Learning Spanish takes 16 to 20 weeks. The US Foreign Service language Institute also backs the number. According to the institute, to learn Spanish, you need to spend at least 480 hours.
If you assume that you spent 4 hours a day learning Spanish in the classroom and outside, that is 17 weeks.
There are, however, a few factors that can impact this timeline. We will share the answers to a few questions below, which will help you understand how this timeline can vary.
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What is our end goal?
When you ask the question, how many weeks does it take to learn Spanish? You have to first define the term learn.
What does it mean for you?
Are you satisfied with being able to converse in Spanish?
The word ‘learn’ can mean different things to different people.
Accordingly, the number of weeks it takes will also vary. If you just want to convert occasionally in Spanish, it might take you less than 16 weeks to do so. While, if you wish to read and write Spanish with accuracy, it can take you more than 20 weeks. Therefore, the first thing which you need to do is to define the term learn.
Only when your end goal is clear can you gain insight regarding how much time it will take.
Which learning method are you using?
You can learn Spanish with different methods. Each method has a different time frame. We will share a few methods below and how long it can take you while using those methods.
1. Immersion method:
Immersion method allows you to learn Spanish not just from videos, audios, and classroom lecturing but also through real-life conversations. It makes you use various communication methods through which you can learn Spanish. Needless to say, it is the fastest way to learn Spanish. Still, it will take you 16 weeks or so.
2. Learning through lectures and courses:
If you plan to learn through video/audio courses, it will take you longer. It is because these courses put little emphasis on actually using the Spanish words. You can assume that the entire process will take you up to 20 weeks to learn Spanish.
3. Learning through games:
Did you know that there are language learning games as well?
There are many such smartphone apps and web-based games. The more you play these games, the better will be your comprehension of Spanish. However, they still cannot beat the immersion method, and you can expect to spend 17 to 18 weeks in learning Spanish.
Want the best way out?
If yes, using these three methods in conjunction can help you learn Spanish faster.
How consistent are you?
Everybody will tell you whether you should spend 2 hours per day learning Spanish or 4 hours per day. However, very few courses/websites/people will ask you how consistent you are in learning Spanish?
You are learning a new language. Your mind is trying to grasp new knowledge. Therefore, if you just attend a lesson or use the immersion method once in a while, it will take you more than a year to learn Spanish.
Every time you start your session, you will have to first refresh your previous knowledge.
Instead, if you learn Spanish daily, the retention will be much higher. You need not spend time again and again in revising.
The progress in that case will be much faster.
You might be thinking, what if you learn Spanish every alternate day?
You can certainly do so, but you have to stick to that pattern. If you randomly start learning Spanish whenever you get free time, it will be difficult for you to progress consistently. Ultimately, you might end up spending more time in learning Spanish. A consistent pattern that you stick to will significantly reduce the time to learn Spanish.
Learning Spanish daily or every alternate day is good enough. However, if you reduce the frequency more than that, it starts to prolong the time you needed.
How dedicated are you?
Another factor that determines the learning time is your dedication. We’re not just speaking about the number of hours you spend. Instead, we are speaking about how focused you are during the learning session.
How many weeks does it take to learn Spanish?
If you want to learn Spanish in 16 to 20 weeks, as highlighted above, there are a few focusing tips to follow. These include:
· You have to stay away from your smartphone during the learning sessions. The only exception is using the smartphone to learn Spanish.
· You have to ensure that you do not get distracted by any other thing during your learning and practice sessions.
· You have to ensure that you repeat the exercises that you find difficult. If you keep on skipping the hard lessons, you will never learn Spanish.
· Additionally, while learning Spanish, you should not attempt to multitask. Your brain needs 100% attention to focus on learning something new. Any attention deficit will exponentially increase the time you need to learn Spanish.
· Instead of completing the lesson in numerous sessions, you have to try and do so in a single session. It will help you grasp the topic in its entirety. It will also help you cut down on the revision time. Consequently, you can grasp it in lesser time.
· Another tip that you need to follow is to choose the right method and course of learning. If you find the course to be complicated, it will become difficult for you to focus. You have to conduct some due diligence and then choose your learning method and course.
Once you follow these few tips, it will be pretty easy for you to focus during your learning sessions. Following these few tips will ensure that you can learn Spanish in 16 weeks rather than drag it to 20 weeks or higher.
Thus, learning Spanish can take anywhere from 16 weeks to 20 weeks. Using our guide above, you can ensure that you achieve the same in just 16 weeks rather than 20 weeks.
However, to do so, you need to take into account the various factors which we have highlighted above.
Only when you follow the above tips and minimize the distractions, can you achieve your goal of learning Spanish in 16 weeks.
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article. Thanks for providing this information. Josy Erin Nahamas