Conversational Spanish for children online. Self-teaching Spanish from scratch

What is the most important thing in the educational process? First of all, it is a source of knowledge. In this article we’ll talk about Spanish textbooks that will help you develop a comprehensive understanding of the language, its phonetic, grammatical and lexical basics. Theory lays the foundation and becomes the basis for subsequent practice. But, unfortunately, not all publications are simple and easy to read. Let's talk about what a German textbook should ideally be like, and give specific examples.

When starting to study Espanol, the first thing you should do is buy a textbook. This applies to any of the methods: individual lessons with a teacher, language classes, Skype communication, independent format. As a rule, linguistic schools and tutors select educational materials themselves. But for the home-schooling option, you will need expert advice. Buying a good edition on your own is difficult; you need to take into account a number of nuances specific to a particular program.

What should it be perfect textbook in Spanish:

Tailored to your level. For beginners - publications from the first stages, for those who are improving their Spanish, you can choose materials of a different degree of complexity. This should be indicated on the cover or in the preface by the authors.
Including a program for the development of spoken language. Textbooks are created not only to cram theory. Practical tests and assignments, tips and tricks, detailed examples transcriptions of words and phrases - you should see all this on the pages of the publication.

If your goal is to pass the entrance exams according to the international DELE standard, choose educational literature aimed at improving knowledge in accordance with certain requirements. The purpose of such a book is to give the basics, immerse you in the nuances and prepare you for admission to the chosen university.
No mistakes. Russian-language publications often suffer from this. Therefore, when choosing a textbook, first consult with a teacher who knows which book to give preference to.

Now let's talk about specific textbooks published in both Russian and Spanish, consider their pros and cons and draw conclusions that will help you choose the ideal option for you.

Top 7 best Spanish textbooks

Español para empezar. Spanish course for beginners. Author - Dyshlevaya I. A.

It tops the rating because it is very popular among students with an initial level of knowledge. Easy to understand, understandable, the program covers topics comprehensively, succinctly, with a competent concentration in certain categories. Consists of two parts. The first one introduces you to the sound of espanol, immerses you in the basics of phonetics, and teaches you how to understand and read transcriptions correctly and as accurately as possible. In addition to phonetics, the first volume offers the student 11 lessons aimed at mastering grammar.

The author paid due attention to the lexical part. The book has chapters for reading and practicing pronunciation: fragments of texts, dialogues, notes, pieces from journalistic articles - the language appears in various genres. A good workout for those learning Spanish on their own. Every lesson is reinforced test task, allowing you to check how well the material has been mastered and whether repetition is required.

The second part invites those who have already mastered the initial level to delve deeper into the study of the language. Here the grammar is not presented in such detail, with complex control tasks and tests. There are much fewer Russian words - almost all the material is in Spanish, with the exception of notes, footnotes and thematic notes, in which the author explains the features of the topic covered.

Advantages.Let's highlight the simple writing style; the theory is easy to grasp the first time. Topics are explained in detail, clearly, with examples. Assignments and tests - the author focuses on practice. In the textbook you can find a lot of material about the phonetic structure of Spanish and the peculiarities of the sound of words. Leafing through the pages of the first part, the student gets a succinct idea of espanol.

Flaws. It will not be easy for those who have chosen the independent option of learning the language. The grammar in the textbook is presented in large volumes and in blocks, which the teacher, as a rule, divides into logical parts. It is difficult to study all the material in its entirety; it is necessary to dilute it with practice, listening, and tests. Another minus is that this publication does not have an audio supplement and answers to tests.

Self-teacher of the Spanish language. Authors: A.V. Dementyev, A. Gonzalez-Fernandez, N.M. Shidlovskaya

This textbook gets a well-deserved second place. The book is ideal for those who want to gain comprehensive knowledge about the language. Suitable for self-study. The content includes materials about letters, sounds, logical, lexical and phonetic accents, intonation, stress. The grammar is presented in general terms, without going into detail: tenses and verbs, prepositions and conjugations. The theory is supported by practice and tasks for independent control of knowledge. At the end of each topic, the authors give their comments and recommendations.

Book format. Consists of 18 lessons. The principle of presenting material is alternating the “text - comment - assignment” technique. In each topic, this scheme is presented three times, which gives the student the opportunity to master the material well and remember its lexical, phonetic and grammatical features.

Flaws. Let us highlight the monotony of the presentation of material, boring texts, standard test papers. The authors set a certain framework for the reader, beyond which it is already possible to individually, upon completion of the proposed program.

