Learning Spanish

There are about 572 million Spanish speakers in the world. This number is expected to jump to more than 750 million by 2060. Spanish is the official language in 21 countries worldwide (or one of them). 

What I’m trying to say is that learning Spanish is critical. If you’ve been debating learning Spanish or are a beginner, you’ll be tapping into a hugely influential language. But, to achieve your goal of fluency, you’ll need a strategy. And you have come to the right place: in this post, we’ll walk you through the process of learning Spanish step by step!

Part 1: Starting From The Beginning

The steps in the guide below are listed in the order in which you should complete each task.

While you are free to follow the sections in any order you like, keep in mind that the list has been carefully planned for maximum efficiency so that you can progress more quickly.

How long it takes will depend on various factors, including how much daily study time you have available, how much Spanish you know when you start, and your learning speed.

The Alphabet

Although it may appear obvious, the first step in learning a new language is to study its alphabet.

You will notice that there are some letters in Spanish that English does not have (for example, or ll).

Similarly, there are letters that English uses like there’s no tomorrow, but Spanish avoids (k and w are the best examples).

This first step can be used to learn how to pronounce single words correctly, which will help you later in your journey.

Try it out for yourself: Listen to the Spanish alphabet song. Take note of the pronunciation! Check each word in your Forvo studies to ensure you read the letters and words correctly.

Learn Basic Vocabulary

By increasing your vocabulary before studying tenses and other grammar concepts, you ensure that you will have enough words to work with when it comes time to start building sentences.

It is a great idea to learn new words by themes, whether you use an app to learn them daily or in chunks.

Keep it simple first, focusing on commonly used words before progressing to more complex topics.

Every learner must go through an initial phase in which many topics must be learned before taking their first steps.

Try it out for yourself: Consider the types of conversations you are likely to have in Spanish based on your learning objectives. Make some of your themed vocabulary lists.

The words you learn should come in handy. Learning Spanish words is pointless if you’re never going to use them!

Learn cognates early on to expand your Spanish vocabulary. A cognate is a word with the exact sound and meaning in two languages. There are numerous cognates in both Spanish and English. You already have far more Spanish vocabulary than you ever imagined!

Try it out for yourself: Once you understand what cognates are, you will notice them everywhere! Write down your favorites from the two cognate lists linked above, then add to this list of “words you didn’t know you knew” as you discover new cognates.

Here’s an example to get you started: función (function) (function). (You can also add that to your list of accented words!)

Spanish Articles, Gender Rules, And Plurals

Although English has three articles (“a,” “an,” and “the”), Spanish has eight!

If Spanish articles are not studied initially, they tend to give learners headaches later. So study them now!

Try it out for yourself: Every new noun you learn should now have a corresponding article. This is the most effective method for learning both nouns and articles simultaneously! For example, instead of just coche, write el coche (the car).

Gender and number (something that could be singular or plural) go hand in hand with Spanish articles, two of the simplest but most important topics to cover while warming up.

By learning these two concepts, you will know that each Spanish adjective and noun has a specific gender and number, and you will begin to understand how important these are in sentence construction.

Try it out for yourself: Make a list of masculine and feminine adjectives. For instance: rojo roja (red). Voilà! By changing a few letters, you have doubled the number of words you know!

Accentuation Rules And Accent Marks

You’ve probably noticed that some of the letters in written Spanish have little “lines” above them. These accent marks are essential if you want to read Spanish words properly.

You will be good enough to read and spell Spanish words correctly if you learn a few accentuation rules!

Try it out for yourself: Examine the extensive list of Spanish words with accent marks on Juegos de palabras. Don’t be alarmed by the influx of Spanish! Take a few words from all over the page and write them down. Make an educated guess about what they mean, look them up, and write down the definitions. It might be useful to organize the words by category or rule. As you learn new common words with accent marks, add to this list!

Learn key Spanish verbs

You can now begin learning the essential Spanish verbs. This is the point at which you will no longer be learning isolated words but will be able to form sentences with the help of a few verbs.

Ser, Estar, and Haber (all have the same meaning, “to be”) are great ways to start a conversation. You will become capable of talking about yourself and your surroundings if you learn these three grammar monsters.

You can also start looking at how to conjugate regular verbs in the first (-ar), second (-er), and third (-ir) conjugations at this point.

Try it out for yourself: Make a list of everyday verbs, such as “to eat,” and translate them into Spanish—comer.

Personal Pronouns And Related Words

Personal pronouns (“I,” “you,” “he,” and so on) are a good place to start, but they are not the only option. They have many friends!

