Learn Spanish

I knew a few words already, everyone does. Hola, gracias, una cerveza por favor.

But learning French had opened my eyes to how rewarding it is to pick up a new language not just for communication, but for understanding different ways of thinking. I'd always wanted to learn Spanish with it being so widely spoken and a regular part of my travels, it made sense to learn more than just a few phrases. I wanted to do more than just get by, I wanted to have proper conversations, understand films, and travel around Spain without falling back on English. Having learned French in a fairly structured way, I knew the challenges but also felt confident that I could take on another language. It also had a certain familiarity. Its similarities to French made it feel approachable, yet different enough to be a new challenge.

Background & First Attempts

I started with Spanish in Three Months by DK Publishing. While staying in the Swiss Alps for a few weeks, I decided to give it a proper go. I spent eight hours a day copying out sentences by hand, drilling vocabulary lists of 10-15 words at a time. It probably wasn’t the most efficient method, but it suited me. Writing things down helped them stick, and by the end of my time there, I had a decent foundation to build on.

Moving to Formal Study

Back home, I wanted to see how much I’d actually learned. I signed up for a two-year A-Level Spanish night school course, which gave me some much-needed structure. There’s only so much you can teach yourself before gaps start to appear, and having a proper teacher to explain grammar and pronunciation made a huge difference. The regular practice helped everything settle into place, and I came out of it with a great result, and useful practical experience.

Real-World Application

Of course, studying a language is one thing, but actually using it is something else entirely. I needed more practice, so I found a language partner, Alba, through an online exchange. We chatted regularly, and eventually, I visited her to put everything into practice properly. I also started using Spanish at work helping to do Spanish support calls, particularly on trips to Barcelona with my job, where I had to navigate meetings, order in restaurants, and make small talk, all things that don’t quite work the same way in a classroom setting.

I made an effort to keep Spanish in my daily life, whether that was listening to Spanish music, watching films, or travelling to Spain whenever I could. It wasn’t always easy, and there were plenty of moments where I got completely lost in conversation, but every bit of exposure helped reinforce what I’d learned.

For me, learning Spanish wasn’t just about passing exams or working through textbooks, it was about gradually making it part of everyday life. The combination of self-study, structured lessons, and real-world use made the difference. There’s always more to learn, but I can hold my own in conversation. And really, that was always the goal.