Spanish language textbook. Practical course for beginners. Authors: A. I. Patrushev, E. I. Rodriguez-Danilevskaya, I. L. Stepunina.

The book includes twenty lessons, which include all the necessary components: grammar, phonetics, vocabulary, and speaking skills. The theoretical parts come alongside a dictionary, which helps you understand fragments of text, assignments, remember new words, and expand your vocabulary. The authors offer a convenient separation of phonetics from grammar - their own chapters are dedicated to them; practice does not combine one with the other, excluding possible linguistic confusion. Tests allow you to consolidate your knowledge on the topic and expand lexicon.

Flaws. The theory is presented in too much detail. If you do not plan to go deeper into learning the language, but want to get a comprehensive understanding of Espanol, buy another textbook. Features of the use of diphthongs, triphthongs, processes of sound assimilation - to achieve basic level this information will be superfluous.

Textbook of modern Spanish. Español en vivo. Authors: Carmen Marin Estremera, Paloma Martin Laura-Tamayo, Georgy Nuzhdin

The structure of the textbook is close to authentic Spanish publications. Each topic is presented in the format of five blocks, each of which includes lexical, phonetic, grammatical parts, communicative material and text fragments for independent reading and retelling (adapted works of Spanish fiction). At the end of the block, the student is presented with a dictionary - which is important for fully mastering the topic and becoming familiar with new phrases and words.

The book consists of two parts: the main course, which includes seven lessons, and a separate phonetic course, focusing on pronunciation, intonation, and speech accents. The presentation of the grammar differs from typical textbooks: it is schematic and offers effective visualization of information. There are not only classic paraphrases, insert tasks, but also exercises for independent reproduction of the topic being studied. For example, a student must construct a phrase using given keys. At the end of each block - answers to tests and recommendations from teachers. Another important plus is the audio application, which allows you to learn German by ear.

Basic audio course. Spanish in three weeks. Authors: Volkov B.N., Carlos Suaras Parairo

This audio course was created by Spanish and Russian linguists. The format for presenting the material complies with European standards, but is adapted for the Russian-speaking reader. The program is structured differently than domestic analogues: consists of thirteen chapters, which include two to three grammatical paragraphs. Practice is served as a reinforcement of the theoretical part. Vocabulary is not divided into blocks and is presented in random order. Program scheme: theory - assignments - texts. Each chapter ends with dialogues that develop speaking skills that allow you to learn the correct pronunciation of words.

Flaws. An important disadvantage that is worth focusing on is the insufficient number of exercises that train grammar, vocabulary and phonetics. You should not use the audio course as the main educational material; include it as an additional, reinforcing lesson in the listening format.

Spanish language textbook.

According to the developer, the publication was created both for classroom learning of the Spanish language, for and for independent learning. But the absence of keys to control tasks excludes the possibility of adequately understanding one’s level and identifying possible mistakes. This is the only drawback of the textbook.

The book is ideally structured for effective and comprehensive assimilation of espanol. Each of the lessons - there are 25 of them - is logically and conveniently divided into blocks.

First, the theory, grammatical rules and laws are presented. Then the author smoothly combines the material with vocabulary and phonetics practice. Interesting texts to read, dialogues demonstrating the structure of constructing live speech, exercises to develop communication skills in Spanish and knowledge control (tests, assignments). Topics are presented in detail and succinctly.

Intensive Spanish course. Curso Intensivo de Español para Extranjeros. Authors: L.Busquetes and L.Bonzi

We present to your attention a textbook published in Spain. Collected by linguists who introduce espanol in the context of European standards. The structure differs from Russian analogues. There are 42 lessons, at the end of every sixth - control tasks and tests, emphasis on practice. The design is more colorful: the grammar is presented in the format of diagrams, pictures, illustrations, and communicative tasks are also visualized. The difficulty increases gradually; by the end of the course, the authors promise to achieve fluency in the language.

Advantages. An additional plus is the audio material included with the textbook. There are no comments from Russian teachers here, which will significantly complicate the process self-study Spanish

How to learn Spanish quickly. Drawing conclusions

The choice of textbook depends on your goal, training format and the initial level with which you strive for knowledge. If you already have an idea about espanol, you can try publications in Spanish. Beginners should prefer books in Russian with comments from teachers, a dictionary and an audio course.