You can already say “a car” in Spanish, but what if you want to discuss “this” or “that” car, or even “your” car?

Adverbs of demonstration and possession are used. These little words are a treasure in any language, allowing you to talk or write about anything in greater detail.

Additionally, direct and indirect object pronouns will be useful if you want to feel like a true native speaker.

Furthermore, pronouns are always useful when you can’t remember the noun!

Try it out: Replace the articles with 25 nouns you already know with demonstratives or possessives.

For example, un coche/el coche/este coche/mi coche (the car/a car/this car/my car).

Cultural Info For Beginners

This is an excellent time to learn more about the culture of the language you are studying. Learn more about dialects, music, and other interesting topics to spice up your Spanish.

Part 2: Spanish Tenses And Forming Sentences

You still have no idea what Spanish looks like at this point. This is the ideal time to learn about word order and sentence structure!

Don’t be concerned if you come across unfamiliar words or tenses. It will all come together in time, and you will understand the entire sentence.

Let’s start stringing together all those new words you’ve learned into coherent thoughts!

The First Two Tenses: Present Simple And Future Simple

In that order, most Spanish students learn simple present and future tenses first.

The present simple is primarily used to discuss your daily routines. This tense is also popular in Spanish for various purposes (including the future! ), so it’s a good place to start.

The future simply allows you to express all of your future thoughts. You will have everything you need to discuss the future, and the wordiness is a (going to) used with the infinitive.

It will most likely take some time for you to master the endings of the present tense, but once you do, the future simple tense will come naturally.

Try it out for yourself: Write very simple sentences using the nouns and verbs you already know to practice the present and future tenses.

Here are some examples of how that could look:

Yo como. (I eat.)

Ella bebe. (She drinks.)

Nosotros viajaremos. (We will travel.)

Ellos se ducharán. (They will take a shower.)

Your Third Tense: The Present Progressive

The gerundio will be your new favorite word (gerund).

Once you’ve learned how to form it in Spanish and pair it with one of the verbs you already know (estar), you’ll be able to use the present progressive to explain what you’re doing right now!

Try it out for yourself: Change some of the sentences you’ve written so far into the present progressive.

Asking Questions And Making The Connections: Interrogatives And Relatives

You’ve already taken some baby steps toward actual Spanish conversations and are eager for more. Great!

Relatives and interrogatives are two categories of words that allow us to create longer, more specific sentences by simply adding a few words here and there.

You don’t know how to construct complex sentences yet, but you will very soon!

Interrogatives are used to turn sentences into questions, and relatives are used to connecting thoughts and sentences.

Try it out for yourself: Rephrase some of the sentences you’ve written so far as questions:

Ella está bebiendo. (She is drinking.) → ¿Qué está bebiendo? (What is she drinking?)

The Art Of Saying “No”

One of the best and most useful things you can learn in a new language is how to say “no” and negate verbs.

Every single sentence with a verb can be turned into a negative! By adding a few words, you can double the number of sentences you can say.

Try it out for yourself: Return to the sentences you’ve already written and make some negative ones. As an example:

Yo como. (I eat.) → Yo no como. (I don’t eat.)

Ella está bebiendo. (She is drinking right now.) → Ella no está bebiendo (She isn’t drinking right now.)

Time For The Present Perfect

Before we consider the beginner section completed, we will add one more grammar topic: the present perfect, which is used to talk about things you have done.

Your beginner grammar lessons will be completed once you have learned this tense. Excellent work!

Part 3: Intermediate Spanish: Jump With What You Know

Revisiting Pronouns And Adding More

There are pronouns everywhere. Even numbers can be used as pronouns!

Knowing the various types of pronouns and how they work is critical for improving your Spanish skills and producing more of the language.

It’s time to brush up on your knowledge of relative, interrogative, and demonstrative pronouns.

Try it out for yourself: Write some sentences, then modify and transform them with the various pronouns you’ve learned. As an example:

Quiero el libro. (I want the book.) → Lo quiero. (I want it.)

Este libro es muy interesante. Este es muy interesante también. (This book is very interesting. This one is very interesting, too.)

Irregular Verbs

The verb gustar (to like) is unique. Discover a new field of the Spanish language by getting to know it and its siblings!

But gustar isn’t the only verb that can act strangely. Numerous irregular verbs in Spanish can drive anyone insane.

Did you think you’d had enough of verbs? Honey, the party has only just begun! Irregular verbs will be around for a long time, so get used to them.

Try it out for yourself: Write some sentences in the tenses you already know using gustar and other irregular verbs. Below are some examples to get you started:

Me gusta estudiar idiomas. (I like studying languages.)

