Learning Spanish - Why , Where & How?

Why?

1. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world. Spain is one of the biggest countries in Western Europe and Spanish is also spoken as the official language in large areas of South America and in Equatorial Guinea in Africa. There are also a large number of Spanish speakers in The Philippines as they used to be a Spanish colony, although it is no longer an official language there. It is also still spoken by many people in some of the North African countries, along with Arabic.


2. Spanish is generally thought to be one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to learn, many references say it is second only to Dutch. It is even easier if you already have some knowledge of other ‘Romance’ languages such as French.


3. Spanish people don’t like it if you go there and don’t try to speak their language. Although you’ll still find some who will always answer you in English, however hard you try...


4. You will be able to read all the labels on the bottles of Rioja and strange liqueurs you brought back from your holiday to Marbella as well as the small print on your timeshare contract...


5. You can get another GCSE or A Level. Spanish is a widely available subject for GCSE and A Level so you could learn the language and get a very recognisable qualification and prove to the youngsters it isn’t too difficult to do!

Where?

• Evening classes – widely available in towns across the UK. Conversation classes are also available in many areas.


• With a private teacher – one to one lessons are good if you want an intensive course or have special needs such as business Spanish.


• In a Spanish speaking country. Spain is one option, but be careful where you go. ‘Official’ Spanish is Castillian and it is not spoken in every area of Spain. People in the area around Barcelona speak Catalan which is similar but not identical. Also, Basque is spoken in some areas of Spain. You could also go to a South American country such as Peru or Mexico and combine seeing the sights with learning the language.


• From a book – Spanish books/CDs etc are widely available in bookshops and you can combine learning with a daily commute.
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• Online. There are number of free Spanish courses online, including the BBC. You can also find many Spanish learning podcasts available for free. It’s also possible to get programs and online courses that you can buy.
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How?

The same as most languages really – practise! Whilst there are probably ‘learn while you sleep’ CDs available for sale from less than scrupulous websites, there is no proof that they actually work for language learning. Listen to as much Spanish as you can and try to read as much as possible too, looking up words you need to in a dictionary. If you need to look up a word then you are more likely to remember it.

Paula is a qualified EFL teacher who has taught in the UK and abroad. She has also taught adult literacy and numeracy in prisons and is now combining a small amount of private teaching with writing.