How I Reached A2 in Spanish from 0 in 3 Months

Being the second most popular language in the world and official language in more than 20 countries, Spanish had long been on my list. After learning English, I briefly agonised over choosing Spanish or French as my next target. I knew for sure that eventually I would learn both, just wasn’t sure in what order. Long story short, I went with Spanish because it is (I think) slightly easier owing to its phonetic spelling.

Inspired by Benny’s Fluent in 3 Months blog, on 20th December 2015, I announced on Facebook that I would try to reach A2 from scratch in Spanish within 3 months.

What I did:

To the best of my recollection, and according to my discontinuous journal entries, Facebook posts, and vlogs, here’s what I did during those 3 months:

• Week 1: Learnt the alphabet on YouTube. Learnt some basic phrases using Duolingo and Memrise. Wrote a simple self-introduction using Google Translate & a dictionary.
• Week 2: Found a list of around 600 most frequently used words compiled by Gabriel Wyner and started making monolingual Anki (a spaced repetition app) vocabulary flash cards with only images and pronunciation audio files.
• Week 3: Still creating those Anki vocabulary cards. Listened to Michel Thomas Spanish Foundation Course.
• Week 4: Started creating Anki sentence cards using a book called Assimil.
• Week 5: Had my first Skype session with a Spanish native speaker on italki. Stopped using Assimil since it had too many English translations and explanations.
• Week 6: Had two Skype sessions. By this time, I probably finished reviewing those 600 words on Anki. Maybe even earlier, not sure.
• Week 7: Started reading Spanish graded readers, among which, Spanish Short Stories for Beginners by Olly Richards.
• Week 8: Inspired by YouTuber laoshu505000, approached a Spanish guy at the airport and had a spontaneous conversation in Spanish with him!!!
• Week 9: Started writing on Lang-8. Read a few short stories.
• Week 10: Made Anki sentence cards while reading graded readers.
• Week 11: Finished Spanish Short Stories for Beginners (both volumes), bought 5 more graded readers on Amazon. Translated a few lyrics and memorised fragments thereof using Anki.
• Week 12: Still reading graded readers. Made a video speaking Spanish. Found a few Spanish meetups in Seoul.
• Week 13: Made another video speaking Spanish. Went to a Spanish meetup and had group discussions in Spanish there. Attended a Spanish Toastmasters meeting and was embarrassingly called on to stage to give a short impromptu answer in Spanish. I wasn’t able to understand the speeches at all, but I managed to have an interesting conversation with an American guy entirely in Spanish during break. Read more short stories. Had a Skype lesson.

The result?

I did a timed mock DELE test using the official test preparation material at the end of the challenge, barely passing (I was a poor university student at the time; so I wasn’t going to take an expensive test just to prove a point). My reading was probably higher than A2 while my speaking barely met the bar. Writing and listening were OK.

In terms of actual language ability, I think I also reached A2 at that point. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages defines A2 as the following:

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).

Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.

Can describe in simple terms aspects of their background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

As such, I believe I had met those criteria. Although I was in China and South Korea during the challenge, I managed to find Spanish speakers wherever I could and have genuine conversations with them. For instance, in week 5, I had a one hour-long skype session with my tutor. It was completely in Spanish. And we mainly talked about the difficulties and particularities of learning Spanish. In week 8, at the airport, I had a conversation with a Spanish guy about his life in Hong Kong and travel plans in South Korea. In week 13, I had an interesting chat with an American guy about U.S. politics and how he (presciently) believed Trump would win… Had I gone on a more conventional path and enrolled myself in a Spanish course, I would have not only wasted my time and money doing exercises about the weather and the various modes of transport but also not been able to have such stimulating conversations with native speakers this early on!

In terms of study time, in the first 2 months I was doing this full-time and the third month half-time. Unfortunately, I lost my timesheet for this project. Or maybe I never time logged at all. It was more than 2 years ago, and I don’t remember. I also took two flights to and back from China for the lunar new year, so there were probably a few days that I didn’t study.

What I learnt:

1. I never memorised the whole alphabet, not even now, but this is not absolutely required.
2. The prevailing idea that you must ‘build the foundation’ by mastering basic grammar and doing introductory exercise books before venturing your way to more advanced material is generally a bad one. If by week 3, you are still working on bilingual introductory resources, then you are not progressing fast enough.
3. Immersion is the key. Whatever you do, try not breaking your monolingual environment. This might be difficult at the beginning since you have to look up words in a dictionary, but it gets easier fast.
4. If you can find a digital version of a monolingual learner’s dictionary (MLD), pay whatever the price for it! In languages other than English, digital MLDs are rare. Sell your kidneys if you must.
5. Read A LOT!!! Extensive reading has been proven to be one of the most effective ways of acquiring vocabulary and enhancing understanding of grammar. During those 3 months, I mostly read graded readers, from A1 to B2. Don’t be scared away by the label ‘B1’ or ‘B2’, you can read and enjoy those books with a dictionary even in the early stages. I used Kindle at the time since it was easier to look up words than a physical book. After this challenge, I also started reading news articles in Spanish.

Can this be even faster?

To make reading foreign language texts much easier and more enjoyable, I created this incredible tool called LingoDream. While reading, you can click on any word or select any phrase you don’t know, and instantly, you get multiple dictionary definitions, images, translations, Wikipedia entries, and authentic audio pronunciations.

LingoDream makes learning new words and expressions much easier and faster

You can also listen to text-to-speech audio at your own pace while reading along the text. Every time you look up a word, LingoDream automatically creates a customisable contextual vocabulary flash card for you. It will then remind you to review or recall these new words on a scientific schedule according to the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve.

Learn more about LingoDream on this post or visiting our official website. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter to get free and valuable tips on learning foreign languages.