The best way to learn Spanish is a mix: mostly Spanish you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Spanish you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Spanish Work Best?
Reading and listening to Spanish at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Shows, podcasts and music | Natural, everyday Spanish | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar and verb charts | How verb forms work | Forms that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Spanish for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Travel to Spain or Latin AmericaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about ordering food and getting around, in the Spanish of the place you will visit, and say each one out loud.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Enjoy Shows and MusicPut most of your time into listening, and move on to episodes with Spanish subtitles once short conversations feel easy.
- Pass the DELERead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the past exams that Instituto Cervantes posts for each level, from A1 to C2, as the test gets close.
- Read Books and the NewsSpend most of your time reading at your level, then move on to easy news like Planeta Fácil before novels.
- Work in SpanishRead and hear Spanish about your field most of the time, and practice usted, the polite word for you, with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Spanish.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as SpanishDict for verbs or Anki for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Spanish lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A first course | Language Transfer's Complete Spanish, an audio course | Pimsleur, with Latin American and Castilian courses |
| Reading and listening at your level | Bubblegum's Spanish lessons on this site | Bubblegum, Dreaming Spanish or LingQ |
| Podcasts, shows and news | ¡Cuéntame! for stories, Planeta Fácil for news, Language Reactor for shows | Migaku for shows and web pages you choose |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar and verbs | Verb charts on SpanishDict | LingoDeer, which teaches grammar one step at a time |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Spanish sentences you can follow.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each one comes with an example of how it is used.
- Word-for-Word TranslationSpanish says many things its own way, as in tengo hambre (I'm hungry), so learn whole phrases from real lines.
- English-Only SubtitlesOnce you can follow some of a show, turn on the Spanish subtitles, so you read the words you hear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Spanish with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own. Tutors on both sites can also help you prepare for the DELE.
Should I learn Spanish grammar first?
No. Learn grammar from the Spanish you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after me gusta el café (I like coffee) and me gusta leer (I like to read), the pattern for "I like" is easy to spot.
Which Spanish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Spanish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Spanish app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Spanish lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- Instituto Cervantes, ¿Qué es el DELE? (official Spanish diplomas, levels A1 to C2)
- Instituto Cervantes, Preparar la prueba DELE (past exams for each level)
- Language Transfer, Complete Spanish (free audio course)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- HelloTalk, learn Spanish (free language exchange)
- SpanishDict, Spanish dictionary and verb charts
