Learn Conversational Spanish With These Linguist's Tips

By Noah M. Benjamin

I was able to teach myself conversational Spanish in about two months. I was able to utilize some tricks and tips from linguists to really plow through the language. The best part about the methods I used to learn conversational Spanish in about two months? They were completely free.

I'm assuming that, if you want to know conversational Spanish, you already have at least a light background in Spanish. If not, you have to build a small base of basic Spanish! Learn basic grammar, basic sentence structure, and the most common words to know. This will really only take you about a week or two if you have good Spanish language learning software that really immerses you in the language.

Now, on to how to become conversational in Spanish. When we were children, we learned our first language with absolutely no instruction and no prior language knowledge. We did this by simply immersing ourselves in the language. Within two years, with primitive brains and no knowledge of languages, we were fluent and conversational.

If you use the same tactic today as an adult, you will be even more successful. Since you are reading this, you know English. If you know English already, learning Spanish using language immersion techniques will be a breeze!

The best way to become conversational in Spanish might seem obvious, but most people are too scared to do it. Simply find someone who speaks Spanish, and sit and speak with them in Spanish for an hour a day! I remember hearing this tactic, but I was too scared to try it. Then I decided to jump in, and within a week, I was speaking very comfortably. Within two months, I was conversational.

To supplement this tactic, I also recommend finding Spanish newspapers online and reading them. Translate passages you don't understand using an online translation tool. Write down those passages, along with their English translations, and study them! Work on the same article for as long as you need until you can read through it with no problems. Do this for an hour a day.

Using these immersion techniques -- practicing for just one or two hours a day -- I went from almost no Spanish to conversational in Spanish in about two months. Don't be afraid to try them -- they may seem obvious, but I guarantee they are the missing link to you speaking conversational Spanish!

You can teach yourself Spanish quickly and easily, with the right resources. Find out what the top language students use to quickly pick up new languages.