People often want to know how to learn Spanish fast or are looking for the easiest way to learn Spanish. The US Foreign Service Institute suggests it takes 600-750 hours for an English-speaker to learn Spanish fluently. Remember, how long it takes to learn Spanish really depends on you. Your time commitment, learning plan, materials, and other resources are all important. Students without a learning plan can be confused about what to study and lack awareness of whether they’re improving. A lack of a study plan is often why students reach a basic level of Spanish and then plateau or stop studying altogether. Your materials and resources will also be a big factor. With an effective curriculum of lessons and a native-speaking teacher, your Spanish learning will not only be quicker but more comprehensive. Some people also have the resource of an immersive environment: If you live in a Spanish-speaking country you’re likely to learn faster. Finally, your time commitment will determine how quickly you learn. A student that can learn 8 hours per week will learn much faster than a student who studies just 1 hour per week.

There are some common Spanish phrases that can help you go from zero to 60 in your speaking ability.

• How are you? ¿Qué tal?
  This can also be used for “how is [something]?” For example, “how was your weekend?” ¿Qué tal tu fin de semana?
• Nice to meet you. Mucho gusto.
• Where are you from? ¿De dónde eres?
• I’m from… Soy de…
• Have a good one! Que le vaya bien.
• You can say this whenever you leave a shop or a restaurant.
• Excuse me. Disculpe.
  This is for calling the attention of someone like a waiter.

The best thing about pronunciation in Spanish? It’s consistent. The vowels don’t change like they do in English. For example, in English the word “banana” has two different sounds for the letter “a.” This doesn’t happen in Spanish. The letter “a” will forever and always have the same sound.

The trickiest parts of pronunciation in Spanish are often the ñ, ll, and rr.

• ñ /ny/ like the “ni” in “onion.”
• ll /y/ like the “y” in “yes.”
• rr /rr/ is unique and doesn’t have an English equivalent. This is a “rolling r” officially known as a trill.

There are three basic ways to become fluent in Spanish: take lessons, self-study, or move to a Spanish-speaking country. The most successful students of Spanish typically do a combination of all three. Taking lessons online or in a classroom is a great way to make sure you’re learning all the right things and getting feedback for a strong foundation. Self-study using books or informal materials like TV shows, movies and music is another fun to get more hours listening, reading, and writing Spanish. Finally, moving to a Spanish-speaking country will build your confidence and fluency.

Learning Spanish on your own is a good way to study at your own pace in an environment that you control. There are plenty of free resources available as self-study material. Spanish-language movies with subtitles, TV shows, podcasts, and music are all great ways to increase your listening time. The more you hear Spanish, the more it will help with your comprehension, pronunciation, and vocabulary. It’s always a good idea to have a book to guide your study and ground your learning in correct Spanish. Check out your local library and see what they have.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world with almost 500 million native speakers mainly across Spain and the Americas (if you’d like to learn more about Latin American Spanish and all its varieties, click here). People often learn Spanish for work, study, immigration or for fun. If you are in a working or study environment that is all or partly Spanish, learning the language is critical. If you move to a Spanish-speaking country, learning Spanish will change your experience. You will have a deeper understanding of the culture and people around you in a way that is not possible without Spanish-speaking abilities. It will make your life easier when you can do all the basics of life from ordering in a restaurant, taking a taxi, and going to the immigration office in Spanish.