By Roger LeMesurier, 2021

I began learning spanish from scratch in 2014 and reached near-fluency by early 2020. I also learned fluent french between age 8 and 15, also basically from zero. I spent a lot of time and had a lot of help. Here are my recommendations for learners.

My desired outcomes

Growing a broad vocabulary

Internalizing sentence syntax

Understanding what I read

Recognizing the words I hear

Learning to vocalize clearly and unambiguously

Some things to think about from the very start

Languages are entire universes. There are as many dialects, meanings, and contexts as there are native speakers. It's easy to find tangential topics of exploration, dialects, etc; that can slow your roll. Think about what your priorities and dreams are, and keep that centered in your practice.

• What do I want to be able to do? Where and when do I want to use this language? Are you excited to read? Speak? Sing? Negotiate contracts? Keep your mind on that
• With whom do I want to connect? You can focus on what is spoken in the part of the world that interests you! Are there particular dialects or accents I should explore?

My main tools

Audio immersion

Immerse yourself however you can.

Solo, self-guided travel is great, moving somewhere permanently is even better. This can be expensive and impractical! Immersion starts at home.

The purpose is to just be maximally exposed, not to understand everything! Even when you don't understand you'll be learning and priming your brain. Play the language you're learning whenever you can. The important part is to find ways to hear the sounds, accents, vocabulary, and sentence constructions frequently.

Don't worry about mixed focus! I often listen to the podcast episode in the background while I work or do chores until I've really understood all of it.

Here are some media I've found most useful:

• Podcasts/audio You can start your search with public radio from a country in your target language! Here are a few examples I've found useful in my spanish journey:
  • Duolingo has great Spanish and French podcasts that bring context with an english narrator but keep the interviewees' words in a second language
  • Audible has many children's stories in various languages, including Spanish
  • Radio Ambulante (This American Life format, spanish-only, stories from throughout Latin America) is excellent and also has a an app, Lupa, for spanish learners to see a minimal transcript as they listen.