But just a textbook will not be enough. Any linguistic school program is based on both classes with teaching aids, and during practice in the format of live communication. During lessons with a tutor, you also become part of the dialogue, remember the correct intonations, and have a positive speech experience.

When choosing self-study, do not get hung up on printed manuals. Without them, it is impossible to learn the basics of Espanol, but textbooks must be supported by other methods: watch videos, listen to audiobooks, communicate with native speakers via Skype. Constantly work on yourself, work on mistakes, memorize complex transcriptions, write them down and speak them out periodically. If you want to achieve a confident speaking level, work hard and improve your knowledge. We wish you success!

Español is one of the most beautiful languages in the world, it is spoken by more than 400 million people on the planet, it is melodious, melodic and pleasant to the ear. According to its structure, it belongs to the Romano-Germanic group (the name is “Catalan-Spanish”), it is close to us in sound, word structure and sentence construction.

El numero marcado no existe

El numero marcado no existe (El numero marcado no existe) – beautiful phrase, which simply means “The dialed number does not exist!” Or another option - “Puedo dejar el coche en el aeropuerto?” sounds very graceful and will help you on the road, because it translates as “Can I leave my car at the airport?”

If after this you want to urgently learn Spanish, then this information will make organizing the process easier.
Depending on the required level of language knowledge, you can determine the source of information, as well as the method of learning. If to enjoy the language it is enough to know a couple of simple phrases, then phrase books and online training may well solve this. And if you need to speak Spanish or work in Spain, then learning on your own will be much more difficult. You may need help from a teacher or native speaker.

The first way is to learn Spanish on your own and for free.

For this purpose, on the Internet and in bookstores in any city there is great amount materials: literature, audiobooks and video lessons. You will need willpower, great desire, at least a couple of hours of free time daily and systematic work. To slowly master the basics, 2-3 lessons per week are enough, if you need faster and more extensive, then much more.

Let's count in Spanish: 1 - uno, 2 - dos, 3 - tres, 4 - cuatro, 5 - cinco, 6 - seis, 7 - siete, 8 - ocho, 9 - nieve, 10 - diez.

Social networks can be good helpers in this matter. Here you can find a native speaker for practice, as well as thematic communities and groups where video and audio materials for self-learning Spanish are posted. Here you can find like-minded people - additional motivation for studying, sharing your successes, even blogging on the topic.
The sun shines almost 300 days a year in Spain, so tourists often prefer it to other countries. Barcelona is considered one of the popular cities for all European countries and Russian guests. And the island of Ibiza is the dream of young people all over the world!
In the case where you need to quickly learn Spanish at home, the most important thing is the systematic nature of the work performed and constant dynamics. What resources can you use:

Audio recordings of lessons that you can listen to on the road, while cleaning or doing other things;
Videos that explain the basics of spoken language, prescribe the rules and show the peculiarities of pronunciation;
Multimedia resources - Spanish-language television channels, films and songs in Spanish for the development of auditory Perception of spoken language;
Books, newspapers and textbooks;
Notebooks for taking notes of the material necessary for memorization.

The second way is the services of a tutor or individual training.

The teacher will tell you what materials you need to pay attention to, put the pronunciation correctly, and clearly explain the basics, thereby greatly reducing the time spent studying. Individual work has many advantages: timely correction of errors, step-by-step presentation of information, additional teaching materials and much more. But there is one significant drawback - the cost of personal lessons is significantly higher than group lessons, and in comparison with learning Spanish for free, the difference is even more noticeable.

Spanish very similar to English in terms of pronunciation of sounds, spelling of words and structuring of sentences. But it is much easier, because sounds and words are read the same way they are written.

The third way is regular classes at a language school with a teacher.

Group classes at a language school or course are an excellent option for leisurely language learning. It is comparatively cheaper than the previous option and also has a number of advantages. Its main difference from other methods is the opportunity to practice immediately in class, communication with like-minded people and a large selection of training programs. Moreover, training can be both offline and online, which is much more convenient for busy and working people.

Group classes, according to statistics, are much more productive than any other options, because the crowd effect is the strongest motivation for a person. And memorizing colloquial expressions is easier during the communication process.

The fourth way is to travel to the country and communicate with native speakers

This is the most extreme, but the most effective way learning Spanish is like being thrown out of a boat to learn to swim. The most important thing is not to start looking for “countrymen” to ease your lot, but to immerse yourself in communication and study of the culture, life of the Spaniards and their spoken language. This makes it possible to learn everything correctly at once, not from textbooks, so that it is the Spaniards who understand you, and not the teacher. There are advantages here, but there are also disadvantages - it is morally difficult and not always financially possible.

