Depending on where you live there are good reasons to learn Spanish. If you live in North America then you have good reason to learn the language. In the United States, for instance, there are numerous communities that speak Spanish. Being able to speak to them can improve your career prospects and your standing within the community. And many of North Americas southern neighbors and the islands surrounding the continent speak Spanish as their first language.
In Europe, Spain is a popular tourist destination or place to settle for retired people, so a grasp of Spanish would improve your time spent in the country. So if you are planning to learn Spanish, you probably want to learn it as quickly as possible. Don't we all. Everybody hates having to learn the word for apple or how to conjugate the verb to sing.
We want to be able to talk to people and have a meaningful conversation. Learning grammar and vocabulary has to be the most boring thing to do when learning a new language. It is a rote method of learning that is time consuming and pretty dull after a while. Learning grammar and vocabulary via these methods are alien to how we learned our native languages. We picked them up through repetition and ultimately a desire to use the language. If you have ever studied how a child learns his native language then you will see this in action.
The child listens to his mother early on. The words and communication are repeated until he seems to be understanding what is said. As soon as there is understanding then he wants to have some input, as the conversation is probably centered around him. He has a genuine desire to take part in the conversation. He may make fumbling attempts to speak the language initially. He watches as his mother forms the words and tries to copy her.
Eventually he can say a few words. They may not sound exactly right but he refines the pronunciation by watching and listening to people around him until it sounds right. Eventually he will be able to say a few simple sentences. At this stage, he probably knows all the basic elements needed to learn a language. From this stage on his speaking abilities will improve at a fast pace. He will learn new words and start using them in his speaking.
He will get positive responses from the people he talks to. This will spur him on and he will want to learn more about the language. At this point he will listen to songs and maybe watch cartoons on TV. He will listen to his parents and grandparents.
All the time he will be integrating this learning into his grasp of the language. He will never stop learning new things about the language. Learning a language as child learned his native tongue is best done by immersion learning.
Immersion learning is simply going to a country where the language you are learning is the first language. As scary as it may sound you are a baby again, in a country where all the words make no sense. (well it's probably not that bad, as you may already have some idea of basic words and you can still communicate through body language and pointing) But the main learning strategies are established in this method. You will have to listen to the language all day and night. If you want to speak, you will have to speak in that language.
You will quickly develop a desire to communicate and this will force you to speak. The typical barriers, that hold you back in learning fall away. You don't care about looking stupid or having a funny accent. all you care about is being understood.
The reasons for learning are crystal clear and constantly being validated. Learning a second language is never easy and you will feel like an idiot at times. However the desire to communicate should get you through. If you take classes in a Spanish speaking country you will also have the support network to help you through these tricky times. So in my opinion the best way to learn to speak Spanish fast is to go to a Spanish speaking country and take a course.
If possible stay in the country after the course has finished. Ideally, you should work and live there for a few months. This will do wonders for your understanding of the language.
Continue to study the language. You never stop learning.
For analysis of useful learn Spanish courses visit rocketspanishreviewed.com, including a detailed Rocket Spanish review and insights into Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas.
