How to

How to Learn to
Speak Spanish
Spanish is a beautiful language with a long history
and over 500 million speakers worldwide. It is one of
the easier languages for speakers of English to
learn, due to both language's shared Latin roots.
Learning another language requires time and
dedication. The satisfaction you'll feel after having
your first proper conversation in Spanish will make it
totally worth the effort! Here are some great ideas on
how to learn to speak Spanish and have fun in the
process!

Master the Basics

1
Learn Spanish pronunciation. The Spanish
alphabet is identical to English, but the pronunciation
of each letter is significantly different. Some of the
sounds are difficult for English speakers because
they don't occur in that language. A good way to

start learning Spanish is to learn how to pronounce

each letter of the alphabet. From there, you can
learn how to pronounce words. Phrases and then
whole sentences, which come next, will be a lot
easier. See below for the phonetic pronunciation of
each letter in Spanish.:

A = ah, B = beh, C = seh, D = deh, E = eh, F = ehfeh, G = heh, H = ah-cheh, I =ee

J = hoh-tah, K = kah, L = eh-leh, M = eh-meh, N

= eh-neh, = eh-nyeh, O = oh

P = peh, Q = koo, R = eh-reh, S = eh-seh, T = teh,

U = oo, V = -beh

W = oo-bleh-doubleh, X = eh-kees, Y = ee gryehgah and Z = theh-tah.[1]

Note that the only letter in the Spanish alphabet that

does not exist in English is the letter ,
pronounced eh-nyeh. It is a completely separate
letter from the letter N. It's closest approximation in

English would be the "ny" sound in the word

"canyon."[2]

2
Learn to pronounce letters of the alphabet in
Spanish. Once you learn the pronunciation rules of

Spanish, you will be able to pronounce any word in

that language.

ca, co, cu = kah, koh, koo. ce, ci = theh,

thee or seh, see

ch sounds like English ch

ga, go, gu = gah, goh, goo. ge, gi = heh, hee

h does not sound. Hombre is pronounced ohmbreh

hua, hue, hui, huo = wah, weh, wee, woh

ll sounds like English y or like English j. Calle is kahyeh or kah-jeh.

r at the beginning of a word and rr in the middle of a

word are rolled. See How to Roll Your "R"s

r in the middle of a word is like tt in butter in an

American accent. Loro = lohttoh.

que, qui = keh, kee

v sounds like b

y sounds like English y or like English j. Yo

is yoh or joh.

See How to Pronounce Spanish Letters and Certain

Sounds.

3
Learn numbers next. Knowing how to count is an
essential skill in any language. Learning to count in

Spanish isn't hard, as the names of numbers in

Spanish are similar to English. Numbers one through
ten are listed below:

One = Uno, Two = Dos, Three = Tres, Four

= Cuatro, Five = Cinco, Six = Seis, Seven = Siete,
Eight = Ocho, Nine = Nueve, Ten = Diez.[3]

Be aware that the number one -- "uno" -- changes

when it's used in front of either a masculine or
feminine noun. For example, the term "one man"
is "un hombre", while the term "one girl" is "una
chica".[3]

4
Memorize simple words. The wider the vocabulary
you have at your disposal, the easier it is to speak a
language fluently. Familiarize yourself with as many
simple, everyday Spanish words as possible - you'll
be surprised at how quickly they build up!

One of the easiest ways to do this is to use cognates

- words that share a similar meaning, spelling and
pronunciation in both languages. Learning Spanish
cognates of English words is a great way to rapidly
increase your vocabulary, as 30%-40% of English
words have a Spanish cognate.[4]

For words without cognates, try using one of the

following memorization methods: When you hear a
word in English, think of how you would say it in
Spanish. If you don't know what it is, jot it down and
look it up later. It's handy to keep a little notebook on
you at all times for this purpose. Alternatively, try
attaching little Spanish labels to items around your
house, such as the mirror, the coffee table and the
sugar bowl. You'll see the words so often that you'll
learn them without realizing it!

It is important to learn a word or phrase from

Spanish to English as well as English to Spanish.

That way you will remember how to say it, not just
recognize it when you hear it.

