How to Learn, Speak Conversational Spanish

To begin mastering Spanish as a second language, you need to both learn and speak conversational Spanish. Speaking is basic, the way to begin. Just as it was the way you began to learn English. Learn to speak first, then sort out the niceties of grammar and form later. This article shows you the "fast track" to effective, usable conversational Spanish.

It seems that many people are learning Spanish these days. The exact reasons for this trend are unclear. Maybe it''s because there are 41 million Hispanics in the U.S. Maybe it''s because there are 17 million Hispanics in the U.S. who either do not Speak English very well or who do not speak English at all. Perhaps it is because, in the Western Hemisphere, Spanish is the language with the most native speakers. It could be because Spanish is widely spoken in Europe, and useful to travelers. Also, it could be that in today''s "shrinking world" we are all becoming more international in our thinking and don''t want to remain monolingual.

For whatever reason you choose to learn Spanish, your first goal should be to master conversational Spanish. That is the natural way to learn.

Think about it. You could converse in English before you understood any of the formal rules, before you even understood the meaning of "conjugation", "gerund", "participle" or "superlative".

Here is how to go about learning and speaking conversational Spanish:
1. Getting started. Get yourself an interactive audio learning course, either on CD''s or via a digital download from the Internet. (You can find several at the links in the bio box below) You will need the audio part, spoken by native speakers to get the accent, inflection and rhythm of the language down pat.

The advantage of learning from native speakers is a large one. Ever hear anyone who did not grow up with English, speaking it? They will have a noticeable (sometimes almost unintelligible) accent. It''s the same with Spanish. So you want to learn from educated native speakers and try to sound like them.

2. Learning the basics. The advantage of digital media is that you can buy an interactive-audio Spanish learning program for less than $100 on the Internet 24/7. You can download it and be taking lessons in minutes.

You can offload lessons to your iPod or other cp3 player, take them with you and study anytime, anywhere that it is convenient. You pick your own speed, can repeat as often as you like.

Go through the interactive-audio learning course, taking the lessons in order. Concentrate on getting through the basics first. Work on getting your speed up, reacting rapidly in Spanish and beginning to think in Spanish.

You might experiment with free-form listening, like switching over to CNN news in Spanish, but don''t put much time into it.

3. Practicing - polishing and honing, building on what you know, to learn, speak conversational Spanish. There are several ways to go about this. You will need to engage in free-form conversation with native speakers of Spanish.

You could, for example:


+ Find someone you know who speaks good Spanish to practice with.

+ Post an ad at your local college or university for a native Spanish-speaking student to act as your tutor.

+ Go online and find chat rooms where Spanish is spoken. (That will give you practice in interacting with written Spanish.) + Open a Skype VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) account, ask who in the Spanish chatroom also has a Skype account and arrange to talk with them. (Skype account to Skype account on the Net is free. For a few dollars you can setup to call local phone numbers in Spanish-speaking countries and access them via the Net from anywhere.)

+ Arrange to visit a Spanish-speaking country and engage in conversation with people you encounter.

However you go about it, practice is important. To master conversational Spanish, it will be essential for you to get some practice actually speaking Spanish in real conversations. It is the only way, really, to learn, speak conversational Spanish well and effectively.

For the best Spanish-learning course at a great price, visit: Learn Spanish For more resources to learn, speak conversational Spanish, visit: Learn speak conversational Spanish
Jorge Chavez Learned Spanish after he was 30, now is bilingual, with clients, friends and family who only speak English, and others who only speak Spanish. http://rocket-spanish.ya23.com