment and correction from a trained teacher.
- If you don't have enough money to invite a private tutor, or don't have the opportunity to take a course, consider learning Spanish with a friend so you can both assess and correct each other.
Step 2. Search for online Spanish lessons or courses on the internet
There are many websites and mobile apps that teach you basic Spanish for free. Don't expect these websites and apps to teach you to speak fluent Spanish. However, these websites and apps can help increase your knowledge of aspects of the language, such as grammar and vocabulary.
- In addition, there are many programs that require you to spend quite a lot of money. You can join this program if you have enough money and feel that the program can improve your skills. However, keep in mind that you don't have to spend money to learn Spanish.
- Websites and mobile apps can help you learn basic vocabulary and phrases on a regular basis. However, this will not help you understand Spanish in depth. Therefore, it is recommended that you do Spanish-related activities at home or abroad if you want to become fluent in Spanish.
- This program will usually help if you want to be able to read and write in Spanish. If your goal is to speak Spanish, it's a good idea to practice speaking the language with other people.
Step 3. Schedule time to practice each day
Mastering Spanish takes a long time and it can't be learned quickly. Determine the duration of daily Spanish lessons. Also, try to schedule lessons at the same time each day so that you get used to the practice.
- Using the scheduler tool available on your computer or smartphone can be a good option because you can set notifications or alarms when it's time to learn Spanish.
- Don't train so hard and for so long that you get bored or lose your enthusiasm. However, make sure the duration of the study is long enough so that you can study effectively and learn new knowledge. For example, if you practice for 15 minutes every night, take five minutes to review what you learned the previous day, five minutes to learn something new, and the last five minutes to review the lesson you just learned.
Step 4. Set measurable goals
Learning a new language can be overwhelming, especially if you think about the time it will take to fully master your first language. By setting realistic and more achievable goals, you can monitor your learning progress.
- The goals you set may relate to the Spanish language itself or relate to your study method. For example, if you watch a television show in Spanish to get used to the language, you might plan to watch one episode each night. A language-related goal might be to learn 5 new verbs every week.
- Write down your goals and evaluate your learning progress each week. If you fail to reach your goal, don't be too disappointed and sad. You can evaluate your learning methods and find out what mistakes you made. If your failure can be corrected by resetting your study method, change your learning method and try again next week.
Tips
- Learning a second language is difficult. Don't beat yourself up too much if you forget something or make a mistake because everyone makes mistakes. Try to practice gradually each day and be patient.
- You can take courses to help you master Spanish. Taking courses can make your efforts to learn the language easier and also get suggestions and corrections from teachers.
- Try meeting a Spanish-speaking friend every day for more information about the language as well as learning tips.