Whatever method you choose, the main thing you need to know is that learning a language takes more than one day or even one month. Many people study it for years and find something new every time.

Where to start learning Spanish on your own at home?

If you have never spoken Spanish and know nothing except greetings and words of gratitude, then you should start getting acquainted with the language from the basics, and then move on to more complex words, phrases and sentences. This will help you:

Russian-Spanish phrasebook;
Spanish-Russian dictionary;
Brief materials on grammar and word formation;
Additional materials;
Notebooks for taking notes.

The entire process of learning a new language from scratch can be divided into several stages.

First stage

The first stage of mastering Spanish is learning the alphabet. The writing of letters in Spain is very similar to English, but their pronunciation is slightly different. Let's look at the transcription of the alphabet:

A = a, B = b, C = k/s/z, D = d, E = e, F = f, G = g/x, H = mute, I = u, J = x, K = k, L = d, M = m, N = n, Ñ = n, O = o, P = n, Q = k, R = p, S = s, T = t, U = y, V = v, W = in, X = x, Y = th, Z = z/-/s

The alphabet is the basis of any language, it is better if you can outline it and give an example of a word for each letter with transcription.

Second phase

This is the study of a basic set of verbs and basic nouns that are most often used in conversation. It is better to take them from a phrasebook, where they are presented in conjunction with other parts of speech.

In phrase books and dictionaries you can find information about how verbs sound in different cases– gender, conjugation, declension, and so on. At this stage, you can already begin to study literature and highlight already studied words and familiar phrases in the texts. You should start listening to Spanish speech, audio books, music.

Third stage

At the third stage, the most interesting part begins - putting words into sentences. At this point, prepositions and other parts of speech are added to verbs and nouns. You can already try to communicate with native speakers, try yourself in conversational Spanish. IN in social networks There are groups and communities where you can find someone to talk to. Here you can already understand the meaning of a phrase from a film or song, and you can start translating printed texts with a dictionary.

To maintain a conversation and understand the speech of Spaniards, it is enough to know 700-800 words! Already at this level you can explain almost any problem and discuss any topic!

If learning Spanish at home is a task just for fun, then this step can be repeated daily ad infinitum. This level will be quite enough for a trip to Spain on vacation or an excursion. If the language is required for work or moving, then you will need highly specialized literature in Spanish for deeper study.

Fourth, additional stage

In-depth study of the Spanish language on your own using specialized books; here it will be difficult to do without help. It's good if your employer is able to provide you with an employee or teacher. And if not, then you should find a person from the right field, knowledgeable of the language on high level, and practice.

8 tips, or what should those who want to learn Spanish on their own know?

Daily practice. The basis of any lesson. If you practice for 40 minutes daily, then the first successes in conversation can be made within 2-3 weeks. The material studied without repetition and practice is completely forgotten in 1-2 weeks. To help in this matter, dozens of mobile applications, which remind, send tasks, notify about the need to conduct classes, and so on. Your own blog or LiveJournal, the need for a daily report on the work done are excellent motivators for systematic learning.

Taking notes of the material. It will allow you to develop not only auditory memory, but also motor and visual memory. Since words are written and read the same in Spanish, writing them down will help you remember information faster. You can create a handwritten dictionary in which you can enter the words you have learned with transcriptions for repeating them.
The whole story and everyday life Spaniards - this is a dance, passionate flamenco! After all, this nation is one of the most emotional in the world. They love to relax, have fun and have fun, and are considered long-livers. Average duration the life of Spanish women is 87 years.
Mandatory communication with native speakers. This point is very important, since book and educational pronunciation is slightly different from colloquial speech; some idioms, or untranslatable figures of speech, need to be heard and be able to perceive them, in the context of a conversation.

Mandatory use of multimedia materials. Listening to songs and movies in Spanish, reading books, etc. printed products. Spain is not only a set of letters and speech sounds. This is a long-standing culture, traditions, rich history, special flavor and unique temperament, which is manifested in everything from the daily schedule to architecture and music. Studying all this will deepen your knowledge and instill respect and love for the culture of the Spaniards.
Find yourself a motivation, a teacher, an observer. Any reason that will force you to systematically open your notes, do assignments and not miss classes. No matter how strong the desire to learn Spanish from scratch to conversational level, after a couple of months the enthusiasm will begin to subside and more important things will appear. This is when a strong motivator comes in handy to spur your interest in learning.
Surround yourself with “Spain” as much as possible. Feel the spirit and emotions of this amazing country, communicate, learn something new, watch informational films, historical materials. Let language become a consequence, not a cause, it will be easier to remember the rules.

