3. Is it easy for native English speakers to learn Spanish?
In this section we are going to look at whether it is easy for native English speakers to learn Spanish. The short answer is yes! Of course, there may be more complex aspects such as slang or specific jargon, and perhaps some of the grammar, but even still it is a lot easier to learn Spanish than many other languages. We will set out the reasons why in the following section.
Factors that make it easy to learn Spanish
3.1 As it happens, you already know lots of words thanks to cognates and perfect cognates.
What is a cognate? A cognate is a word found in two languages that shares the same etymology and the same meaning.
When you start to learn Spanish, you will soon notice there are many words that are nearly or exactly the same in both languages. These are called perfect or near-perfect cognates. There are around 500 of these words in English and Spanish, for example: auto, agenda, bar, café, cereal, chocolate, etc.
Nevertheless, it’s important to note that there are also a smaller number of so-called false friends (words that appear to be similar but that have an altogether different meaning). One example that causes no end of problems is the word actualmente. Often incorrectly translated as ‘actually’, its real meaning is ‘currently’ or ‘at the moment’.
However, the majority of words are indeed true friends, or perfect cognates.
3.2 Sentence structure is similar to English
Spanish and English use very similar sentence structure, and often this is half the battle. Although there are a few slight differences (where to place adjectives, for example: un coche bonito – a nice car), both Spanish and English use the following sentence structure:
Subject + Verb + Object: Yo voy a la playa.
3.3 Sentence length
Spanish sentences tend to be quite long. In fact, texts that have been translated from English into Spanish are often between 15% and 25% longer. Spanish words, however, are not much longer than English words and are definitely a lot shorter than German words.
Spanish is sometimes considered to be more poetic, elaborate and expressive than English. More words are needed to describe something in Spanish than in English and greater value is placed on longer, more complex writing in Spanish. The opposite is true in English. Native English speakers tend to look for the most concise and efficient way to express themselves, whereas with Spanish speakers the reverse is true.
3.4 Spanish is pronounced exactly as it is written
It is often said that with Spanish, all you need to do is look at a word and you will know how to pronounce it. Spanish is therefore sometimes referred to as a ‘no surprises’ language. The same can’t be said for English because there is little correlation between spelling and pronunciation.
Each of the 5 vowels in Spanish ([a], [e], [i], [o] and [u]) has one, single pronunciation (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/ and /u/) and so the vowels are pronounced exactly as you would think. Although consonants can be pronounced in different ways, there are very specific rules about pronunciation which depends on where the letter is in the word or which letters follow it.
For example:
C + e > [θe] cerveza
C + a > [ka] casa.
There are no silent letters (except ‘h’), no changes in pronunciation, no surprises.
3.5 Spanish is written almost exactly as it is spoken
When you learn Spanish, one of the major advantages is that it is a phonetic language. This means its written form is very close to its spoken form. Spanish is written as and how it sounds, and vice versa.
3.6 Intonation
All words have a stressed syllable, that is the syllable within the word that is emphasized when pronounced. For example, in the word casa the penultimate syllable ca is stressed.
Spanish sounds the way it does because in around 80% of words it is the penultimate syllable that is stressed, as in casa, for example. In 17% of words it is the last syllable that is stressed, as in comer and in the final 3%, it is the third last syllable that is stressed, as in auténtico.
The fact that the penultimate syllable is stressed in so many Spanish words is what gives the language its particular cadence, making it stand out somewhat from other languages, even amongst those who don’t speak the language. However, researchers have been unable to explain this particular phenomenon. Many experts agree that the proliferation of words in which the stress is on the penultimate syllable dates back to the Middle Ages when Spanish was evolving from Latin.
Nosotros vamos a la playa en verano.
All words are stressed but not all words carry a written accent. Although in English the word tilde refers only to the symbol found in the letter ñ, in Spanish tilde refers to all written accents and acento refers to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable in a word. It is therefore important when speaking Spanish not to confuse acento with tilde ( ´ ).
Written accents are only placed on some words to show which syllable should be stressed. There are specific rules about whether a word should carry a written accent or not.
3.7 Gender and number
One of the first things you will learn about the Spanish language is that nouns, adjectives and verbs must agree in gender and number, another feature of Romance languages.
La casa es blanca. (feminine and singular) The house is white.
Las casas son blancas. (feminine and plural) The houses are white.
El perrro es negro. (masculine and singular) The dog is black.
Los perrros son negros. (masculine and plural) Dogs are black.
As a general rule, with a few exceptions of course, words ending in -o are masculine and words ending in -a are feminine. The plural is formed by adding -s or -es to the end of the word. This makes it quite easy to work out the gender of a word in Spanish and whether it is singular or plural.
3.8 Verb tenses
Learning a Spanish verb requires more than learning just one word. Spanish verbs are conjugated according to the pronoun you need which means you need to learn six different endings for each verb tense. The conjugations may also differ depending on whether the infinitive verb ends in -ar, -er or -ir. And that’s not all, the verb tenses (for example, past, present or future) are also conjugated in different ways. It’s no surprise that learning to conjugate verbs is one of the biggest difficulties students face when they learn Spanish.
Although conjugating and using verbs in Spanish is more complex than in English, you can start communicating with others just using the present tense of the verb. Listeners might be a little confused if you talk about the past or the future using the present tense but context will help clarify things a little.
It might be useful initially to learn the following simple terms: hoy (today), ayer (yesterday) and mañana (tomorrow). You can use these to put together some simple sentences in the past, present and future to help you get started.
