Spanish is a beautiful and historic language with more than 500 million speakers worldwide. It is one of the easier languages for English speakers to learn, as both languages share the same Latin roots. While learning any new language takes time and dedication, the satisfaction you feel, after having your first conversation with a Spanish speaker, will be well worth the effort! These are some great ideas for how to learn to speak Spanish – and have fun in the process!
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Method 1 of 3: Mastering the Basics
Step 1. Learn the Spanish alphabet
Although the Spanish alphabet is almost the same as Portuguese or English in its use, pronouncing each letter is quite difficult. While correct pronunciation is one of the most difficult skills to master for English learners who want to learn Spanish, learning how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet perfectly is a great start to your Spanish speaking adventure! Once you can pronounce all the letters individually, learning to pronounce all the words and phrases will be much easier. See below for the phonetic pronunciation of each letter of the Spanish alphabet:
- A = Ah, B = beh, C = seh, D = ok, E = uh, F = uh-feh, G = hehe, H = ah-cheh, I = ee
- J = hoh-tah, K = kah, L = uh-leh, M = uh-meh, N = uh-neh, = uh-nyeh, O = oh
- P = peh, Q = koo, R = uh-reh, S = uh-seh, T = tea, U = oo, V = -beh
- W = oo-bleh-doubleh, X = uh-kees, Y = ee gryeh-gah and Z = theh-tah.
- Note that the only letter in the Spanish alphabet that is not in English is the letter, which is pronounced uh-nyeh. This is a completely different letter from the letter N. The closest possible approximation in English is the "ny" sound in the word "canyon".
Step 2. Learn how to pronounce the Spanish alphabet
Once you learn the rules of Spanish reading, you will be able to pronounce any word you come across.
- ca, co, cu = kah, koh, koo. ce, ci = tea, thee or heh, see
- ch sounds ch in English
- ga, go, gu = gah, goh, goo. ge, gi = hey hee
- h does not sound. hombre spoken ohmbreh
- hua, hue, hui, huo = woh, weh, wee, woh
- ll sounds like y or j in English. Calle sounds kah-yeh or kah-jeh.
- The r at the beginning and the rr in the middle of a word sound extended. Take a look at How to Extend the "R" Sound.
- The r in the middle of a word sounds like the tt in butter in an American accent. Loro = lolttoh.
- que, qui = eh, kee
- v sounds like b
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y sounds like y or j in English. Yo sounds yoh or joh.
Take a look at How to Pronounce Spanish Letters and Certain Sounds.
Step 3. Learn to count
Knowing how to count is a required skill in any language. Learning to count in Spanish is not very complicated, because the names of numbers in Spanish are quite similar to English. The numbers from one to ten are listed below:
- one = Uno, Two = Dos, Three = Tres, Four = Cuatro, Five = Cinco, Six = Seis, Seven = Siete, Eight = Ocho, nine = Nueve, Ten = Diez.
- You have to realize that the number one -- "uno" – will change shape when used in front of a masculine or feminine noun. For example, the term "a man" is expressed as "unhombre", while the term "a daughter" is expressed as "una chica".
Step 4. Memorize simple vocabulary
The wider the vocabulary you have, the easier it will be to speak a language fluently. Familiarize yourself with as many simple everyday words as possible in Spanish – you'll be surprised how quickly they develop!
- One of the easiest ways to do this is to use cognate words - they share similar meaning, spelling and pronunciation in both languages. Learning Spanish cognate with English words is a great way to quickly increase your vocabulary, because 30%-40% of all English words have a cognate in Spanish.
- For words that don't have cognates, try using one of the following ways of remembering: When you hear a word in English, think about how you would pronounce it in Spanish. If you don't know it, write it down and look it up later. It is quite useful to carry a small notebook with you at all times for this purpose. Alternatively, try sticking small Spanish labels around your home, such as on mirrors, coffee tables and sugar bowls. You will see these words so often that you will learn them without realizing it!
- It is important to learn a word or phrase from 'Spanish to English' as well as 'English to Spanish'. This way you'll remember how to pronounce it, not just recognize it when you hear it.
Step 5. Learn some speech phrases
By learning the basics of polite conversation, you will very quickly be able to interact with Spanish speakers on a simple level. Write a few everyday Spanish phrases in a notebook and study between five and ten points each day. Here are some words/phrases to get you started:
- Hello! = ¡Hello!
- Yes = Si
- No = No
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Thank you! = ¡Gracias!