5
Learn some basic conversational phrases. By
learning the basics of polite conversation, you'll very

quickly be able to interact with Spanish speakers on

a simple level. Jot down some everyday Spanish
phrases in a notebook and make a point of learning
between five and ten of them every day. Here's a
few to get you started:

Hello! = Hola![5]

Yes = S[6]

No = No[6]

Thank you! = Gracias! -- pronounced "grah-thyahs"

or "grah-syas"[5]

Please = Por favor[5]

What is your name? = Cmo se llama usted?[7]

My name is... = Me llamo...[7]

Nice to meet you = Mucho gusto[7]

See you later! = Hasta luego! -- pronounced "ahstah lweh-goh"[5]

Goodbye = Adis! -- pronounced "ah-dyohs"[5]

Study Basic Grammar

1
Learn how to conjugate regular verbs. Learning
how to conjugate verbs is a major part of learning
how to speak Spanish correctly. Conjugation means
taking the infinitive form of a verb (to talk, to eat) and
changing its form to indicate who is performing an
action and when that action is being performed.
When learning how to conjugate verbs in Spanish,

the best place to start is with regular verbs in the

present tense. Regular verbs in Spanish all end in
either "-ar", "-er" or "-ir", and how each verb is
conjugated will depend on its ending.[8] An
explanation of how each type of regular verb is
conjugated in the present tense follow below:

Verbs ending in "-ar". Hablar is the infinitive form

of the Spanish verb "to speak." To change the verb
into the present tense, all you need to do is drop the
"-ar" and add a different ending, which varies
depending on the subject pronoun.[9] For example:

"I speak" becomes yo hablo

"You speak (informal)" becomes t hablas

"You speak (formal)" becomes usted habla

"He/she speaks" becomes l/ella habla

"We speak" becomes nosotros/as hablamos

"You all speak (informal)" becomes vosotros/as

hablis

"You all speak (formal)" becomes ustedes hablan

"They speak" becomes ellos/ellas hablan

As you can see, the six different endings used are o, -as, -a, -amos, -isand -an. These endings will
be the same for every single regular verb that ends
in "-ar", such as bailar (to dance), buscar (to look
for), comprar (to buy) and trabajar (to work).[9]

Verbs ending in "-er". Comer is the infinitive form

of the Spanish verb "to eat." To change the verb into
the present tense, drop the "-er" and add the
endings -o, -es,-e, -emos, -is or -en, depending on
the subject pronoun.[9] For example:

"I eat" becomes yo como

"You eat (informal)" becomes t comes

"You eat (formal)" becomes usted come

"He/she eats" becomes l/ella come

"We eat" becomes nosotros/as comemos

"You all eat (informal)" becomes vosotros/as

comis

"You all eat (formal)" becomes ustedes comen

"They eat" becomes ellos/ellas comen

These six endings will be the same for every regular

"-er" verb, such as aprender (to learn), beber (to
drink), leer (to read) and vender (to sell).

Verbs ending in "-ir". Vivir is the infinitive form of

the Spanish verb "to live". To change the verb into
the present tense, drop the "-ir" and add the
endings -o, -es, -e, -imos, -s or -en, depending on
the subject pronoun.[9] For example:

"I live" becomes yo vivo

"You live (informal)" becomes t vives

"You live (formal)" becomes usted vive

"He/she live" becomes l/ella vive

"We live" becomes nosotros/as vivimos

"You all live (informal)" becomes vosotros/as vivs

"You all live (formal)" becomes ustedes viven

"They live" becomes ellos/ellas viven

These six verb endings will be the same for every

regular "-ir" verb, such as abrir (to open), escribir (to
write), insistir (to insist) and recibir (to receive).

Once you have mastered the present tense, you can

move on to conjugating verbs in other tenses, such
as the future tense, the preterite and imperfect past
tenses and the conditional tense. The same basic
method used to conjugate the present tense is also
used for each of these tenses - you simply take the
stem of the infinitive verb and add a particular set of
endings, which vary depending on the subject
pronoun.

