Pathway

Beginner

---

So, you’ve decided to study Spanish. Welcome! Whether you’re learning Spanish because you have Spanish-speaking relatives, are moving to a Spanish-speaking country, or simply love telenovelas, this guide will help you achieve proficiency so you can feel comfortable understanding and speaking the language. You might have heard that Spanish is hard to learn, but with the methods outlined in this guide, you’ll have fun as you learn, making it feel much easier. This guide also primarily uses free resources, so you can learn Spanish without breaking the bank. Most people who start learning a language never make it past the beginner phase, but with time and dedication, you absolutely can! The beginner phase will introduce you to basic grammar and vocabulary. By the end of this level, you should be ready to move on to more engaging resources like articles, TV shows, and podcasts. The beginner level typically takes 4 to 6 months to complete, but your progress may vary depending on how much time you dedicate to studying each day. Don’t rush through the basics! Building a solid foundation now will save you a lot of headaches later on. Language learning requires time and patience, so don’t compare yourself to others. The only journey that matters is your own. The road ahead may be long, but you’ll have a lot of fun along the way!

Before you start studying Spanish, there are a few things you’ll want to prepare in advance. The first step is to install a Spanish IME (Input Method Editor) on your primary devices. An IME allows you to type Spanish’s unique characters and use Spanish spellcheck. I do most of my Spanish practice through typing, since, in today’s world, being a good typist is often more important than being able to write well by hand. However, writing by hand still has its benefits, particularly when it comes to memorization, so occasionally writing by hand will also help improve your Spanish.

Next, you’ll need to install Anki or another good SRS flashcard program. Anki is the gold standard when it comes to language-learning flashcard programs. It’s open source, highly customizable, and free on most platforms, so it is widely used in the language learning community.

You’ll also want a good Spanish-English dictionary to support you throughout your language-learning journey. You’ll use dictionaries frequently, especially as you advance to native-level material. I often use them to create flashcards or to find example sentences. A good dictionary is a tool you’ll never outgrow, and you’ll continue to use it even when you’re very advanced.

Now you’re ready to start learning Spanish! The goal of the beginner level is to build a foundation that will allow you to move on to fun, native resources. This level is the most study-intensive because you’re starting from scratch. You need to learn vocabulary and grammar to grasp the basics before you can dive into more engaging material. I recommend starting with a textbook or a Spanish-learning program, such as the one offered by Spanish Dictionary. The reason I suggest starting with a language program is that it’s well-organized and will gradually introduce you to the language. While you won’t become fluent by relying solely on one of these programs, it can take you up to an intermediate level fairly quickly. Plus, you won’t be tied to it forever. In fact, your goal should be to move away from textbooks and language programs as soon as possible. The article linked below goes into detail on how to use Spanish Dictionary’s program effectively, as well as offering other resources if you’d prefer a more independent approach.

As you study, you should also get regular exposure to Spanish through Spanish media. This will help you build familiarity with the language and allow you to begin picking out words you’ve learned. TV is a fantastic way for beginners to get input because it creates a fun positive environment for language learning and sets up the eventual goal of being able to watch shows you enjoy without subtitles. In the beginning, watch shows with English subtitles and focus on sounds of the language and recognizing words. Watching shows dubbed in Spanish is a great place to start because they use simpler language than shows originally in Spanish, but any input you are interested in is good!

You’ll hear it over and over again, but consistency is the key to fluency. Now that you know how to learn a language, it’s time to create a plan. Below, you’ll find a Notion planner with a suggested study schedule. You can either copy the example or create your own schedule. To access the schedule template, open the link below and click on the “Get Template” button in the upper left corner. If you already have a Notion account, it will be added automatically. If you don’t have a Notion account, you can create a free one.

At this stage, I recommend studying for about an hour a day—thirty minutes of Spanish lessons and thirty minutes of Anki (or however long it takes you to review your Anki decks). In addition to studying, you should also get some exposure every day by watching or listening to media in Spanish. The planner is fully customizable, so you can adjust it to fit your lifestyle. Having a plan is great, but it’s also okay if you’re not always able to stick to it. Be sure to check off your calendar even if you only manage a few minutes of study. This will remind you that you’re making progress, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day. Keep your expectations reasonable and stick to it! You will reach your desired level of fluency one day!

