Can I learn Spanish in 6 months through an app?
Spanish is a romance language spoken by over 500 million people around the world. It is a language that has many benefits of learning it. Whether you have artistic or travel or business interests, Spanish suits all. It ranks as world’s second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese and as the world’s fourth-most spoken language after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi. There is no doubt that Spanish is a language suitable for everyone and hence, there is no surprise that you came about to choose it.
With that being said, you might have wondered how to learn the language. Let’s say you ended up solving that problem by opting for classes through an app. With that settled, you start wondering if you’ve really got in you to be able to complete the course quick enough, let alone 6 months. Here’s where I can help you.
Let's build confidence
Let’s start off by first helping you gain confidence in yourself. You see, Spanish is considered to be one of the easiest languages to learn. According to the American Council of Teaching Foreign Language (ACTFL), languages are divided into two classes:
A] Group I: Spanish, French, Portuguese, among others
B] Group IV: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean
The languages in Group I, which include Spanish, take 480 hours of the professional curriculum to achieve mid-advanced fluency. It is important to remember that fluency in a language is completely subjective. You can be up and running with basic reading and speaking skills in no time. Now that’s clear, let’s understand the course.
CEFR explained
The most appropriate Spanish course for you is the one approved by CEFRL. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages provides 6 levels to learn Spanish as A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. With A1 being the most basic level where you only discover the language and C2 being the most advanced where you reach a point of proficiency.
The Diploma that you should be aiming for is the DELE certification. This covers certification for Level A1(Breakthrough), A2(Waystage), B1(Threshold), B2(Vantage), C1(Effective Operational Proficiency) and C2(Mastery).
Now that you have understood the course structure and the certification you’re aiming for, let’s understand how an app or online classes aid you in your learning process.
App or Website?
When you opt for classes through apps or online websites, you are guided by professionals instead of running around in the dark. You can learn the vocabulary and pick up on the grammar either through face-to-face interaction with a trainer or through audios provided to you. You will also be provided with the latest and updated study material, quizlets and flashcards. You will also receive special guidance and immediate feedback. Finally, you can constantly test yourself and figure out how much you’ve accomplished over the time period that you have been studying.
With all this fancy knowledge in mind, you need to understand your own limits too. Understand how much time can you truly dedicate to the subject. How much can you truly grasp in a day, how much of self-study do you need to rectify your mistakes.
Finally
There exists absolutely no doubt that apps and websites greatly aid you in learning a new language. But you cannot completely depend on their credibility and forget your own internal factors affecting your study schedule. If you are a dedicated student who can study Spanish for about 3 hours per day, then, of course, you can finish the course within 6 months. But if you can only dedicate 1 hour per day then it would take you about 16 months instead. So, in the end, it truly all comes down to you and your capacity to internalise the knowledge.