Speaking Spanish well comes with both personal and professional opportunities, but having even an intermediate command of the language can be a huge asset for travel or in day-to-day interactions with Spanish speakers—at home or abroad. Second only to Mandarin Chinese, Spanish has over 400 million speakers around the world and is the primary native language for 20 different countries. While the largest population of native Spanish speakers lives throughout South and Central America, there are more than 40 million native speakers in the United States alone. In fact, there are more Spanish speakers in the U.S. than live in all of Spain.
Traditionally, learning Spanish was involved, with in-person classes tied to lessons in Spanish language workbooks. Rosetta Stone takes that Spanish tutorial and study experience online. Whether you use a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, you’ll be able to evolve your skills in the Spanish language—including grammar and vocabulary—allowing you to build confidence in everyday speaking situations.
Picking up some basics in Spanish is often a pretty fun experience for new learners, especially those who speak a related language like English, French, or Italian. Because these languages have either direct Latin roots or were heavily influenced by Latin, there’s a lot of overlap in vocabulary—a fact that explains why so much Spanish vocabulary seems to naturally click for so many students. In fact, you’ll find English words like “moment” that look, if not sound, incredibly similar in French (moment), Italian (momento), and Spanish (momento). In addition to the fortunate similarities in vocabulary, you’ll find that Spanish also has a simple and consistent system of pronunciation. Unlike French or English, there are few irregularities to get used to, in either spelling or pronunciation.
Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion® methodology teaches you the language, not just the words. What makes it effective is that we prepare you to use your new language in your everyday life. So, it’s not just about the features, but what you’re able to do because of them. That way, you’ll be ready to handle any situation with ease and confidence.
Learn Spanish Words and Phrases
Many people choose to learn Spanish because they frequently encounter the language in their everyday life. After all, the language is spoken across the U.S., and is featured in TV, movies, music, and restaurant fare. Others decide to embark on learning Spanish because they intend to vacation, volunteer, or work in one of the 20 countries around the world for which Spanish is the official language. So whether you’ve decided to learn Spanish for business, travel or everyday life, you can get off to a good start by first learning how to pronounce the very basic and frequently used Spanish words and phrases. This will help you understand how the Spanish language is used in everyday, real-world situations by the 437 million Spanish speakers worldwide.
Sometimes, new Spanish learners go down the path of memorizing long lists of Spanish vocabulary words and phrases. These new learners soon find themselves frustrated when they are unable to understand or speak in everyday, real-world Spanish conversations. So it’s key that you focus on learning the pronunciation of commonly used Spanish words and short phrases. This proven and practical approach to learning the language will help you develop the ability to comfortably engage in conversation with locals.
It’s worth pointing out that Spanish does have some characteristics that can make proper pronunciation of some words a bit challenging for new learners. As one example, the letter r is pronounced differently and takes some practice for most new learners. This distinct sound is formed by tapping the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, about a third of the way back in the mouth. Some Spanish-language experts counsel new learners to practice making the “tt” sound, as it sounds in the English word butter.
Rosetta Stone helps you get the pronunciation right in a snap with our patented TruAccent™ speech engine, which instantly compares your voice to native and non-native speakers, so you get real-time feedback for the most accurate pronunciation. Embedded into every language lesson, it is adjustable so you can fine-tune your accent. The powerful, speech-recognition engine can help you learn to understand and speak the Spanish language with confidence.
Once you have learned basic Spanish words, short phrases, and their pronunciation, you will be ready to move onto learning longer phrases that make up a good deal of everyday, real-world Spanish conversation. Rosetta Stone’s brief, 10-minute Spanish language lessons are designed to help you learn in just this way––first teaching basic words and short phrases, then moving onto longer phrases, and always emphasizing proper pronunciation. Rosetta Stone language lessons with TruAccent can help you acquire the skills you need to comfortably understand and confidently speak in Spanish.
Try Our Award-Winning App
Surround yourself with Spanish whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone app .
Download a unit and knock it out on the train or a flight. Select a 5-10 minute lesson and sneak it in while you wait in line or for your ride to show up. And explore dynamic features, like Seek and Speak, where you can point at an object in the real world and get a translation .
The best part? You don’t have to choose between app or desktop. Both come with your subscription and sync, so you can switch between devices seamlessly.
