Simply the BEST way to learn Spanish!

All you really need to learn Spanish is to see, hear and practice speaking it. You literally 'speak to learn' Spanish, not learn to speak Spanish. It's a physical process, not a mental one. And you need to hear words and expressions as spoken by native speakers.

You can start with my first impromptu lesson with Alejandro or continue reading without audio of the Spanish words. That will come when/if I get some help with this project. The Method section, with audio by me, gives a good description of an ideal way to start learning Spanish in a classroom setting.

Learn Spanish word by word.
The first word you need to learn in Spanish is simply:
Hola.   (Hi. / Hello.)
( 'h' is silent at the beginning of a word. )

We usually recommend learning 'thank you' (gracias) as the first word, but Spanish speaking people are so friendly that you will constantly be saying, "¡Hola!"

The word hasta means 'until', so ¡Hasta luego! means 'until then' or 'see you later'.

And note again that the 'h' at the beginning of a word is silent.
Hola.   (Hi. / Hello.)
hoy   (today)
hay   (there is/are)
hasta   (until)
luego   (then, after, later)
Luego ...   (Then ... / After ...)
Luego hablamos.   (We'll talk later.)
Luego te llamo.   (I'll call you later.) ( 'll' sounds like 'y' )
¿Y luego?   (And then?)
Y luego ...   (And then ...)

The other words introduced so far are:
qué   (what)
tal   (such)
bien   (good/fine)
y   (and)
tú   (yu)
¡Qué bien!   (That's great! / How nice! / Wonderful!)

Here are some more useful expressions to learn.

de nada   (you're welcome)
nada   (nothing)
por favor   (please)
disculpe   (excuse me)
perdón   (excuse me)

Spanish also has formal and informal, and it will take practice to be comfortable using both.
Aquí tiene.    (Here you are.) (formal)
Aquí tienes.    (informal) (Here (you) have.)
tú    (informal)
usted    (formal)

If this is your first introduction to Spanish, your head might be throbbing a little, trying to remember it all. If so, take a break or have a listen to my first impromptu lesson with Alejandro (56 min.). For a shorter break, the Method section has audio by me and gives a good description of an ideal way to start learning Spanish in a classroom setting. Then you can come back here and continue.

Are you serious about learning Spanish?
You should be!! It's really not difficult to learn if you have a good program and you'll get so much enjoyment using it while you're in Spanish speaking countries.

And a good program has to help you avoid potential pitfalls, right away. For example, most people know the word, adiós (good-bye), but it comes from the words 'a Diós' (to God), so it's only used when you're likely to never see someone again. In the old movies, it was likely the gunslinger who said "Adiós amigo." (Farewell friend.) just before he shoots him dead. The most common expression is ¡Hasta luego! which means 'until then' or 'see you later'. And it will often sound like ¡'ta lue'o!

A good program also builds steadily on what has been introduced while providing a lot of review to stregthen the neural links. Most people know the words amigo (friend) and amigos (friends), but they may not know that when talking about a female friend, you say amiga and amigas. So, 'a friend' is un amigo or una amiga.

What's the best way to learn Spanish?
Honestly, I've yet to find a language learning program that I really like. If you find a program that takes you step-by-step (without missing any steps!), please let me know and I'll use it too. In the meantime, I'll continue with this project.

When you start learning a language, or anything for that matter, it's vitally important that you learn properly from the beginning! Bad habits are VERY hard to fix later. Attention to details from the very beginning also provide a vital foundation for everything that comes later.

The most effective method is simply LISTEN, READ and SPEAK. As I mentioned earlier, you literally speak to learn. It's physical learning and muscle memory.

If you know a native Spanish speaker who wants to help create such material, please have them contact me. Until then, I'm going to use ChatGPT as my teacher. I've been testing it lately and it really is remarkable. It can quickly get beyond my level, but I know what I want, so I should be able to keep it on track. You can then follow along, as if you're another student in the class, and use it for your own speaking practice.

How much Spanish have you just learned?
Don't feel bad if you didn't know any of the previous translations. The fact is, we often forget seconds after we've been told something. Thus, 'spaced repetition' has to be designed into a good program, so you hear things again and again and again.

You need to see (and hear) everything repeatedly and from 'different angles' in order for you to completely learn it. Repeating something 5 times in a row will NOT help you remember it, although it will help you with your pronuciation IF you physically say it out loud after hearing it AND you pay attention to how you sound compared to the native speaker.

To remember a new word, you need a bit of time to 'almost forget' and then hear (and see) it again. Your brain will then go 'Oh yeah!' and the new neural connection gets strengthened. This has to be repeated about 5-7 times with an increasing time period or 'space' between repeating and then you will have learned it. It's a simple, physical reality of how the brain works.

If a language learning program is specifically designed with this in mind, then you literally learn effortlessly and automatically.

Let's try another exercise and don't worry if you don't remember the meaning of any of them.   (click to view translation)

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?    (Hi! How are you?)
¡Hola! Bien, ¿y tú?    (Hi! Good, and you?)
Bien. ¡Hasta luego!    (Good. See you later!)
¡Hasta luego!    (See you later!)

hoy   (today)
hay   (there is/are)
hasta   (until)
luego   (then)
Luego ...   (Then ...)
Y luego ...   (And then ...)

qué   (what)
tal   (such)
bien   (good/fine)
y   (and)
tú   (yu)
¡Qué bien!   (That's great!) / (Well, that figures.)

adiós (good-bye)
qué (what)
que (conjunction: that, which)
sí (yes)
si (if)

¡Qué no!   (No way! / Absolutely not!)
¡Qué calor!   (Man it's hot!)
calor   (heat)
color   (colour)
caliente   (hot)

sí (yes)
no (no, not)

¡Buenos dias! (Good morning!) (till 2pm)
¡Buenas tardes! (Good afternoon!) (2 - 8pm+)
(note 'a' in buenas)
¡Buenas noches! (Good evening! / Good night!)
¡Buenas! (short expression used all day)