-- pronounced "grah-thyahs" or "grah-syas"
- Please = Por favor
- What is your name? = Como se llama usted?
- My name… = Me llamo…
- Nice to meet you = Mucho gusto
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See you later! = ¡Hasta luego!
-- pronounced "ahs-tah lweh-goh"
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Goodbye = ¡Adios!
-- pronounced "ah-dyohs"
Method 2 of 3: Learning Basic Grammar
Step 1. Learn how to conjugate regular verbs
Learning how to conjugate verbs is a major part of learning how to speak Spanish properly. Conjugation means taking the infinitive form of a verb (talk, eat) and changing its form to indicate who who does a job and when the work is done. When learning how to conjugate verbs in Spanish, a good place to start is with regular verbs in the present tense. Verbs in Spanish all end with " -ar", " -er" or " -ir" and how each verb is conjugated will depend on the ending. An explanation of how each type of regular verb is conjugated in the present tense is as follows:
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Verbs ending with "-ar". Hablar is the Spanish verb's infinitive form of "to speak". To change this verb into its present tense, all you need to do is omit " -ar" and adding different endings, which vary depending on the subject pronoun. For example:
- "I speak" becomes yo hablo
- "You speak (informal)" becomes t habla
- "You speak (formal)" becomes usted habla
- "He (male/female) speaks" becomes él/ella habla
- "We talk" becomes nosotros/as hablamos
- "You talk (informal)" becomes vosotros/as habláis
- "You all speak (formal)" becomes ustedes hablan
- "They talk" becomes ellos/ellas hablan
- As you can see, the six different endings used are -o, -US, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. These endings will be the same for all regular verbs that end in "-ar", such as bailar (dance), buscar (search), comprar (buy) and trabajar (work).
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Verbs ending with "-er". Comer is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb "to eat". To change this verb into the present tense, omit the "-er" and add the suffix -o, -ice, -e, -emotions, -éis or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. As an example:
- "I eat" becomes yo como
- "You eat (informal)" becomes t comes
- "You eat (formal)" becomes usted come
- "He (male/female) eats" becomes él/ella come
- "We eat" becomes nosotros/as comemos
- "You guys eat (informal)" becomes vosotros/as comeis
- "You all eat (formal)" becomes ustedes comment
- "They eat" becomes ellos/ellas comen
- These six endings will be the same for every "-er" regular verb, such as aprender (learn), beber (drink), leer (read) and vender (sell).
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Verbs ending with "-ir". Vivir is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb for "to live". To change this verb into the present tense, omit the "-ir" and add the suffix -o, -ice, -e, -imos, -ís or -en, depending on the subject pronoun. As an example:
- "I live" becomes yo vivo
- "You live (informal)" becomes t vives
- "You live (formal)" becomes usted live
- "He (male/female) lives" becomes él/ella vive
- "We live" becomes nosotros/as vivimos
- "You live (informal)" becomes vosotros/as vivís
- "You all live (formal)" becomes ustedes viven
- "They live" becomes ellos/ellas viven
- These six verb endings will be the same for every "-ir" regular verb, such as abrir (open), escribir (write), insistir (urge) and recibir (accept).
- Once you have mastered the present tense, you can move on to conjugating verbs in other forms, such as the future tense, past tense of the verb and past imperfect and conditional forms. The same basic method used to conjugate the present tense is also used for each of these forms - you simply take the origin of the verb from the infinitive and add a specific ending, which will vary depending on the subject pronoun.