Spain is a country of resorts, beaches and bullfighting, the third largest in Europe, and the capital of the Kingdom of Spain (this is how this state is officially called), the city of Madrid, is located exactly in the center of the country.

Constantly change the way you study to avoid getting bored. Write a schedule and use the methods one at a time. Today - a dictionary and 3 songs, for example, and tomorrow I will call a friend from Spain and conjugate verbs. Look for your learning pattern, try new things.
Make it a rule to start a new school day and study new material with a quick review of what you have covered. This makes it easier to learn and makes the beginning of the lesson easier and less boring. These rules and recommendations will be enough to make the learning process a little easier and simpler.

As a conclusion, a little about the pronunciation of letters

In Spanish, the letter "v" is pronounced like "b" and the letter "y" is pronounced like either y (Yo = io or yo). In combination with the letter “g”, different vowels change its pronunciation - ga, go, gu = ga, go, gu; ge, gi = heh, hee.

The letter “s” changes its sound depending on the vowel after it:

In this version - ca, co, cu = ka, ko, ku;
In combination ce, ci - ce and si, and the sound is similar to the English combination “th”, interdental;
In the connective “ch” the letter is read as “ch”.

The letter "h" at the beginning of a word is not read, and the "r" is not pronounced at the end of a word. Spanish is a beautiful and easy language to learn, especially for those who are fluent in Russian or English. And if you seriously decide to conquer it, then get ready for an exciting and vibrant journey into the world of joy, passion and fun.

Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world, second only to Chinese. It is officially recognized as a second language international communication and is public not only in Spain, but also in many other countries. That is why another selection of language YouTube channels The life hacker decided to dedicate it specifically to Spanish.

1. Spanish for beginners

On this channel you will find many lessons for language learners on their own from scratch. Each lesson is a short video that covers one small element of the Spanish language. Thus, you can study even during breaks between your main work or in any other free minute. There is also a short Spanish course for tourists, which will be useful if you are going on a short trip.

2.PRACTIQUEMOS

If you have already achieved some success in Spanish, but want to improve your level, you should turn to lessons from a native speaker. The PRACTIQUEMOS channel was created and supported by the efforts of a professional Spanish teacher who has been posting useful tips, examples and exercises for your students.

3. Spanish lessons with Petrov

Dmitry Petrov is a very popular polyglot, translator, and teacher who has developed his own original method of learning a foreign language. It offers to master the basics of the Spanish language in just 16 study hours. And the most interesting thing is that it really works. During this time, of course, you will not learn to speak Spanish fluently, but you will lay a solid foundation of knowledge.

4. The Web Spanish School

This channel contains video courses of the Spanish language in six parts. A total of several hundred lessons from qualified and experienced Spanish teachers. A priceless gift.

5. Spanish from scratch

The main value of this channel is that it is aimed at improving the most essential skills: listening comprehension and speaking. You can learn all the grammar rules, memorize a large number of words, but never achieve fluency in the language. Therefore, Lifehacker advises starting your study with this video course, which allows you to hear the correct pronunciation of the most popular phrases and have plenty of practice in reproducing them.

Bonus: LIFE in SPAIN

As a bonus - a wonderful channel, which, although it does not contain educational materials in the literal sense of the word, but it will tell you a lot about life in Spain. It is led by a Russian girl who studies in this beautiful country. In her videos, she talks about how to move to Spain, go to university, learn a language, and many other interesting things.

Spanish - very beautiful language. It is a language with a rich history and is spoken by more than 500 million people around the world. For a person who knows English, Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn, as both English and Spanish are heavily influenced Latin language. Spanish is even closer to French or Italian, since they belong to the same language group - Romance. For Russian speakers, Spanish has its advantages - for example, the fact that spelling and pronunciation are usually the same. Yes, learning any language takes time and effort, but the joy of having your first real conversation with a Spanish-speaking person will completely justify all the effort! This article will talk about how to learn Spanish easily and with pleasure.

