I often wonder how many enthusiastic people have said “I want to learn Spanish” and then given up in annoyance when they discovered that what they’d been taught was of no use whatsoever to them in the Real World. It’s like going to Spain after taking a Spanish class at school and realising that being able to say “The dog sleeps quietly under the chair” is not particularly beneficial when all you want to do is have a bit of witty banter with someone cute on the beach. Many, many language students have been put off by their experiences with courses teaching “incorrect” Spanish, or dated words and phrases that would be not be spoken by any native Spanish speaker.

Nowadays, thankfully, online language learning programmes have stepped in to offer courses and software that are specifically designed to give you a proper grasp of real conversation skills and vocabulary that you’ll be able to use in day-to-day life, whether that’s in a business situation, or in a social setting. If you want to learn Spanish, it’s much more satisfying to come away from each lesson with a few more useful phrases committed to memory than struggling repeatedly with grammar rules and dated, irrelevant roleplays like you might have done at school.

So why not get started right away? For Example, take a look at this short list of basic Spanish phrases. All of them are useful in Everyday situations, and if you take a little time to learn them, you’ll give yourself a great confidence boost, which keeps you motivated and eager to build on your knowledge. The more you can practice, the more you will strenghen your knowledge of the language, which in turn will only make learning all the boring grammar rules so much easier.

No hablo español – I don’t speak Spanish.
 

Believe it or not, this is the most useful sentence you can learn in any language! It’s particularly useful if you’re going to be travelling – all travellers have experienced the despairing feeling that comes with a native speaker pouring forth what sounds like gibberish, but it really does give you a tiny sense of accomplishment if you can interrupt the person by explaining that you don’t understand in their own language. It actually earns you a lot more respect from the native speaker, too! They will appreciate a tourist making the effort to speak basic Spanish words and phrases, and will very often then go out of their way to help you if you show that you’re trying. So, for this reason, why not try to learn some “common courtesy” words:
 

Hola – Hello

Por favor – Please

Gracias – Thank you

¿Cuánto? – How much?

Perdón – Sorry

No entiendo – I don’t understand

¿Habla inglés? – Do you speak English?

Online language sources can provide you with a really solid foundation if you want to learn Spanish, giving you the confidence to start speaking whatever you’ve learned on a daily basis. And my the number one tip: you want to learn to speak Spanish? Then start speaking Spanish! It will surpise you just how fast you’ll be able to build up your range of vocabulary and phrases if you actually put in the effort to practice them. Give it a try – and start learning Spanish!