Spanish is one of the easiest and most spoken languages all over the world since there are over 500 million people who speak it. It is the 5th most spoken language in Europe as 15% of all Europeans can speak Spanish fluently. Spanish is also the 2nd most spoken language in international communication and the 2nd most studied language in the world after English to be ranked higher than French.
Learning any new language requires effort and spending some time to be able to use it in communicating with others. Learning to speak Spanish is also the same but not tiring. It is easy especially for those who speak English because of the common Latin roots that both languages share and the number of new words that are borrowed by the Spanish language from the English. If you want to know how to speak Spanish in just two steps, take a look at the following tips that will help you to use this language in communicating with others, especially the fluent speakers of Spanish.
1 Start your journey by learning the basics
To learn to speak Spanish, you have to start with the basics and master them. The basics include
♦ The Spanish alphabet that differs from English in the pronunciation of the letters which need to be mastered to facilitate the process of pronouncing whole words and phrases later.
♦ Counting and learning the names of the Spanish numbers that are similar to some extent to the English numbers in pronunciation but are of course different in spelling.
♦ Learning simple Spanish words especially everyday words that are essential for speaking Spanish and talking to others. The more words you learn, the easier it will be when you communicate with others. Learning those Spanish words that are similar to the words which you know in English and are known as cognates will help you to increase your vocabulary without exerting a huge effort quickly. Thinking about the meaning of different English words in Spanish and writing Spanish words in different areas at your home such as the mirror, wardrobe, and walls in your room will help you to memorize new words easily.
♦ Basic conversational phrases which are essential for communicating with others such as ¡Hola, Si, No, Por favor and other words and phrases that we use in everyday language.
♦ Basic grammar and learning more about using the definite and indefinite articles and conjugating verbs that differs according to the doer. Plus, the time of acting or verb is essential for you to be able to speak correctly. Start learning how to conjugate regular verbs and move after that to the irregular verbs which are more difficult. Make sure that you know how to conjugate the most common verbs whether they are regular or irregular.
♦ Gender rules: to make it easy for you to know the gender of a word whether it is masculine or feminine, you have to learn this while memorizing new words because you will sometimes find that there are words which are difficult to be guessed.
2 Practice the language
♦ If you want to keep learning, avoid forgetting what you have been learning and acquire new words in the Spanish language, then you will need to practice speaking it. Speaking with a native speaker will help you to achieve your goals, become more fluent in Spanish, correct your pronunciation and grammar mistakes and improve your language skills. Look for a Spanish friend or join a Spanish conversation group whether it is in the place where you live or on the internet such as Skype.
♦ Language courses can help you to learn in a formal way, practice speaking and will force you to study the new language. Language courses are also perfect to find others like you who want to learn the Spanish language which allows you to communicate with them.
♦ Watching Spanish films or cartoons and listening to Spanish music and radio will help you to improve your language skills and acquire new words unintentionally while enjoying your time. You can do this while being outside your home, exercising or even doing housework that does not require concentration.
♦ Get more knowledge about the Spanish culture to avoid social misunderstanding while communicating with Spanish people.
Once you feel that you mastered the basics of the Spanish language, you can travel to any Spanish speaking country and enjoy your time among new people with a different culture.
Don’t forget that learning a new language requires patience. So, be patient & don’t give up.