Steps

Learning the Basics

Learn the Spanish alphabet. The Spanish alphabet is the Latin alphabet you are familiar with. It is almost completely identical to English, with the exception of one letter, but the sounds are significantly different. Studying correct pronunciation is a very complex and important stage of learning, and therefore it is worth starting to learn Spanish from the alphabet. Once you learn the pronunciation of individual letters, pronouncing words and phrases will become much easier. Below is a list of pronunciations of letters of the Spanish alphabet:

Learn to pronounce letters. Once you learn the rules, you will be able to pronounce all the words correctly.

ca, co, cu = ka, ko, ku; ce, ci = se, si(or interdental sound closer to English, th in the word "think")
ch = h
ga, go, gu = ha, go, gu; ge, gi = hee, hee
h silent: hombre is pronounced like ombre
hua, hue, hui, huo = uh, uh, uh, uh
ll is pronounced like th. "Calle" is pronounced like Kaye
m and n at the end of a word, as well as n before c, are pronounced as a nasal sound n in English "think" or French "un"
n before v is pronounced like m
r at the beginning of a word and rr in the middle of a word are pronounced loudly, in other cases - as usual R
que, qui = ke, ke
v is pronounced like b
y is pronounced like And between two consonants and how th in conjunction with vowels.
Listen to recordings of Spanish speech to understand how these letters sound, and also read.

Remember simple words. The larger your vocabulary, the easier it will be for you to speak Spanish. Learn simple words used in everyday life and you will be surprised at how quickly your vocabulary will begin to grow!

Learn basic conversational phrases. By learning the basics of polite dialogue, you will quickly be able to communicate with Spanish speakers, even at a simple level. Write down a few conversational phrases for daily use and memorize them 5-10 times a day. Here's where to start:

Learn basic grammar rules
1. Learn the rules for conjugating regular verbs. Verb conjugation is an important part of Spanish grammar. As in Russian, here verbs have person, number and tense, by which you can understand Who And When performs the action. To learn the conjugation table for Spanish verbs, you should start with regular verbs in the present tense. It's easy to recognize the correct verbs - they all end in -ar, -er, -ir, and each of them is conjugated depending on the ending. Details are provided below:
  
  Learn the rules for conjugating commonly used irregular verbs. Having learned to conjugate regular verbs, move on to irregular ones. These verbs are called irregular because their conjugation model differs from the model of regular verbs. The reasons for this lie in the history of the Spanish language itself, and they will not be easy to explain. Some of the most common verbs, including ser (to be), estar (to be), ir (to go), haber (to have), are just irregular. Just learn the forms of these verbs.
  
  Learn the features of the genus category. In Spanish, as in Russian, all nouns have a gender. There are only two of them: male and female. At the same time, it is impossible to determine with certainty what gender a word belongs to by hearing or writing, so the gender of nouns must be learned by heart along with the words themselves.
  
  Learn the rules for using certain and not definite article. There are no articles in Russian. In English there is one definite article (the) and three indefinite articles (a/an/some). In Spanish there are eight articles: four definite and the same number indefinite. The use of one or another article depends on the gender and number of the noun.
  - For example, speaking about a cat ( singular, masculine), you need to use the definite article “el” - “el gato”. When talking about cats (plural, masculine), you should use the definite article “los” - “los gatos”.
  - The definite article will change when talking about female cats. So, “cat” (singular, feminine) requires the use of the definite article "la" - "la gata", and "cats" (plural, feminine), accordingly, require the article "las" - "las gatas".
  - The four forms of the indefinite article are used in a similar way. “Un” is masculine, singular; "unos" - masculine, plural; “una” is feminine, singular; "unas" is feminine, plural.
  Immerse yourself in the language
  1. Find a native speaker. One of the best ways to improve your language skills is to communicate with a native speaker. Such a person will easily correct your grammatical errors, will help with pronunciation and also introduce you to colloquial phrases that you won't find in the textbook.
    - If you have a Spanish-speaking friend who is willing to help, then you are very lucky. If you don’t have such a friend, find sites where you can get acquainted with the purpose of language practice, or courses that provide classes with native speakers.
    - If you can't find a Spanish-speaking person to chat with in real life, communicate via Skype. You may even find someone who will agree to teach you Spanish in exchange for Russian lessons.
  2. Try signing up for courses. If you need extra motivation or feel like you'll learn better in a more formal setting, enroll in a language school.
    - Look for schools foreign languages or courses at local educational institutions.
    - If you're afraid or embarrassed to take a course alone, ask a friend to sign up with you. It will be both more useful and more fun.
  3. Watch movies and cartoons in Spanish. Buy Spanish DVDs with subtitles or watch movies and cartoons online. It's simple and easy way get used to the sound of Spanish speech and the structure of the language.
    - If you are eager to fight, then after all simple sentences press pause and try to repeat what you heard. This may make your accent less noticeable.
    - If you can't find anything suitable, ask around on forums or in groups dedicated to the Spanish language: people will probably share their sources.
  4. Listen to Spanish music. This is another great way to surround yourself with Spanish. Even if you don't understand all the phrases, try to highlight some keywords and with their help make guesses about what the song is about.
    - Get a Spanish radio app on your phone so you can listen to it on the go.
    - Download Spanish podcasts to listen to while you run homework or playing sports.
    - Among the good Spanish-speaking performers, it is worth noting Alejandro Sanz, Shakira and Enrique Iglesias.
  5. Learn more about Spanish culture. Language and culture are in a very close connection, so many expressions and mentality are explained by the peculiarities of the culture of the people. The better you know Spanish culture, the less problems will arise in the future.
    