Lo tendré mañana. (I will have it tomorrow.)

Ella está durmiendo. (She is sleeping.)

The Imperfect And The Preterite Tenses

These two tenses allow us to talk about the past, which adds a new dimension to the topics we can now discuss.

These two tenses are frequently studied together so the learner can clearly distinguish between them.

In general, the preterite means the discrete actions completed at a specific point in the past, whereas the imperfect refers to actions performed repeatedly over a period in the past.

Try it out for yourself: Take a few sentences from point 14 and convert them into the imperfect and preterite. You can also create your new sentence. As an example:

Me gusta estudiar idiomas. (I like studying languages.) → Me gustaba estudiar idiomas. (I used to like studying languages.)

Ella estuvo durmiendo ocho horas. (She was sleeping for eight hours.)

After you’ve beaten the imperfect vs. preterite battle, the conditional tense and conditional sentences will seem like a piece of cake.

The conditional is used for various purposes, from politeness to expressing things you “would” do or like to do.

Try it out for yourself: Create some polite sentences using the conditional tense, such as:

Querría un bolígrafo, por favor. (I would like a pen, please.)

¿Podría cerrar la puerta, por favor? (Could you close the door, please?)

The past progressive is our next tense. We use it to describe actions that occurred continuously in the past.

Try it out for yourself: Create some past progressive tense sentences. You should be good enough to write longer sentences.

This progressive journey comes to a close with a thorough review of all progressive tenses. In the post I just linked, you’ll also find a new tense: the future progressive. Take your time absorbing all of the new information. The real adventure is about to begin!

Finally, practice giving commands using the imperative. Do not overlook the negative commands! (Do you see what I did there?

You can even use your puppy to practice the imperative!

Try it out for yourself: Create a list of ten commands and reverse them. As an example:

¡Juega! (Play!) → ¡No juegues! (Do not play!)

¡Corre! (Run!) → ¡No corras! (Do not run!)

Part 4: Adding Details To Your Sentences

The World Of Prepositions

Prepositions are words used in conjunction with verbs to show how two things relate.

The battle between por and para is probably the most difficult part of learning Spanish prepositions. They are difficult to master, but they are necessary because they form many expressions we use daily.

Prepositions are so important that a specific one always follows some verbs, and some verbs even change meaning depending on the preposition that follows them.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions connect thoughts and ideas and are one of the primary tools we use to organize our speech and writing. Using them will allow you to construct longer and more complex sentences.

Try it out: Select ten conjunctions and create sentences with them. As an example:

Juan y María están enamorados. (Translates to: Juan and María are in love.)

Voy a comprarlo aunque no me gusta. (Translates to I will buy it even though I do not like it.)

Adverbs And More Adjectives

Adverbs help us answer questions like “where,” “when,” and “how,” among other things.

They will broaden your vocabulary and allow you to construct more complex sentences.

Best of all, you can use a simple trick to convert the adjectives you learned earlier into adverbs.

Try it out for yourself: Select ten adjectives and turn them into -mente adverbs:

exacto (exact) → exactamente (exactly)

rápido (quick) → rápidamente (quickly)

Many adjectives are already familiar to you from the Beginner’s Vocabulary section.

However, there are many more! You can use adjectives to describe people, discuss the best and worst aspects of something, and so much more!

Part 5: Putting On The Final Touches

Additional Grammar And Skills

You should be able to hold a more-than-basic conversation on various topics by now, and your vocabulary should have skyrocketed in the last few steps.

But now what?

There are certain topics that, when added to your conversations or writing, will brighten your Spanish.

It is impossible to list all of them, but here is a starting point:

• Suffixes and prefixes. These will significantly increase the number of words you know in minutes!
• The personal a. The earlier you understand it, the better!
• Practice reading comprehension. The more you read, the more you will learn. So get reading!
• Practice listening. Improve your Spanish by improving your understanding of the spoken language.
• Making conversational corrections. Perfect practice makes perfect!
• I’m trying to think in Spanish. Every sentence begins with a thought.
• Level assessments. This may not be the best way to improve your Spanish expression, but taking a level test will tell you if you need to revise something important. Keep your fingers crossed!

More Vocabulary!

I always say that you should never stop learning new words. There is always something you don’t understand!

Continue to learn new words as you progress through the intermediate and advanced stages.

Part 6: Advanced Spanish: Taking Spanish To The Next Level

This is the last stretch of the road!

You were lucky to say hola in Spanish a few weeks or months ago, and now you’re starting the advanced level.

