Best Ways to Learn Spanish

Discover how to learn Spanish, with these top tips according to experts.

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By Emily Duncan · March 7, 2024 · 9 minute read

Looking for the best way to learn Spanish? You’ve come to the right place. While the absolute best way to learn Spanish for you will depend on your specific interests and strengths, we’ve gathered tons of helpful tips, tricks, and resources so you can start off on the right foot.

In this guide, we’ll look at how to learn Spanish. With these helpful tips, you can take your Spanish studies to the next level, whether you’re learning for travel, fun, friends and family, or your career.

After all, learning Spanish can make traveling easier and more delightful, give your resume a boost, and help you create deeper connections with Spanish speakers in your life.

Discover the best ways to learn Spanish

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Learn at your own pace

Busuu’s bite-sized, self-paced online lessons make it simpler to fit Spanish learning into your day.

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Practice on the go

With offline learning, you can download lessons and work on your Spanish anytime, anywhere.

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Focus on your goals

Make a Study Plan and choose the courses that work for you, from basics for travel to AP Spanish prep.

What are the best ways to learn Spanish?

What is the best way to learn Spanish?

Here’s a quick overview. If you’d like even more interesting techniques to boost your Spanish studies, check out our article on how to speak Spanish fluently.

1. Learn on your terms

Using an app to learn Spanish is the best way to learn Spanish as an adult because it can fit into your day and stay flexible with changing schedules. While classes are great when you’re in school, outside of school, they can get expensive quickly.

Plus, it can be hard to make a weekly class work when you have outside responsibilities, and if you have to miss a day, you could miss valuable information and end up feeling like you’ve wasted your money.

Apps are great because they’re always available, on your time and terms, and many of them (including Busuu!) let you start learning Spanish for free.

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2. Make it a habit

The easiest way to learn Spanish is to create a habit around it and fit it into your existing schedule. One of the hardest parts of learning a language is sticking to it when the going gets tough. If you can attach your language learning to an existing habit – like learning while you have your morning coffee or eat your lunch – you’ll have an easier time remembering to stick with it.

If time constraints are a problem for you but you want to make progress in your language learning, creating a learning habit that’s easy to stick with – even if you can only tackle a few of Busuu’s bite-sized lessons per day – will help you keep moving your learning forward.

And if you need an extra boost, you can always use our Study Plan feature and have the app remind you and track your learning goals for you!

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3. Learn from native Spanish speakers

When you’re learning Spanish, it’s important to get practice listening to real native Spanish speakers. That way, you can get a better sense for different accents and learn how Spanish is used in real conversations. That’s why Busuu uses real Spanish speakers for our listening exercises and connects you with real Spanish speakers for feedback.

After all, ultimately, if you’re learning Spanish, you’ll probably want to have conversations in Spanish, and for that, you need listening and speaking practice! Check out these 3 ways to practice Spanish conversation skills online and put the Busuu community to work for you with feedback from real Spanish speakers.

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4. Make mistakes

As we discussed in our article on how to learn Spanish fast, the real best way to learn Spanish is to make tons of mistakes and learn from them.

That means diving headlong into exercises that ask you to write and speak in Spanish (like Busuu’s Conversations feature!), and tracking and reviewing things that trip you up.

To make that easier, Busuu uses Smart Review, which automatically captures vocabulary and grammar you’ve struggled with, so you can review and test yourself exactly where you need a little more practice.

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5. Learn the Spanish you need

Some Spanish classes and apps start you off with odd phrases and children’s words that you’re unlikely to need. While it’s meant to teach sentence structure, it can be demoralizing.

When it feels like you’ve been learning for a month and haven’t learned basic practical phrases you’d need while traveling or shopping, you might start questioning why you’re learning at all. That’s why Busuu’s courses, designed by language learning experts, start you off with practical phrases, and include specialized courses so you can, for example, learn Spanish for travel specifically.

When you learn Spanish on Busuu, you can also take our original Complete Spanish Course, which uses European Spanish, or take the Complete Latin American Spanish course, to ensure you’re learning the vocabulary and pronunciation that make sense for your life and plans. It really is the best way to learn Spanish for free!

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What are the benefits of learning Spanish?

1. Connect with others

One of the best reasons to learn to speak Spanish fluently is to connect with Spanish speakers. After all, Spanish is one of the most spoken languages and fastest growing languages in the world. When you can speak someone else’s language, you can get to know them and their culture on a deeper level.

2. Travel better

Heading off to a Spanish-speaking country? Learn Spanish for travel with Busuu’s travel-specific Spanish course.

Learning the basics of the native language can make a huge difference when navigating a foreign country, both in terms of getting around and connecting with locals. It’s much more fun to travel when you’re not worried about getting lost and can understand not just the people around you but a bit about the culture. Knowing you can speak some Spanish while traveling in Spanish-speaking locations can improve your experience and reduce travel anxiety.

That said, one of the major hurdles for most travelers is gathering the courage to actually use a new language in real conversations. Fortunately, Busuu can help you get over the fear of speaking out loud and start to reduce anxiety around mistakes. How? With feedback and support from our community of native Spanish speakers!

Our awesome community of over 120 million learners and tailored courses are among the things that make Busuu the best app to learn Spanish.

3. Appeal to employers

There are also practical benefits to speaking Spanish. When looking for a job, speaking a second language can give your resumé a boost and make you eligible for jobs that require Spanish speaking skills.

Learning with Busuu can equip you with practical communication skills in Spanish to navigate common scenarios in applying for a job or in the workplace.

4. Work abroad

There are tons of good reasons to learn Spanish. Sure, you might be able to get a translation or customer service job at home, but that’s not all.

If you’ve ever wanted to work or study abroad, speaking Spanish opens up options for you in so many places! After all, Spanish is an official language in 20 different countries and in common use in several more.

5. Boost your brain

And one more great benefit to learning Spanish? Research shows that learning a language as an adult can help boost your creativity and keep your mind sharp. So even if you’re just getting started with Spanish for beginners (and nowhere near job searching en español!), you can benefit from lessons.

Try Busuu, the best app for learning Spanish

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busuu

No matter what your goals are, Busuu has free online courses and learning resources for every level of Spanish that will help you learn everything from Spanish for Travel to Complete Latin American Spanish.

Basic Spanish vocabulary

Busuu’s lessons go from A1 (Absolute Beginner) to C1 (Advanced). On Busuu, you can learn everything from basic phrases to get you started on your travels to advanced conversations so you can navigate work and relationships in Spanish.

Let’s start learning your first Spanish words for free right now!

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10 Basic Spanish words you need to know

Spanish word Meaning
Hola Hello
Adios Goodbye
Por favor Please
Gracias Thank you
De nada No problem
Yes
No No
Perdon / Disculpe Excuse me
Lo siento Sorry
Muy bien Very good, very well

Learn Spanish today with Busuu

With feedback from native Speakers, expert content, unique courses for learners of all levels, and tools and resources to help you reach your goals faster, Busuu is the best way to learn Spanish online.

Begin your journey to Spanish fluency!

Embark on the road to success and start learning Spanish via Busuu's free online courses and learning resources. Become fluent in no time, together with a community of native Spanish speakers!