If you’re hoping to eventually get to a Spanish language school in Latin America, I think you’ll get more out of a course if you’re up to level A2 so can do conversational exercises than if you’re using a school to teach you the very basics, like ‘I am 24 years old’ by rote. That base level will be so much easier to build on than starting from a blank page. Watch out for people over-promising success and fluency under the influence of that dastardly Dunning-Kruger Effect!īasically, languages are damn hard, and you don’t have the sponge-brain of a child anymore, so you’ll do yourself a massive favour if you kick-start your studies at home with some of the below ways to learn Spanish for adults and rock up with at least a basic understanding and some survival phrases in the language. Language-learning takes conscious effort.

You will not absorb a language just by existing in a country, especially when you’re surrounded by English-speakers and English-learners wherever you travel. I know that if I had arrived in Uruguay with zero Spanish language skills, absolutely everything would have gone over my head, and I would have given up (let’s call it gifted child syndrome). So if it took that long to really pick up, was the language learning prep at home even worth it? Believe it or not, yes. Is it really necessary to learn Spanish before you travel? I won’t lie, I put in a lot of work to be prepared to travel around Spanish-speaking countries and felt proud of the level if Spanish-learning I got to, but when I finally arrived in South America, my confidence was shattered as I realised the reality of trying to converse with natives, especially natives with a Uruguayan accent. Well, I spent around a year getting through all the best ways to learn Spanish for adults that I’ll list later in this post, as well as trying my best to speak with Andy for all of 3 minutes before breaking back into English to ask what the hell he’d said, and going to a one-week intensive Spanish course in Madrid – twice. How I tried to learn Spanish before travelling to Latin America Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, and although some countries cater well to English-speakers, most are difficult to get by without a single word learnt. 6 Spanish mistakes to avoid in Latin America.8 easy words and phrases to level up your Spanish.Spanish pronunciation: Spanish sounds you need to grasp.

If you enjoy this post on the best ways to learn Spanish for adults, don’t miss: However, that’s just not possible for many Spanish-learners around the globe, and as parts of the world head into recession, lots of us can’t even throw ourselves into a shopping centre.Īnd while you could wait until the time is right and the flights feel affordable to immerse yourself in a foreign land, I’d highly recommend you begin your language learning at home, long before you get on your flight. I can’t argue, by far the best way to learn Spanish for adults is to throw yourself into a country that speaks it. Big thanks to each and every one of you who have trusted my recommendations so far! Lozzy x Please remember that I would never ever ever recommend anything I don’t or wouldn’t use myself. This helps with the cost of keeping this site alive so I can continue to guide you on your travels. Sometimes, I use affiliate/sponsored links with my recommendations, which if bought through might earn me a few pennies at absolutely no extra cost to you.

Fastest way to learn spanish