A course is a course is a course, right? In fact you've got several options when you're learning Spanish, some of them more effective than others. But learning effectiveness is not the only consideration when choosing a course that fits into your own lifestyle.
There are several types of course you can take if you want to learn Spanish and while no one method will suit every person some are much more effective than others. Here we take a look at the types of course you can take and how effective they are likely to be.
1. Immersion Course
The idea behind an immersion course is simply to surround yourself by Spanish to such a degree that all your senses are saturated with it, in a similar way to how you learnt to speak English as a kid.
The absolutely best way to do this is to go and live in a Spanish speaking country and insist on speaking nothing but Spanish. Ask people you are in regular contact with to correct your Spanish when you make mistakes and never be afraid of making those inevitable mistakes.
Your best option is to combine focused class work with speaking in real situations and staying with a host family who you will live with and interact with in Spanish. A good part of the class can focus on useful aspects of grammar – forget anything you won't actually use – and teach you how people really speak rather than how they are supposed to speak.
2. Intensive Course
Many major cities run intensive courses and so you may be able to find one where you live. You'll spend all day in class 5 days a week and practice speaking Spanish in your group, or preferably with a single native Spanish speaker. Once again some grammar way be helpful, but it shouldn't be the focus of the course.
You could also take an intensive course in a Spanish speaking country. Although the results won't be as good as fully immersing yourself in the language and culture you should still see a dramatic improvement in the standard of your Spanish.
3. Regular Course
A regular Spanish course will usually consist of one or two classes a week, each of them 2 to 2 and a half hours in duration. You should easily be able to find this type of course in your hometown and so if you're unable to make the time necessary for an intensive course this is a good option instead. When choosing a course make sure it concentrates on speaking, with grammar study restricted to helping you with specific learning points when necessary.
4. Home Study
Studying at home has many huge advantages but with it are also some major drawbacks. The advantages include the ability to be able to study exactly when and where you can. If you can do this on a daily basis all the better, but otherwise whenever you can – the train on car on the way to work are good for listening to Spanish audio for example.
The downside is that you'll need much more discipline to make it work and nobody to help you when you get stuck, as you inevitably will at some stage. It's also much harder to learn conversational Spanish because you have no real conversations where you have to think on your feet.
Conclusion
As you can see no one method is right for everyone due to factors such as money, family commitments or simple lack of time. However, anyone who wants to learn Spanish should be able to find a course that suits their own lifestyle and time constraints. The key to learning is to be as effective as possible; that means whichever option you take you need to study the right things in order to make progress.
Learning a second language is among the most rewarding things you can do in your life. Find out more about learning Spanish from Mark Hazard's website at www.SimplyLearnSpanish.com