For example:
present tense:Hoy como tortilla,
past tense:Ayer como tortilla,
future tense:Mañana como tortilla.
Of course, these sentences are grammatically incorrect but they can really help you to be understood when chatting to someone. Meanwhile, you can continue learning the conjugations in other verb tenses, starting with an easy past tense (the perfect tense, he comido) and the simple future tense (ir a + infinitivo, voy a comer).
3.9 The subjunctive
Another thing to consider when you decide to learn Spanish is the subjunctive. In Spanish, the subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. This is because it does not relate in any way to the notion of time. Instead, it conveys a sense of unreality, uncertainty or conditionality.
Although English speakers often find the subjunctive somewhat challenging, English does in fact have a subjunctive mood. It is much less commonly used than in Spanish but is similar enough that it can be used to help understand and use the Spanish subjunctive.
If I were you, I would travel to Cuba this winter.
However, the Spanish subjunctive is used for a much wider variety of purposes than the English equivalent. The 3 most common errors made by students who are learning the Spanish subjunctive are as follows:
- They are unsure how to conjugate the verb correctly.
- They tend to use the indicative where the subjunctive is required.
- They are unsure when to use the subjunctive.
It’s worth remembering that most phrases that require the subjunctive in Spanish will still make sense if the indicative is used in error. Spanish speakers will understand what you are trying to say so don’t get too stressed if at first you struggle to get to grips with the subjunctive.
Correct sentence using the subjunctive: Es posible que venga mañana.
Incorrect sentence using the indicative (common error amongst students): Es posible que viene (or vendrá) mañana.
3.10 The verbs ser and estar
In Spanish there are two ways to express the verb ‘to be’.
There are a number of rules and, of course, exceptions but as a general rule we can:
- use the verb serto express something permanent.
Ana es una persona simpática.Ana is a nice person. – It’s permanent as it refers to her personality.
- use the verb estar to express a passing state.
Ana está ahora simpática. Ana is now nice. – It’s a passing state because it refers to how she is feeling just now. She may feel differently later.
Admittedly, it can be a difficult concept to grasp initially but this doesn’t mean you won’t gradually begin to master it if you keep practising. Remember, people will be able to understand you regardless of whether or not you use the correct verb form.
3.11 Por and para
In Spanish, there are two different ways to express ‘for’: por and para. It is possible that, in this case as well, reading the grammatical explication won’t help much but, little by little, with enough practice you will begin to develop an understanding of which word to use. Making mistakes with this won’t stop you being understood either.
Esto es para ti. This is for you.
3.12 Quirks and idiosyncrasies
Spanish may be the only language that uses upside down question marks and exclamation marks (¡, ¿) at the beginning of sentences as well as the right way round at the end (!, ?). This shows us where an exclamation or a question starts as well as where it ends. It’s a fairly unique characteristic of the language.
¿Qué hora es? What time is it?
3.13 It’s easy to be exposed to Spanish
Another reason English speakers, Americans in particular, find it easy to learn Spanish is its overall prevalence in daily life. Unlike other languages, such as Romanian or Finnish, Spanish resources and conversation partners are really very easy to find.
It is very easy to be exposed to the Spanish language and you would be surprised how much you can learn by just listening to how the language is used. The more you are exposed to it, the more it will come together for you.
3.14 It’s easy to learn Spanish but it’s just as easy to forget it!
Maybe you are already jumping for joy at the thought you might learn Spanish pretty quickly. And yes, there are some places that say you can learn Spanish in only a few weeks, or even in just 30 days. Our experience shows us that these approaches do not produce long-term learning and if you do not study and use the language regularly, you can lose what you have learned just as quickly.
This is something that we have seen evidence of throughout our professional career. Despite having studied Spanish at school or university previously, many students who come to our classes have forgotten almost everything they had previously learned, sometimes only remembering the odd word or phrase. They pretty much have to start all over again.
3.15 Focus on the 80/20 rule
The Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the benefit can be achieved by 20% of the effort. Consequently, the last 20% of the benefit is achieved with 80% of the effort.
Linguistic studies have shown that knowing the 1000 most common Spanish words will allow you to understand about 80% of a conversation. So, your priority should be focusing on learning this vocabulary in a meaningful and long-lasting way.
3.16 Don’t be a perfectionist
If you decide not to practise Spanish until you learn it perfectly, you’ll never utter a word! A need for perfectionism and a fear of mistakes often prevents people from speaking a language but we learn from our mistakes so don’t be afraid to make them!
If you start practising bit by bit from the outset, you will be more likely to learn from your mistakes and from the people you chat to. You will learn much faster if you have the opportunity to practise with someone who is also happy to correct your mistakes.
You might feel a little embarrassed when you make a mistake but you’ll remember that feeling and will be less likely to make the mistake again.
3.17 In a nutshell, is it easy to learn Spanish?
If you are an English speaker, the answer is a very firm yes. Certainly at the start, it’s easy to learn Spanish. Beginners rarely have any difficulties with pronunciation and often find they progress quickly in their learning. Eventually, Spanish grammar does get a little more complex and certain aspects require a bit more dedication.
Essentially, if you decide to learn Spanish, there are a variety of factors that make the process a relatively easy one for you. Of course, this doesn’t mean you won’t need to put in some effort. With the right approach and tools, being able to learn Spanish in a sustainable, long-term way is absolutely within your reach.