In regards to speaking, I don’t recommend speaking a lot at this level unless that is something you would really like to do. At this level, you should mostly be focused on listening. You can’t speak if you don’t understand. Instead, I would recommend shadowing and mimicking what you hear. When you study your Spanish lessons, repeat the words and sentences out loud. You can also record yourself and compare your pronunciation to the lesson audio. In addition, you should familiarize yourself with Spanish pronunciation. You don’t need to go too much into the specifics until you are more familiar with the language. Spanish Dictionary’s pronunciation course is enough to cover everything you need for now.

Once you’ve worked your way through Spanish Dictionary’s intermediate grammar course, you’re ready to move on! You don’t have to know every single word and grammar pattern from the course to progress. You’ll need to hear the grammar patterns and vocabulary you’ve learned a few more times in context before they truly sink in. Spanish grammar can be quite different from English, so it’s normal to need more input before you feel comfortable in the language. Often, basic grammar is some of the most complex and can take a lot of time and repetition to master. For example, ser and estar are among the first words you learn in Spanish, but their full usage may not completely click until you reach a high intermediate level. If you’ve successfully completed Spanish Dictionary’s intermediate grammar course, you’ve learned around 1,500 words and are ready to move on.

---

Return to Top

Intermediate

---

Congratulations on making it to the intermediate level! Give yourself a chance to look back and see how far you’ve come. When you first started this journey, you knew nothing, now you should be able to read and understand simple paragraphs and know about 1,500 words. Now it’s time to move on to the fun resources! When you first start using more complex and native sources, you will struggle. This is normal. It’s called the intermediate plateau. The intermediate plateau is when you know a lot of words and basic grammar, but you still can’t understand native material. A lot of people become discouraged when they hit this plateau, and they get stuck at the intermediate level for years. But, you need to keep going. Don’t be afraid of material you don’t understand. You need to stretch a little bit to learn. This guide will help make the transition to native material as painless as possible.

Below, you’ll find an example of an intermediate learner’s schedule, as well as a link to the intermediate Notion planner. You’ll notice that this planner looks a lot more engaging than the beginner planner. That’s because at the intermediate level, your priority shifts to input. You can’t speak if you don’t listen, and you can’t write if you don’t read. Your highest priority should be listening to Spanish, followed by reading, studying vocabulary, speaking, and, lastly, writing. We’ll go into more detail on each of these later.

Feel free to adjust your schedule to fit your lifestyle. On busy days, your study time might be limited to just one YouTube video. However, avoid trying to cram everything into one day. Know your limits and how much you can handle. Studying for six hours won’t be effective if you forget everything you learned. Instead, create a balanced schedule and stick to it consistently. That’s the key to success.

Remember that fewer resources are better than more resources. Don’t jump around watching different TV shows or listening to different podcasts. Find one resource for each category you like, then stick with it for a while. Listen to a single podcast’s episodes or read one book during your study time. This will allow you to focus on the specific vocabulary and grammar used in that resource. Fluency comes in pockets, so every time you switch to a new resource, you’ll be confronted by a bunch of words you don’t know. It’s also always a good idea to re-read or re-listen to content. This will help you remember the vocabulary and grammar better, as well as allow you to pick up on pronunciation and intonation.

Active vs Passive Study

Your study schedule should strike a balance between active and passive learning. You may also hear other language learners refer to this as intensive and extensive learning. Active or intensive learning involves actively breaking down and understanding Spanish content, such as studying flashcards or grammar. Speaking and writing are also considered active activities because they require active recall of the language. Passive or extensive learning, on the other hand, involves listening to or reading Spanish without focusing on the study aspect. Instead, you’re focused on the content itself, absorbing as much input as possible. During passive study, you may use a dictionary to quickly look up words, but you’re not concerned with remembering or fully understanding everything.

The same resource can be used for both active and passive learning. For example, if I read an article and stop at every sentence to look up all the words I don’t know and make flashcards from those words to study them, that’s active learning. If I read the article, quickly look up a few unfamiliar words, and continue reading once I’ve seen the definitions, that’s passive learning. With active learning, it will take you longer to get through a resource, but you’ll remember it better and learn more new vocabulary and grammar. With passive study, you’ll get through the resource faster and gain more input, but you may not retain as much new vocabulary or remember it as well.

Your study time should balance both, as each has its benefits and drawbacks. Since active learning can be mentally draining, I recommend dedicating about 1/3 of your study time to active learning and 2/3 to passive learning.