    If possible, travel to Spain or another Spanish-speaking country. Once you feel confident enough with the language, consider traveling to a Spanish speaking country, there's no better way to immerse yourself in the language!
    - Remember that each country has its own accent, its own slang, and even words sometimes have different meanings. In Chile, for example, they speak completely differently from Mexico, Spain or Argentina.
    - Over time, it will make sense to focus on one branch of Spanish. You will get confused if you constantly go through word meanings and pronunciations. However, only 2% of words differ from the main vocabulary in each country. Aim to study the remaining 98%.
  6. Don't give up! If you are serious, the pleasure of speaking a second language will outweigh all the difficulties. Learning a language is difficult and time-consuming, and it is impossible to completely master it in a day. If this doesn’t convince you enough, then know that Spanish is far from the most difficult language:
  - Read, read and read again! This The best way learn a language because reading covers many aspects of a language: vocabulary, grammar, idioms, and so on. The more complex the work and the more difficult it is to read, the more useful it is in terms of language learning.
  - Many words in languages derived from Latin (Italian, Spanish, French) are similar to each other. Learn the rules of so-called language conversion (for example, English word, ending in -ible, is written the same way in Spanish, but read differently). Thanks to conversion alone, you can expand your vocabulary by 2000 words.
  - Engage in all four components of language learning, i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking. Make time for them all.
  - You can install a language learning app on your phone, such as Duolingo.
  - Please contact Special attention on pronunciation. Remember that the position of a sound in a word determines how it sounds (for example, “b” and “d” are pronounced differently at the beginning and in the middle of a word). If you have good hearing, then by paying enough attention to your pronunciation, you can smooth out your accent.
  - Try to find a friend whose native language is Spanish. It will help you understand the intricacies of the language that are not covered in textbooks.
  - To improve your pronunciation as much as possible, sing songs in Spanish. Give preference to songs sung by native speakers. At the same time, do not try to understand the meaning - try to pronounce the words exactly as the singer does. One example of such a song is "Amor Del Bueno" by Caliber 50. If you want, you can look up the lyrics and translation later, but focus on the pronunciation first.
  - You can make complex sentences from simple sentences. For example, “I'm hungry” and “I'm hungry” can be turned into “I want to eat something because I'm hungry.”
  - Try using an electronic translator - it will come in handy to check whether you understand and speak everything correctly.
  - Try writing down new words and making sentences with them. If you recognize a word, use it!
  Warnings
  - To teach new language, you need to spend a lot of time and effort. The result in this case is directly proportional to the effort expended. Don't let classes become boring - enjoy the process!
  - The only way to learn a new language is to start speaking it. Speak out loud, even if you are talking to yourself. This will help you get a feel for how the language sounds.

It’s not that I really regret anything; after all, time span plays a fairly large role in the successful learning of a language, no matter what anyone says. But having started learning Spanish on my own in 2003 or 2004, I crawled up to level B2 in 2014, although by that time I could have already become a Spanish god. I don’t want to blame myself for anything, because until recently many benefits of civilization like unlimited internet, unlimited textbooks, italki and much more. After all, hubiera no existe (“if” does not exist).

Learning a language “on the table”? No, gracias

It makes me laugh when people complain that they have been learning a language for six months and still don’t speak it. I studied Spanish for 6 or 7 years before I spoke it out loud for the first time, and not with a native speaker. Do you think I was afraid? No matter how it was, I simply had no one to be with! For several years I retold the texts to myself out loud, answered questions to myself out loud too, pathetically, right?