Congrats!

Let’s go the extra mile and prepare for fluency. Let’s get started!

Advanced Tenses

Yes, there are still some tenses to learn, and they will not be an easy walk in the park. Let’s begin with pluscuamperfecto. The name is a mouthful, but it is the same as the English past perfect. That is the tense in which we describe past events before other past events!

Try it out for yourself: Make a few sentences in the pluscuamperfecto tense. You can assist yourself by incorporating the preterite into the sentences.

The subjunctive tenses are the next set of tenses. The subjunctive is used as much as (if not more than) the indicative in Spanish, so it’s time to make that qualitative leap from intermediate greyness to advanced awesomeness!

Try it out for yourself: The subjunctive cannot be learned in a few days. It takes time and a lot of practice!

“Tiempo para practicar el Indicativo y Subjuntivo” is a book I recommend. It contains hundreds of exercises and will teach you everything you need about the subjunctive!

If the price is prohibitively high, there are many other options for learning and practicing the subjunctive, such as Barron’s “Spanish Grammar” book.

Passive Voice

The passive voice shifts the emphasis away from sentence subjects and toward the action and object of the sentence.

Using the passive voice, you can add another layer of politeness to your conversations.

It can, however, be used for much more, so learn it as soon as possible.

Try it out for yourself: Now that you can construct complex sentences, try writing a few in the passive voice.

Reported Speech

You may not realize it yet, but we use the reported speech more frequently than you think. You are using it every time you repeat what someone else has said!

This topic may be a nightmare for some students, but remember that it is your final major grammar topic! You should be pleased with yourself.

Try it out for yourself: Listen to Spanish audio (music, news, online dialogues, etc.) and jot down some of the sentences you hear. After that, convert them into the reported speech. Here’s an example:

…y cuando llegué a casa encendí la TV y me quedé dormida en el sofá… (…and when I arrived home I turned on the TV and fell asleep on the sofa…) → 

Ella dijo que cuando llegó a casa encendió la TV y se quedó dormida en el sofá. (She said that when she arrived home, she turned on the TV and fell asleep on the sofa.)

More Ways To Learn Spanish

Whatever brought you here, there are as many different ways to learn as there are learners. We all study differently, and you may prefer one method over another.

However, many people feel lost immediately and have no idea where to start, what tools are available, or which method is best for them.

The best way to make an informed decision is to familiarise yourself with all available resources.

The following list is not exhaustive, but it should help you decide where to begin. Each link will take you to a full free post on the subject!

For Beginners

• Grammar lessons and online courses. You can choose from a wide range of free and low-cost online courses that will get you from point A to point B in no time.
• Apps for beginners. Download a few phone apps and have fun while learning! There are so many Spanish learning apps available that you would need five lifetimes to use them all!
• Books for newcomers. If you want to start reading at a young age, the options are endless, from graded readers to bilingual books.
• Websites dedicated to grammar. Don’t know where to begin learning grammar? There are thousands of websites dedicated to this topic!
• FluentU. Whether you prefer to learn online, with printed sheets, on your phone, while listening to music, or watching videos makes no difference. FluentU provides you with everything you need to get started at any level.
• FluentU is about far more than just videos: You also get interactive flashcards and vocabulary lists, annotated subtitles, and personalized quizzes that change as you learn.

For Intermediate Learners

• A typical group course. If you need that interactive touch in your language-learning journey, this option may be just what you need to keep going.
• Online resources are available. There are virtually limitless resources available online to practice your Spanish, which is just a click away.
• Audiobooks and podcasts. Because you can train your ear to learn new things, audio-based learning tools like podcasts and audiobooks are ideal for intermediate learners.
• Lessons on video. When it comes to Spanish video lessons, YouTube is a gold mine. Whatever you require, there is most likely a YouTube lesson for it!

For Advanced Learners

• A personal tutor. If you are already advanced in your learning or need to prepare for an exam, one-on-one instruction is ideal.
• Exchanging languages. You may not require formal language instruction but wish to improve your Spanish speaking or writing skills.
• Find a language exchange partner (or several) who will teach you Spanish in exchange for you teaching them your native language.
• Study in another country. Immersion in the language by studying or working abroad for at least a few months is the ultimate tool for learning real Spanish.
• You will be seeing and hearing Spanish all the time. Prepare to become fluent without even realizing it!

Conclusion

The conclusion is straightforward: you are fantastic, you are fluent, and you are the best! If you have followed this post step by step, you are now fully prepared to go out into the world and use your Spanish language skills (if you have not already). Keep your curiosity alive. Happy studying!