
5 Tips to Learn Basic Spanish Faster
Learning basic Spanish is a fun and enjoyable process with thrilling challenges. If you’re highly motivated to learn the language as fast as possible, you’ll want to prepare yourself to speak it early and often. In other words—start now and don’t stop!
For some of us, it’s a challenge to squeeze Spanish into the daily schedule. Life is busy, and who really has time anymore? Don’t you wish you could wave a wand and magically know Spanish?
Wishful thinking aside, you know deep down that achieving any goal requires concerted effort. In reality, learning a language is a lifelong process that grows in complexity over time. When you look at it that way, you can embrace the fact that you’ll continue improving your Spanish for the rest of your life.
But let’s put your long-term goal on the back burner for now and focus on how to master the basics in the here and now, and in the most efficient way possible! With practice and perseverance on your side, you’re already on your way to Spanish proficiency.
Ready, Set, Goal
To overcome any challenges you may have with a busy schedule, set a reasonable goal to practice for X minutes per day, every day. What does your schedule, your learning style, and your level of motivation allow? Even 5 to 10 minutes of daily study is better than nothing, and it will make a difference if you do it every day. To further enhance the effectiveness of your daily practice time, check out the tips and strategies I outline in this blog post!
Defining Basic Spanish
First of all, what does “basic Spanish” mean? At this level of language ability, you are able to:
- Understand and use common words and phrases
- Read short and simple texts
- Communicate in simple ways and engage in basic conversations
- Write using short and easy sentences
To determine your level of Spanish, you can take the DELE placement test or a practice DELE test. Alternatively, read through the CEFR self-assessment grid to find out your current level.
5 Tips to Learn Basic Spanish Faster
Making great strides toward learning basic Spanish requires taking action in a productive and smart way. Contrary to what you may think, you don’t have to focus on complicated grammatical structures or memorize long vocabulary lists. As you know, this is not how you learned your native language, so why do this when learning a new language?
Instead, follow these five pro tips to ensure that your Spanish learning journey is on the right track!
1. Learn as a Group and Make Friends with Spanish Speakers
Learning on your own is perfectly fine—since, ultimately, you are responsible for your own learning and growth—but it’s even better to learn within a small group.
Unfortunately, your Spanish practice may face a considerable amount of neglect if the people around you in your home environment and social circle only speak English. This lack of usage negatively impacts your acquisition of the language and slows down the overall learning process.
On the other hand, if you opt for learning along with your friends and family, you can practice speaking Spanish together! This kind of immersion encourages your brain to build long-term memory and boost comprehension through repetition. Plus, you’ll even have fun while you’re at it!
If you don’t have any friends or relatives who want to join you on the Spanish learning adventure, you’ll benefit from finding others with whom to converse. The good news is that befriending Spanish speakers has never been easier, thanks to the internet. Take a look at language forums, Spanish school websites, and blogs to connect with likeminded Spanish learners. Or, consider an informal conversational session with a language partner.
A practical phrase to use often when you start speaking Spanish is Estoy aprendiendo español, which means “I’m learning Spanish.” Speak slowly and clearly to encourage the person you are speaking to respond in the same way.
Check out these handy resources:
- How HSA Native Spanish Teachers Taught Me Spanish
- The Secret to Finding Your Ideal Spanish Language Partner
- 100 Essential Spanish Phrases for Conversational Fluency

2. Make Basic Spanish Part of Your Daily Routine
Don’t just study Spanish; live your life through Spanish! Research shows that the key to effective learning is by listening. When you listen repeatedly to the same information, you are able to learn vocabulary and grammar patterns unconsciously.
As a beginner, you can mix your daily speaking practice with a more laid-back approach to learning. In other words, take in Spanish language songs, shows, films, books, podcasts, stories, poetry, articles…. you get the idea.
What’s more, make a game of it. Pretend like you’re a native speaker and immerse yourself in the Spanish language by speaking, reading, and listening to it regularly. Besides reinforcing the skills you are learning, this strategy increases your familiarity with the rhythm and cadence of Spanish.
Know that you won’t understand everything at first. Yet, by simply surrounding yourself with Spanish and making it a central part of your life, you’ll acquire the language faster.