VPN

Before we dive into any specific resources, let’s talk about VPNs. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an application that will allow you to access region-locked content, such as Spanish-language TV shows or apps that can only be accessed in Spanish-speaking countries. A VPN allows for better immersion in native content, and for you to more easily connect with native speakers. Unfortunately, a good VPN is not free, but they are pretty cheap at only a few dollars a month. While not completely necessary, if you spend money on one language learning tool, it should be a VPN.

Listening

Listening to Spanish is your number one priority from here on out. To speak and understand Spanish like a native speaker, you’ll need to listen to the language as much as a native speaker. When studying a foreign language, many people wonder why it’s so hard to learn another language when their native language was so easy to learn. What they forget is how much time they’ve spent listening to and learning their native language. From the moment you’re born, you are surrounded by your native language every single day. If you hear your language for a minimum of 8 hours a day, that’s about 3,000 hours a year or 15,000 hours by 5 years old, and that’s a low estimate. Most people listen to their native language for most of their waking hours. This includes TV, video games, music, and talking with other people. Then in school, you take classes in your native language until you graduate. Children are not inherently better at language learning; they are just more likely to be in an environment where they need to learn a language, and they are also ok with not understanding everything. The mistake a lot of adults make is to give up and go back to their native language when they can’t understand something. You need to be ok with not understanding everything; that’s part of the learning process. Your comprehension will get better as you progress, especially if you use content you like. Listening to Spanish should be fun! It shouldn’t be a chore. As you improve, you’ll be able to enjoy all the things you enjoy in your native language in Spanish!

To make the transition to native content easier, programs like Trancy and Language Reactor exist to help you along the way. Their main purpose is to assist with your comprehension of Spanish by allowing you to click on words in the subtitles of Spanish videos for an instant translation. These programs also allow you to add dual subtitles so you can have Spanish and English subtitles at the same time. I highly recommend installing the Trancy or Language Reactor extension to help you watch videos in Spanish.

Everyone enjoys TV shows and movies, and they’re fantastic for language learning because they provide dialogue in context. If you have the subtitles on, you can practice reading at the same time. When you first start watching Spanish TV, I recommend sitcoms or dubbed cartoons, as these will be much easier to understand and the vocabulary will be more relevant for daily conversation. Begin by watching with dual subtitles, and as you improve, switch to using only Spanish subtitles. When you make the switch to Spanish-only subtitles, start with TV shows you’ve already seen, as these will be much easier to understand than unfamiliar content.

YouTube is a global platform with creators from all over the world, making it one of the best platforms for language learning. There’s something for everyone on YouTube, and it’s a great place for free content in naturally spoken Spanish.

Podcasts are great for passively listening to Spanish while you do other tasks. There are so many great podcasts for every level that you’re sure to find something you like!

Reading

Reading is a great way to pick up new words and vocabulary at your own pace, and it will dramatically increase your comprehension of both written and spoken Spanish. You should try to read about four times a week for 20 minutes at a time. When you first start reading, you’ll struggle a lot, but that’s why there are lots of tools available to make reading easier and more fun! I usually read on my phone because it’s the most convenient for me, and it makes it easy to look up words, but you can read on any device you like, as long as you’re reading.

There are lots of reading resources out there, but as a beginner, you should start with articles aimed at non-native speakers. As you improve, you can slowly move on to novels and comics. While it may be tempting to immediately jump to the stuff you want to read, you should take it slow. Start with something you’ve already read in English, as it will help your comprehension a lot. If you start with something you want to read, you’ll be frustrated by your speed and lack of understanding. It’s better to save those materials for later when you’re better at reading.

Vocabulary/Flashcards

At this level, it’s still a good idea to make and study flashcards because it will help you remember new words and grammar patterns. Make flashcards out of words you’ve come across during reading or listening. This will ensure that they are commonly used words. You should also have sentences on all your flashcards, so you can learn the word in context. You can use Anki to study with or a dictionary like Spanish Dictionary that has built-in flashcards. Just make sure all your flashcards are in one location and you review them regularly. I recommend studying flashcards for 10-15 minutes every day at this level. If you don’t want to take the time to make a custom deck and would rather use a premade one, you can find a link to a premade deck with 10,000 vocabulary words in the article below.

Speaking

Even though you’ve learned a lot of Spanish, you probably still don’t feel ready to talk. That’s ok. It takes a lot of time to speak a language easily. Shadowing will help you become familiar with speaking German and developing a good accent. Before you start shadowing, you should brush up on your Spanish pronunciation, so you know what to look out for when you practice. You should practice shadowing twice a week for no more than 20 minutes at a time because of how tiring it can be.

