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Spanish Beginner Kit

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1. Lay the groundwork

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First, put order into the chaos of starting to learn Spanish and follow a step-by-step program.
YouTube course playlist
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YouTube course for beginners
We offer 32 free lessons that start from scratch (greetings, the alphabet...) organized by units to kick start your learning.
Check it out
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Pro tip: Access the lesson notes that go along each of the videos of the course.
Grammar
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It's important to pay attention to the structure of the language and being aware of its logic. However, don’t obsess over memorizing rules, that doesn’t help you communicate better.
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New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish
The most comprehensive textbook on Spanish grammar for English speakers. It’s just theory (they sell a workbook separately), but it goes very in depth into the structures of the language.
Purchase book
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Sentence structure chart
Spanish sentence structure chart
Free

A good place to start is to look at how the most common sentence structures in Spanish and English compare, so you can get an idea of how to form sentences.

2. Learn core vocabulary

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Vocabulary is the foundation of language, and it’s essential to have an effective approach to learn the most frequent and relevant words.
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High quality flashcards
The most effective tool to acquire vocabulary are flashcards that give you full sentences instead of isolated words. Here's are the ones we created with 100 basic words organized by topic.

With Quizlet, you'll be able to study them in different ways and review them at specific intervals to ensure the vocabulary sticks!
More resources
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2000 most frequent words
Free

This list of the most common Spanish words and their translation should serve as a reference, not something you try to memorize in isolation. We also added example sentences, but those might be too complicated as a beginner.

Cognate list
Cognates
Free

Cognates are words that share linguistic family in two languages and sometimes are identical or very similar. Here's a list of English-Spanish cognates that will kick start your vocabulary. You'll realize how many words you already know!

3. Read & listen

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It's essential to immerse yourself in Spanish, but do it with content you can understand (don't get started watching Netflix!). Here are two fantastic resources:
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¡Hola, Lola!
Reading is the most effective way of acquiring vocabulary. Most beginners make the mistake of starting with children's books. It's much better to use graded readers, texts aimed at adults but with very simplified language. ¡Hola, Lola! is a perfect example, it has a lot of repetition and is the best place to start.
Purchase book
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Pro tip: Read on Kindle to be able to instantly look up word definitions and translations.
DreamingSpanish website
Dreaming Spanish
Excellent platform with hundreds of videos for different levels (including a Super Beginner one), that heavily uses visual cues and a slow pace to enhance comprehension. They also have a YouTube channel, but the website allows you to apply filters and track your watching time.
Go to website
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Media resources
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Media hub
Free

As you continue to make progress, here's a compilation of the best books (graded readers and bilingual texts), YouTube channels and podcasts for beginners to immerse in Spanish.

4. Practice

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Start putting what you learn into practice as soon as possible. We know it's not easy, but it's worth it!
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Online tutoring: LanguaTalk
Find native tutors for 1-on-1 online lessons at very affordable prices. Having a professional to practice with that can provide you feedback is invaluable.
Go to website
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A free alternative to tutors are language exchange partners. With this app you can find native Spanish speakers that want to learn your language and spend half the time with each.
Go to website
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Key tools

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These fantastic resources will make your daily study much more effective.
SpanishDict
Bilingual dictionary

Fantastic Spanish-English dictionary. Provides details about different meanings, pronunciation, example sentences, and even expressions! It also offers grammar guides and flashcards.

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DeepL
Translation tool

The most accurate translation tool on the internet. It also provides the option of clicking on a particular word in a sentence to get alternative translations.

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WordReference Forums
Forum

Very active forums to ask anything about Spanish: what does a word in this context mean, how to say something in a particular way or clear up any grammar rules you're unsure about.

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Forvo
Pronunciation

A repository of audios recorded by native speakers that show you how to pronounce certain words and even sentences. With Spanish, you can filter by country too.

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Warning!
As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods.
— Harrington Emerson

Spanish Foundations

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This Beginner Kit equips you with the best tools and resources to get started. However, becoming fluent in Spanish requires mastering the principles behind effective learning. That's where Spanish Foundations comes in. 

In this 90-minute workshop you'll learn how to set goals and expectations, the common pitfalls that hinder your progress, several ways to practice your spoken and written Spanish and how to put everything together with a study plan.
Alejandro with slides and a book.
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Use the coupon BEGINNER-KIT to get 35% off.
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