2
Learn how to conjugate common, irregular
verbs. Once you get the hang of conjugating regular
verbs, you are off to a very good start. However be
aware that not all verbs can be conjugated using the
normal rules - there are many irregular verbs, each

with their own unique conjugations which follow no

rhyme or reason. Unfortunately, some of the most
common, everyday verbs - such as ser (to be), estar
(to be), ir (to go) and haber (to have (done)) - are
irregular. The best thing to do is simply to learn them
by heart:[10]

Ser. The verb "ser" is one of two verbs in Spanish

which can be translated as "to be". "Ser" is used to
describe the essential characteristics of something for example, it is used for physical descriptions, for
time and dates and for describing characters and
personalities, amongst other things. It is used to
describe whatsomething is.[11] The present tense of
the verb is conjugated as follows:

"I am" becomes yo soy

"You are (informal)" becomes t eres

"You are (formal)" becomes usted es

"He/she is" becomes l/ella es

"We are" becomes nosotros/as somos

"You all are (informal)" becomes vosotros/as sois

"You all are (formal)" becomes ustedes son

"They are" becomes ellos/ellas son[10]

Estar. The verb "estar" also means "to be" but is

used in a different context from "ser". "Estar" is used
for states of being - for example, it is used to
describe conditional states such as feelings, moods
and emotions, as well as a person or thing's
location, amongst other things. It is used to
describe how something is.[11]The present tense of
the verb is conjugated as follows:

"I am" becomes yo estoy

"You are (informal)" becomes t ests

"You are (formal)" becomes usted est

"He/she is" becomes l/ella est

"We are" becomes nosotros/as estamos

"You all are (informal)" becomes vosotros/as estis

"You all are (formal)" becomes ustedes estn

"They are" becomes ellos/ellas estn[10]

Ir. The verb "ir" means "to go". It is conjugated in the

present tense as follows:

"I go" becomes yo voy

"You go (informal)" becomes t vas

"You go (formal)" becomes usted va

"He/she goes" becomes l/ella va

"We go" becomes nosotros/as vamos

"You all go (informal)" becomes vosotros/as vais

"You all go (formal)" becomes ustedes van

"They go" becomes ellos/ellas van[10]

Haber. The verb "haber" can be translated as either

"I have" or "I have done", depending on context. The
present tense of the verb is conjugated as follows:

"I have (done)" becomes yo he

"You have (done)(informal)" becomes t has

"You have (done) (formal)" becomes usted ha

"He/she has (done)" becomes l/ella ha

"We have (done)" becomes nosotros/as hemos

"You all have (done) (informal)"

becomes vosotros/as habis

"You all have (done) (formal)" becomes ustedes

han

"They have (done)" becomes ellos/ellas han[10]

Learn Spanish gender rules. In Spanish, like many

other languages, every noun is assigned a gender,
either masculine or feminine. There is no surefire
way to tell whether a noun is masculine or feminine
from sound or spelling, so it's necessary to learn the
genders as you learn the words.

For people it is possible to make an educated guess

as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine. For
instance, the word for "girl" is feminine, la chica,
while the word for "boy" is masculine, el chico. This
is called natural gender.

Very few words for people have a grammatical

gender. For example, el beb (the baby) is
masculine and la visita (the visitor) is feminine. This
is also valid for female babies and male visitors.

In addition, nouns that end in the letter "o", like el

libro (book), are usually masculine and words that
end in the letter "a", like la revista (magazine) are
usually feminine. However, there are many nouns

that do not end in either "a" or "o", so this is not

always helpful.[12]

Any adjectives used to describe nouns must also

agree with the gender of the noun, so adjectives will
change their form depending on whether a noun is
masculine or feminine.

4
Learn how to use the definite and indefinite
articles. In English, there is only one definite article
"the", and three indefinite articles "a", "an" or
"some". In Spanish, however, there are four of each.
Which one a speaker uses depends on whether the
noun they are referring to is masculine or feminine,
plural or singular.

For example, to refer to "the male cat" in Spanish,

you would need to use the definite article "el" - "el
gato". When referring to "the male cats", the definite
article changes to "los" - "los gatos".

The definite article changes again when referring to

the feminine form of cat. "The female cat" uses the
definite article "la" - "la gata", while "the female cats"
uses the definite article "las" - "las gatas".

