How can an Indian learn to speak the Spanish language?
Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and it is also used as an official language by the European Union, the Organization of American States, the Union of South American Nations, the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States, the African Union and many other international organizations. It is the third most spoken language next to Mandarin Chinese and English in the entire world. It has been estimated that there are about 400,000,000 native speakers all over the globe. Alongside English and French, it is also one of the most taught foreign languages throughout the world. Along with other originally European languages like Italian, French or Portuguese, the linguistic beginnings of Spanish establish it as a Romance language. Spanish is, particularly in the bilingual regions of Spain, also called Castellano (Castilian), due to its derivations in the territory of Castilla.
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According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which has created a list to show the approximate time you need to learn a specific language as an English speaker, you can gauge the difficulty of a language you are interested in. Please keep in mind that this ranking only shows the view of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and some language students or experts may disagree with the ranking. Spanish falls under Category I that can be learnt in 24 weeks or 600 hours. Provided, you are either a native English speaker or have learned English as your first language in India. If you do not satisfy those conditions, it does not mean that learning Spanish is impossible to learn. It just means that you’re going to have to put in a lot more effort.
Additionally, There are several Institutes where one can learn Spanish in India.
- Delhi University
- Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Jamia Milia Islamia
- English and Foreign Languages University
- Doon University
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi
- The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata
With that said, the best place to learn Spanish from in India right now will undoubtedly be Instituto Cervantes, the official Spanish Cultural Center, located in New Delhi. But Instituto Cervantes’s fees is by far the highest among all the other institutes mentioned on the list. This institute was started by the government of Spain to spread the Spanish language and culture around the world and has branches in more than 100 countries.
To be able to learn Spanish an Indian who is unaccustomed to Romance Languages must:
- To improve your speaking skills, use multiple online resources such as talk shows, Spanish news, audiobooks to name a few!
- Listen to News in Spanish
- Put YouTube to its best use and stream Spanish radio stations!
- Watch Spanish films with English subtitles and English films with Spanish subtitles to accelerate your learning.
- Learn with songs, podcasts and anything that you can lay your hands on to get maximum of some spare time.
- Study consistently but don’t lead yourself to burnout!
- Identify your unique style of learning that helps you ace the language.
- Read aloud to clear your pronunciation
- Find a conversation partner on Lingoci, Verbling, iTalki to practice speaking with and seeking feedback.
- Identify Spanish genuine and fake cognates.
- Don’t be scared to try and make mistakes. We all do it. Why let that deter or embarrass you?!
- Sign up for an intensive course. It would really help you master Spanish !
- Restrict translating Spanish words/phrases into English to when you are just new! As you progress move away from it consciously.
- Use Spaced Repetition System apps like Anki and Memrise for flashcards.
- Learn basic phrases, connector words, conversation builders that will help you communicate and express yourself through smaller sentences.
- Maintain a journal of new phrases that will help you build your first conversation and not just interesting or complex words.
- Choose commonly used words to start a conversation rather than tougher ones that don’t find a way into the day-to-day usage!
- Try and link Spanish words/ phrases to images and visual situations, not words in your native language or English!
- Study a language every day in short intervals or for about 2-4 hours, as much you can spare. Goes for Spanish too. Studying regularly, for a short time, helps dramatically than trying to do it all in one sitting over weekends!
- Engage in constant review to measure your progress – repetition is the key!
Finally,
Spanish usually falls in the “easy list” of English speakers — due to the innumerable cognates – similar words, between the two languages, to the extent that sometimes you can just Hispanicize English words and just get away with it. it is a global language with nearly 400 million native speakers, mainly in Spain and the Americas. Spanish is also a highly beneficial language to learn, it is one of the most widespread languages in the current day and it offers many career benefits for you to enjoy.
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