If you are really excited to start talking and ready to go for it, you can use a language exchange website to connect with native speakers and practice your conversation skills. However, this is not necessary at this level.

Writing

Writing isn’t very important at the intermediate level, instead, you should be focusing on reading. If you would like to write, I recommend using a language exchange site, as mentioned above, for connecting with native speakers, so you can practice sending messages in Spanish. This will be more helpful for your Spanish than trying to write journals or essays at this point in your language journey.

What To Do When You Don’t Understand A Sentence

While most of the resources introduced above can easily be paired with pop-up dictionaries and other comprehension assistants, not all sentences will be understandable to you even if you know all the words. When you come across new grammar, the meaning may not be immediately clear. At this level, you should learn new grammar patterns as you come across them, so you can learn common grammar in context. The article below goes into detail on how to look up unknown grammar patterns and use grammar resources.

And that’s everything you need to know for the intermediate level. Once you can easily understand a variety of daily conversation topics and feel comfortable using tools to look up Spanish words and grammar, you’re ready to move on to the advanced level. You should know about 5,000 words at this point and that means you’re ready to start using what you know!

---

Return to Top

Advanced

---

Welcome to the advanced level! Very few people make it this far, so you should be really proud of yourself. You’ve come a long way since you first started. This is the level that never ends because learning a language never ends. There will always be parts of the language you don’t know. This is true even for native speakers. Instead of trying to learn everything, you should focus on the areas most relevant to you and place your goals and attention there. If you want to be able to speak at a business meeting, then you should read a lot of business-related articles and practice writing and speaking using business Spanish. If you want to be able to easily understand movies, then you should watch a lot of movies and even practice writing your own script. You will build pockets of Spanish fluency that will all come together to make you better at the language, and it will be easier to acquire new areas of fluency as you progress. At this point, you know all the basics, now it’s just a matter of practice and exposure.

At the advanced level, you should primarily be consuming media created for native Spanish speakers. You’ll also focus more on output, such as writing and speaking, now that you’re familiar with the language. If you look at the schedule below, you’ll notice that it closely resembles the intermediate schedule. This is because you should still be getting plenty of input, but the input should be more challenging. However, writing and speaking should now also have a place in your weekly schedule. These activities can be draining and time-consuming, so start simple, do each for just 30 minutes once a week, and gradually work your way up to longer or more frequent sessions. This is the stage where you’ll see all your hard work pay off as you start having conversations and effortlessly consume native media.

Listening

Listening is still your top priority even at the advanced level, however, you should be consuming content intended for native speakers almost exclusively. If you’re still using dual subtitles when watching shows, it’s time to get rid of them. You should be relying minimally on your native language at this point, only using it to occasionally look up new words or difficult grammar. Anything in Spanish with audio is a listening resource, so it’s up to you to decide what resources are most relevant for you and suitable for your abilities.

Reading

Reading at this level will mostly consist of books and articles intended for native speakers. I highly encourage you to find your own sources for articles that interest you. If you’re looking for science articles, search ciencia and look through the websites that pop up. Bookmark any of the websites you like so you can return to them later. I recommend doing this for every topic you want to learn about in Spanish.

Speaking

You should now have a solid foundation and understand enough Spanish to start talking. I recommend continuing to shadow at least once a week until you can easily mimic native speech. You should also start reaching out to natives to schedule practice sessions and improve your spoken Spanish. As you progress, you should try to connect with Spanish speakers who can’t speak English, so you can fully immerse yourself in conversation.

Writing

Writing regularly will increase your ability to think and process Spanish. It will help you build your vocabulary and expand your grammar capabilities. I recommend starting a journal or a blog where you can keep your writing and track your improvement. You should try to write at least once a week.

Vocabulary/Flashcards

While studying vocabulary and flashcards is always useful, it’s not as necessary at the advanced level. As an advanced learner, you should be able to pick up new words through reading and listening, and then practice using them through speaking and writing. If you enjoy flashcards and find them useful, then continue using them. If you are burnt out from flashcards, take a break from them and focus on immersion.

Congratulations! You now have all the tools and information you need to achieve fluency in Spanish. As you continue on with your journey finding new resources and learning new topics, I wish you the best of luck. New pathways and opportunities will open for you as you continue to progress and learn. Buena suerte!

---

Return to Top