Ready for some recommendations? Check these out:
- 10 Romantic Spanish Songs for Adults Learning Spanish (with lyrics PDF)
- Top 10 Side-Splitting, Must-See Spanish Comedies for Adults
- Spanish People Talking: 10 of the Best Spanish Listening Resources for Beginners
3. Write in Spanish
Writing in Spanish can do wonders for your learning progress. It helps you solidify the grammar structures you’re learning and better organize the way you express your ideas in Spanish.
Writing a blog or journaling about your Spanish learning process is a fantastic way to practice your new language skills and document your progress.
Need some ideas? Write about what you learned during the week, what you found challenging, what came easily, and how you dealt with any issues that arose. Write about what you’d like to learn next. In other words, write about anything and everything Spanish-related that matters to you.
Hand-picked for you: 15 Simple Tips to Improve Your Writing in Spanish
4. Visualize and Affirm
Visualization is a powerful tool to help you reach your goals faster, and yes—this includes speaking Spanish! Repeated words and thoughts often sink into the subconscious mind and affect our behavior, actions, and reactions. Imagine that you already speak Spanish, and visualize all the benefits you will get by doing so.
An affirmation is a conscious thought that is stated in the form of a command. Ideally, they are positive, powerful, and supportive. Using affirmations helps you access your strengths, improve your mood, and cultivate gratitude.
Affirm to yourself multiple times every day, using statements like “I’m good at learning Spanish” and “I can speak Spanish.” Bonus points for saying your affirmations in Spanish:
Soy un(a) buen(a) estudiante de español.
Puedo hablar en español.
Here are a few ways to incorporate affirmations into your daily life:
- Write your Spanish learning affirmations on note cards and post them somewhere in your house where you will see them regularly.
- Save your Spanish learning affirmations as a wallpaper or background on your phone or laptop.
- Repeat your affirmation as you fall asleep at night.
- Cut back on mindless social media scrolling or TV watching; instead take some time to study Spanish and repeat your affirmations.
5. Speak Spanish Early and Often
Learning Spanish is not just about acquiring grammar and vocabulary. Above all else, language is a means of communication and purposeful interaction among humans If you start speaking Spanish immediately and using it primarily as a form of communication (and not just a static thing to be studied), then you will gain fluency faster.
In fact, your top objective for learning Spanish is to speak with others. Step out of your comfort zone, throw yourself out there, and speak to anyone who will lend an ear. Repeat phrases in front of the mirror, to family and friends, or even to your pet. Record yourself and play it back to your teacher or a native-speaking friend so you can correct your pronunciation.
As you stumble through various attempts to explain yourself in Spanish, keep an open mind and accept that you will make mistakes when speaking Spanish as a beginner. Despite the discomfort of it, encourage yourself to remember that the more you practice the easier it will become!
Practice Speaking Basic Spanish Today!
By following these 5 tips, you are well on your way to building a strong foundation in Spanish that will lead you to fluency. If you’re ready to start speaking Spanish today with a professional Spanish-speaking teacher, sign up for a free class with us at Homeschool Spanish Academy.
Time and time again, our students prove that taking online classes with a Spanish teacher is the fastest way to learn Spanish! Additionally, it affords you the flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere. Best of all, your teacher will develop a study plan tailored to your level and goals and keep you focused and engaged in the lesson. Join us today and see how quickly you can improve your basic Spanish skills!
Looking for more Spanish for beginners? Check out our latest posts!
- Doing Chores at Home (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)
- 50 Useful Spanish Transition Words for Everyday Speech and Writing
- Master the 18 Spanish Tenses (and Take Our Cheat Sheet With You)
- 12 Contemporary Spanish Female Artists Who Will Empower You
- All About Adverbial Clauses in Spanish
- Top 20 Guatemalan Words and Slang Expressions You Should Know
- The Ultimate Guide to the Differences Between ‘Pero’ and ‘Sino’ in Spanish
- A Guide to Double Negatives in Spanish
- Ver Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF - December 5, 2024
- What Are the Different Levels of Language Proficiency? - October 17, 2024
- Master All the Forms of Ser in Spanish: Your Ultimate Grammar Guide - July 18, 2024