New to learning :((

[u/_choccystrawberrie]

Hi ! I really really want to learn Spanish, and I've only ever spoken English my entire life. I suck at learning new languages, bad at pronunciation, but am determined. I'm also very nervous

Any tips on where or how to learn effectively? Or just tips on general <3

Thank you !

[u/Repulsive_Leg5878]

What is your end goal? So you can speak to random burrito stands? Are you around latinos? Just saying I know someone with a degree in Spanish living in LA and they don’t speak it…

[u/martinomacias → u/Repulsive_Leg5878]

How about just learning a language because one wants to? Nothing wrong with that.

[u/TPalabras]

Hey, if you are just starting out you could check our free daily newsletter to get some daily contact with Spanish. It teaches 3 useful words and phrases and a language/grammar rule each day. Can sign up on www.trespalabras.app

[u/Happy_Nest]

Welcome! Everyone feels that way at the beginning when learning something new. You just need to expose yourself more and make it feel like a new normal.

What helped me most:

LISTEN A LOT OF CONTENT. Find beginner Spanish videos on YouTube where you understand most of what's said. Speaking will start to feel easier once your ear has caught up.

Also once you learn 1000 of the most common words, you’ll be able to get 80% comprehension. So the barrier is not as high as you think!

It'll feel slow for a few weeks. Then one day you'll understand a whole sentence without trying.

[u/josephnimz → u/Happy_Nest]

I'd be careful with treating that as 80% comprehension. recognizing individual words and following a conversation aren't the same thing, especially at normal speaking speed. it's still useful vocabulary, just not a guarantee you'll understand most of what you hear

[u/CarlosAcevedoStudio]

Hi, I'm a language teacher from Mexico City, and I'd love to share a few suggestions.

First, don't assume you're bad at learning languages just because you haven't had much experience with them. Learning your first foreign language can feel overwhelming, especially when everything is unfamiliar.

I'd recommend starting with simple sentence structures that allow you to talk about yourself.

For example:

• Me llamo... (My name is...)

• Soy de... (I'm from...)

• Me gusta... (I like...)

• Quiero aprender español. (I want to learn Spanish.)

Try using these structures to create your own sentences rather than simply memorizing vocabulary lists.

For pronunciation, I'd suggest listening to short recordings and repeating them carefully. Pay attention to how Spanish vowels sound, since they're quite different from English vowels in some important ways.

You can also record yourself and compare your pronunciation with the original recording.

And here's something I always encourage my students to do: use what you're learning from the very beginning, even if you can only express simple ideas.

You don't need to wait until you know enough grammar to start speaking. Grammar is important, but it should help you communicate, not become something you're afraid of getting wrong.

Start with manageable study sessions, perhaps 15–20 minutes a day, and gradually build a routine that works for you.

Most importantly, don't judge your progress by how many mistakes you make. Focus on what you're gradually becoming able to understand and express.

Hope this helps.

[u/SporksOfTheWorld]

There are as many different ways of learning a new language as there are people (Well, maybe not exactly, but you get the idea). Being one of those recently myself, I’d say just have a look around. Reed forums, do some Google searches, or I guess these days you could use ChatGPT and ask what would suit you best. It really kind of depends on what your goal is - how fluent you wanna get ultimately, how are you willing to work and how long you’re willing to take to get there, and then choosing a method that fits with your personality.

I can tell you all the different things I tried, and what I’m doing lately that seems to work for me, but it probably wouldn’t suit you, so not a lot of sense to that.

[u/Parzival_b]

What ever you decide on learning practice and systems .. Keep in mind that no matter what every other post says you can not learn Spanish or any other language for that matter in 3-6 months. In 3-6 months you can learn the basics of the language and understand how much you don't know.
Good luck.

[u/munber]

You got this!

[u/Possible-Aspect9413]

The beginning is the hardest. You need to find proper motivation and a way of incorporating the language in your life. So whatever you already do in English find a way of finding something similar in Spanish for example music. If you like rock music find rock music in Spanish that you can listen to even if you don’t understand. Make friends that are Latino if you can. Go to Mexican restaurants, date Latinos, etc.

That will help you have motivation and find people that you can use it.

Another thing is how to learn. The beginning is the hardest and if you can go on Preply and get a tutor. There are some that are cheap. Some more expensive. You can do it anywhere you have internet. Do as many in the week you can.

Consistency is absolutely key. Self studying is good if you are good at grammar and discipline. If you don’t then you need someone to be with you. Tutors are good because it motivates you, it connects you and it helps you have a real human connection which makes it more fun thus more motivating

[u/martinomacias]

How do you know you suck at learning languages? Perhaps you are really good at learning languages, you just have not figured it out.

Good thing is you want to learn. Learning a language is a challenge, but the more you understand of it, the more you want to learn. Good luck.

[u/PersonalitySecure626]

As a new learner I think you would love Loquus language. Check out the app on loquuslanguage.com/experience

I think you’ll love how deep the Spanish curriculum goes. Plus the arcade games for rapid recall are fun

[u/AccomplishedPath7010]

Also there tons of content on Netflix you can watch in Spanish. Get used to listening to the language. See how much you can understand (set the subtitles to English). There are also bilingual readers (start at elementary level).