Learn Spanish

Beginner students language learning information.

How, why and where to study Spanish language

Why learn Spanish?

Spanish is one of the worlds widest spoken languages, and is essential for everyday communication in Spain and Latin America where many people cannot speak English or other foreign languages well. Spanish is also a relatively easy language to learn with a clear systematic grammar and pronunciation that is easy to understand. As a language derived from Latin, Spanish shares many cognates (similar or identical words) with English. Understanding Spanish makes learning other Romance languages much easier, and Spanish is often understood by Italian or Portuguese speakers. Read the article on the British Councils article 'Spanish: speak the language of 400 million people" for more info on beginning Spanish, and the reasons for learning the Spanish language.

How to learn Spanish

Jump right in! Spanish is an easy language to learn in terms of grammar, pronunciation and everyday speaking. Most Spanish speaking countries are known for their friendly and outgoing populations, and people in these countries often have the patience to listen to rudimentary Spanish. As one of the world's most studied languages, there is a huge amount of materials for learning Spanish online and in libraries. A good place to start would be learning the basics of pronunciation and some key phrases, which you can do through our Spanish learning games. Some great and easy to use online materials for learning Spanish can be found on the BBC Spanish portal, and on The Spanish Experiment website. Podcasts are very helpful, and you can listen to these while cleaning the house or waiting in a traffic jam. The Pimsleur method is a long-running popular podcast program, and youtube has a wealth of materials for learning Spanish. Kids books can be a fun way to learn Spanish, and there are some dual text publications that are great for beginning to read Spanish.

Where to learn Spanish

The best way to learn a new language is by enrolling in a full immersion program. In such a program you will not only spend a few hours a day in classes but will also have the possibility of staying with a local Spanish-speaking family. Ecuador and Mexico have long been countries that have attracted Spanish language students from around the world. The cheapest countries for Spanish classes are most likely those in Central America. Guatemala, in particular has a large Spanish immersion industry and is a fun and friendly country to learn, with an accent that is easy to understand. However one should bear safety in mind when choosing a destination to learn Spanish, and some cities in Central America have very high crime rates. The author of this website has studied Spanish in Mexico (Oaxaca), Guatemala (Xela, Antigua, San Pedro), Bolivia (Sucre, La Paz) and Nicaragua (San Juan). The spoken Spanish in these four countries is relatively slow and clear, and hence they are excellent locations to study Spanish. Learning Spanish in countries with thick accents and strong local dialects, such as Chile or Argentina is not recommended unless you wish to spend time in these wonderful places.

For interactive language learning materials, visit the main learn Spanish games page, where you will find resources for learning Spanish colors, several useful Spanish phrases, a wordlist with audio of the Spanish numbers up to 100, important Spanish vocabulary and many more great educational resources. Romance language learning sections with several language arts games and phrase lists and wordlists with audio on the Digital Dialects portal include the French games language learning page, the learn Italian language resources, the Brazilian Portuguese language materials, the European Portuguese language games and the learn Romanian language games section.

©2020 - Digital Dialects