What would I do now. At approximately level A2, I would call a carrier whom I would have previously found on polyglotclub.com or italki.com or even VKontakte, there are plenty of them there. Ideally, for me, about a month and a half should pass from the start of regular classes. If there were speaking clubs in my city (in Kiev, this is somehow not so good), I would start visiting them around the same time.

2. Learn a language without a textbook? No, gracias

Before I got Rodriguez-Danilevskaya’s textbook, I spent three years or so learning Spanish on some forums, from songs, from brief grammar at the end of the dictionary, based on some lessons from the Internet... When I bought the textbook, I had so many puzzles, who would know. A system appeared, all the material began to be carefully studied, however, I did not know then that the vocabulary in that textbook was a little outdated.

Like I would do now. I would buy Español en vivo. Having collected some vocabulary and grammar, I would supplement it with authentic Prisma, Español en marcha, Uso interactivo del vocabulario, Gramática de uso del español.

Learn a language without listening to it? No, gracias

Thanks to the fact that Rodriguez-Danilevskaya did not have audio, and I did not have other aids until 2010, after studying Spanish for more than 6 years, I realized that I did not understand anything. When I got to Spain, I did not understand what passers-by on the streets answered me. When I turned on movies, some Mandarin Chinese sounded from the screen. Things were better with TV series - I could force myself to watch 5 episodes, and over time I began to understand specific actors. Over the past two years, listening has improved greatly, but this could have been done much earlier.

What I would do now:

Firstly, Need (Español en vivo) and almost all of the above courses have audio.
Secondly, I would listen to a podcast, on average 1-2 episodes a day. There are a lot of podcasts in Spanish, our Yana made a selection based on them. At some point, you can give up on educational podcasts, go to rtve.es and listen to just podcasts in Spanish that are created for native speakers, not for learners.
Thirdly, I would watch series with subtitles from the very beginning, gradually switching to series without them. IN Once again I’ll take this opportunity to promote my favorite Mexican series Las Aparicio (“Women of the Aparicio Family”), which is posted all you know where with Russian subtitles.
Fourthly, I would not be afraid to watch a huge number of films in Spanish almost from the very beginning. Even though I don't understand a lot of things. I have already been convinced many times that listening comprehension is purely a matter of habit, and the sooner you develop it, the better.

Learn a language and not read it? No, gracias

I read the first adapted book in 2012, it seems. The first unadapted one was in 2014. Ok, it’s not my fault, until some year adapted books were simply not available to me, but now I have a problem because of the large selection, and I don’t really need them, I now read regular ones .

Like I would do now. Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and is studied by millions, thank goodness. Therefore, the choice of manuals on it is simply huge, including adapted literature. Already having level A1, you can read several thin books and gain new vocabulary. Many books are available with audio. I would pay attention to the Pepa Vila, Lola Lagos series (these are detective stories), as well as adapted books from the Edinumen publishing house. There are even books available for specific varieties of Spanish, such as Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. Starting from level B1, I would start reading magazines in Spanish (nowadays it’s not a problem to find PDF). On B2 you can already read newspapers online (El País, El mundo).

Study a language for 10 years and not be able to write a coherent text? No, gracias

I realized that it was difficult for me to write a long text in Spanish when I decided to take DELE C1. And I don’t mean stupid essays in exam format, I’m talking about some long reflections or, for example, about an article like the one I’m writing now. During the marathon there was a whole week that I devoted to writing and wrote texts of 2000 characters on average every day. It turned out that it’s hard to get fluent in writing when you don’t know something, oral speech it is easier. In spoken language, spelling errors are not visible :) Well, when you suddenly realize that you are not sure of some conjugation, you can quickly pronounce it so that no one will notice. This won't work in writing.

Like I would do now. Now I would fully use polyglotclub.com and italki.com. To the point that I would throw my written assignments from textbooks there. There is no need to awkwardly ask anyone to check your work, because these sites are designed for language exchange.

Well, and, perhaps, the most important thing is that I would not extend active study for such a period. You can reach level B2 in just over a year if you do all of the above together, the main thing here is awareness, consistency and constancy. The last two points came to me only two years ago, but I won’t make these mistakes with other languages.

Guest article written by Alena Dudarets, our super-curator Language Heroes in Spanish, for which many thanks to her on behalf of those who are starting to learn Spanish :)

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