The four forms of indefinite article are used in the

same way - "un" is is used for the masculine

singular, "unos" is used for the masculine plural,

"una" is used for the feminine singular and "unas" is
used for the feminine plural.

Immerse Yourself in the Language

Find a native speaker. One of the best ways to

improve your new language skills is to practice
speaking with a native speaker. They will easily be
able to correct any grammar or pronunciation
mistakes you make and can introduce you to more
informal or colloquial forms of speech that you won't
find in a textbook.

If you have a Spanish-speaking friend who is willing

to help, that's great! Otherwise, you can place an ad
in the local paper or online or investigate whether
there are any pre-existing Spanish conversation
groups in the area.

If you can't locate any Spanish-speakers nearby, try

finding someone on Skype. They might be willing to
exchange 15 minutes of Spanish conversation for 15
minutes of English.

2
Consider signing up for a language course. If you
need some extra motivation or feel you would learn
better in a more formal setting, try signing up for a
Spanish language course.

Look out for language courses advertised at local

colleges, schools or community centers.

If you're nervous about signing up for a class by

yourself, drag a friend along. You'll have more fun
and also someone to practice with between classes!

Watch Spanish films and cartoons. Get your

hands on some Spanish DVDs (with subtitles) or
watch Spanish cartoons online. This is an easy,
entertaining way to get a feel for the sound and
structure of the Spanish language.

If you're feeling particularly proactive, try pausing the

video after a simple sentence and repeat what has
just been said. This will lend your Spanish accent an
air of authenticity!

If you can't find any Spanish films to buy, try renting

them from a movie rental store, which often have
foreign language sections. Alternatively, see if your
local library has any Spanish films or ask if they
would be able to source some for you.

4
Listen to Spanish music and radio. Listening to
Spanish music and/or radio is another good way to
surround yourself in the language. Even if you can't
understand everything, try to pick out keywords to
help you get the gist of what's being said.

Get a Spanish radio app on your phone, so you can

listen on the go.

Try downloading Spanish podcasts to listen to while

exercising or doing housework.

Alejandro Sanz, Shakira and Enrique Iglesias are

some good Spanish singers.

5
Learn about the Spanish cultures. Languages
exist in a dialogue with culture, so certain
expressions and mentalities are inextricably tied to
cultural origins. The study of culture may also help
prevent social misunderstandings.

Consider taking a trip to a Spanish speaking

country. Once you feel comfortable with the basics
of Spanish speech, consider taking a trip a Spanish
speaking country. There's no better way to immerse
yourself in a language than to hang-out and chat
with the locals!

Be aware that every Spanish-speaking country has a

different accent, different slang, and sometimes
even different vocabulary. For example, Chilean
Spanish is extremely different from Mexican
Spanish, from the Spanish of Spain, and even
Argentine Spanish.

In fact, as you advance in your Spanish proficiency,

you may find it helpful to focus on one particular
flavor of Spanish. It could be confusing if your
lessons continually shift among word meanings and
pronunciations for each country. However only about
2% of Spanish vocabulary is different in each

country. You must concentrate in the remaining

98%.

7
Don't be discouraged! If you're serious about
learning to speak Spanish, keep at it - the
satisfaction you'll get from mastering a second

language will far outweigh the difficulties you

encounter along the way. Learning a new language
takes time and practice, it won't happen overnight. If
you still need some extra motivation, here are some
things that make Spanish easier to learn than other
languages:

Spanish uses the Subject-Object-Verb word order,

just like English. This means that it's easier to
translate directly from English to Spanish, without
having to worry about rearranging the structure of
the sentence.[13]

Spanish spelling is very phonetic, so it's usually

quite easy to pronounce a word correctly, just by
saying it like it's spelled. This is not the case in
English, so Spanish learners of English have a much
harder time pronouncing words correctly when
reading![13]

As mentioned before, about 30% to 40 % of words in

Spanish have an English cognate. This is because

of their shared Latin roots. As a result, you already

have an extensive Spanish vocabulary before you
even get started - all it needs is a few tweaks and a
Spanish twang!

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