Step 2. Learn how to conjugate commonly used irregular verbs
Once you understand how to conjugate regular verbs, you're off to a good start. However, be aware that not all verbs can be conjugated using the normal rules - there are many irregular verbs, each with its own unique conjugation that doesn't follow the rhythm or for any reason. Unfortunately, some of the most common colloquial verbs - such as ser and estar (both translate to "to be" in English), ir (to go) and haber (to have (to do)) - are irregular. The best thing to do is simply to study these verbs by heart:
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Ser. The verb "ser" is one of two verbs in Spanish that can be translated to "to be" in English. "Ser" is used to describe important characteristics of something - for example, this verb is used for physical descriptions, for time and date and to describe character and personality, among other things. This verb is used to describe what that something. The present tense of the conjugated verbs is as follows:
- "I am" becomes yo soy
- "You are (informal)" becomes t eres
- "You are (formal)" becomes usted es
- "He/she is" becomes él/ella es
- "We are" becomes nosotros/as somos
- "You all are (informal)" becomes vosotros/as sausage
- "You all are (formal)" becomes ustedes son
- "They are" becomes ellos/ellas son
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Estar. The verb "estar" also means "to be" in English, but is used in a different context than "ser". "Estar" is used for the state of something - for example, this verb is used to describe a conditional state such as feelings, moods and emotions, as well as the location of someone or something, among other things. This verb is used to describe how that something. The present form of this verb is conjugated as follows:
- "I am" becomes yo estoy
- "You are (informal)" becomes tú estás
- "You are (formal)" becomes usted está
- "He/she is" becomes él/ella está
- "We are" becomes nosotros/as estamos
- "You all are (informal)" becomes vosotros/as estáis
- "You all are (formal)" becomes ustedes están
- "They are" becomes ellos/ellas están
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Ir. The verb "ir" means "to go". These verbs are conjugated in their present tense as follows:
- "I'm leaving" becomes yo voy
- "You go (informal)" becomes t vase
- "You go (formal)" becomes usted va
- "He (boy/girl) goes" becomes él/ella va
- "We're leaving" becomes nosotros/as vamos
- "You guys go (informal)" becomes vosotros/as vais
- "You all go (formal)" becomes ustedes van
- "They left" became ellos/ellas van
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Haber. The verb "haber" can be translated either "I have" or "I have done", depending on the context. The present form of this verb is conjugated as follows:
- "I have (done)" becomes yo he
- "You have (done) (informal)" becomes t has
- "You have (done) (formal)" becomes usted ha
- "He (male/female) has (done)" becomes él/ella ha
- "We have (done)" becomes nosotros/as hemos
- "You have (done) (informal)" becomes vosotros/as habéis
- "You all have (done) (formal)" becomes ustedes han
- "They have (done)" became ellos/ellas han
Step 3. Learn the Spanish gender rules
In Spanish, like many other languages, every noun has a gender, either masculine or feminine. There's no surefire way to tell whether a noun is masculine or feminine from sound or spelling, so it's important to learn the gender as you study the word.
- For people, it is possible to make a guess based on whether a noun is masculine or feminine. For example, the word "girl" is feminine, la chica, while the word for "boy" is masculine, el chico. This is called the natural sex.
- Very few words for people have a grammatical gender. As an example, el bebe (the baby) is masculine and la visita (the visitor) is feminine. This also applies to baby girls and male visitors.
- In addition, nouns ending in "o", such as el libro (book), is usually masculine and a word that ends in "a", such as la revista (magazine) is usually feminine. However, there are many nouns that don't end in either "a" or "o", so this doesn't always help.
- Any adjective used to describe a noun must also follow the gender of the noun, so the adjective will change its form depending on whether a noun is masculine or feminine.
Step 4. Learn how to use definite and indefinite articles
In English, there is only one definite article "the" and three kinds of indefinite article "a", "an" or "some". However, in Spanish, there are four kinds of each. Which a speaker will use depends on whether the reference noun is masculine or feminine, plural or singular.
- For example, to refer to the English phrase "the male cat", in Spanish, you would need to use the definite article "el" - "el gato". When referring to the English phrase "the male cats ", the article must change to "los" - "los gatos".
- The article definitely changes again when it refers to the feminine form of cat. The English phrase "the female cat" uses the definite article "la" - "la gata", while the English phrase "the female cats" uses the definite article "las" - "las gatas".
- All four forms of the indefinite article are used in the same way - "un" is used for the masculine singular, "unos" is used for the masculine plural, "una" is used for the feminine singular and "unas" is used for the feminine plural.
Method 3 of 3: Learn Spanish
Step 1. Find a native speaker
One of the best ways to improve your new language skills is to practice speaking with a native speaker. They will find it easier to correct any grammatical or pronunciation mistakes you make and can introduce you to more informal or colloquial forms that you won't find in books.
- If you have a friend who speaks Spanish who wants to help, this is great! If not, you can place an ad in your local newspaper or online, to find out if there are any Spanish conversation groups available in your area.
- If you can't find a Spanish speaker nearby, try finding someone on Skype. They will likely want to swap 15 minutes of Spanish speaking for 15 minutes of English.
Step 2. Consider enrolling in a language course
If you need extra motivation or feel you would do better in a more formal setting, consider enrolling in a Spanish course.
- Look for language courses advertised at your local college, school or community center.
- If you're nervous about signing up for a course alone, invite a friend along. You'll have more fun as well as someone to practice with between courses!
Step 3. Watch Spanish language films and cartoons
Get some Spanish DVDs (with subtitles) or watch Spanish cartoons online. It's an easily entertaining thing to get a feel for the sound and structure of the Spanish language.
- If you're feeling particularly proactive, try pausing the video after a simple sentence and repeating what you just said. This will give your Spanish a genuine accent!
- If you can't find a Spanish-language film to buy, try renting one from a film rental shop, which often has a foreign language section. Alternatively, see if your local library has Spanish films or ask if they can find some for you.
Step 4. Listen to Spanish music and radio
Listening to music and/or radio in Spanish is another good way to surround yourself with the language. Even if you can't understand everything, try picking up some key words to help you understand what is being said.
- Get a Spanish radio app on your phone, so you can hear it on the go.
- Try downloading Spanish podcasts to listen to while exercising or doing homework.
- Alejandro Sanz, Shakira and Enrique Iglesias are some good Spanish speaking singers.
Step 5. Learn Spanish culture
Language exists in cultural dialogue, so certain expressions and mentalities are closely related to cultural origins. The study of culture may also help avoid social misunderstandings.
Step 6. Consider visiting a Spanish-speaking country
Once you're comfortable with the basics of conversational Spanish, consider taking a trip to a Spanish-speaking country. There's no other way to immerse yourself in a language than to get together and chat with the locals!
- Note that every Spanish-speaking country has a different accent, a different accent and sometimes even a different vocabulary. For example, Chilean Spanish is very different from Mexican Spanish, with Spanish Spanish and even Argentinian Spanish.
- In fact, as you advance in Spanish, you may find it helpful to focus on one particular type of Spanish. It can be confusing if your lessons are constantly switching between the meanings and pronunciations of words from each country. However, only about 2% of the Spanish vocabulary is different in each country. You have to concentrate on the remaining 98%.
Step 7. Don't despair
If you're serious about learning Spanish, stick with it - the satisfaction you get from mastering a second language will far outweigh the difficulties you'll encounter along the way. Learning a new language takes time and practice, it doesn't happen overnight. If you still need some extra motivation, here are a few things that can make learning Spanish easier than any other language:
- Spanish uses the Subject-Object-Verb word order, just like English. This means that it is easier to translate directly from English to Spanish without having to worry about rearranging sentence structures.
- Spanish spelling is very phonetic, so it's usually fairly easy to pronounce a word correctly, simply by calling it the correct spelling. This is not the case in English, so English-speaking Spanish learners will have a harder time pronouncing the words correctly while reading!
- As mentioned earlier, about 30% to 40% of words in Spanish have a cognate in English. This is due to the sharing of the same Latin roots. As a result, you should have a pretty good Spanish vocabulary before you even start learning - all it takes is some setup and a Spanish accent!
Tips
- Pay great attention to listening carefully and mentioning Spanish as it should be mentioned, as 'b' and 'd' are pronounced differently at the beginning and middle of a word. If you have good hearing, you can consciously change your accent to something that is less stiff.
- Practice all four components of learning a language. To learn a new language, you must practice reading, writing, listening and speaking. Make sure you spend some time on each aspect of learning this language.
- The parts of simple sentences can be strung together to form complex sentences. For example, "I want to eat" and "I'm hungry" are very simple, but they can be combined with a slight change to say, "I want to eat something now because I'm hungry".
- Bringing an instant electronic translator may be of some use when trying to think in Spanish and verifying your accuracy.
- Try to find a friend or colleague whose first language is Spanish. It can guide you through the nuances of the language, which may not be found in any books or study materials.
- Read, read, read! Read aloud to practice speaking. This is the best way to master a language because reading covers many aspects of a language-vocabulary, grammar, popular phrases and expressions. Reading above your level may be more difficult but more rewarding than reading at or below your level.
- Many words in a Latin-based language (Italian, Spanish, French, etc.) are quite similar to words in other languages. Learn the rules of changing between languages (like English words ending in "-ible" like "possible" are the same in Spanish, with only a change in pronunciation). With a simple change, you may already have a vocabulary of 2,000 words in Spanish.
Warning
- Learning a new language takes time and dedication. You will reap what you sow. So instead of getting frustrated, have fun learning it!
- The only way to learn a new language is to speak. Say it out loud, even if only to yourself. This will give you a sense of how it sounds.
