How Hard is it Actually to Learn Spanish?

January 15, 2025

Is it hard or fairly easy to learn another language? Some languages are simpler than others, but generally speaking, mastering a new language can take months or even years. Specifically, how hard is it to learn Spanish? Many people claim that Spanish isn’t too difficult to learn if you already speak English. However, certain challenges arise once you reach more advanced grammar. Let’s go over some key points about learning Spanish and evaluate whether it’s a hard or easy language to learn.

Classification of the Spanish Language

Spanish is a Romance language that evolved from colloquial Latin. With more than 500 million speakers worldwide, learning this language is an excellent choice if you plan to travel. Additionally, knowing Spanish can improve your job prospects.

The language is closely related to Portuguese, French, and Italian. Learning one of these languages can make it easier to pick up another from the same linguistic group.

However, Spanish has countless variations and dialects, which make the language incredibly rich but occasionally complicated. A single word can have entirely different meanings depending on whether you’re in the north or south of Spain, for example. Spain alone has six official languages and various minority languages. Some of these, like Catalan, are quite similar to Spanish, while others, like Basque, are entirely different.

Overlap with Other Languages and Cognates

If you’re an English speaker, you’ve likely heard about the advantages this gives you when learning Spanish. Many words are identical or very similar, meaning that simply reviewing these so-called cognates can help you quickly boost your Spanish vocabulary.

However, some words may trick you. For instance, embarazada doesn’t mean "embarrassed" but rather "pregnant."

About 30% of words are similar between English and Spanish, and the overlap is even greater when compared to Portuguese, French, or Italian. This makes learning Spanish easier, though only until you encounter advanced grammar.

The Advanced Grammar Rules

Spanish grammar comes with its challenges. The language has a wide range of past tenses and corresponding verb conjugations. To make things more complicated, you’ll also need to memorize numerous irregular verbs across these tenses, which requires significant time and practice.

Another tricky aspect of Spanish grammar is the verbs for "to be." Spanish uses three different verbs—ser, estar, and haber—that are all translated as "to be" in English. Many learners struggle with using them correctly since there’s no direct equivalent in English.

The subjuntivo (subjunctive mood) is another stumbling block. It’s used to express things that aren’t real yet, such as wishes or hypothetical situations.

Rolling Your Tongue

For native English speakers, rolling the "R" can be another challenging part of learning Spanish. There are countless YouTube videos with millions of views that show just how many people struggle with this specific pronunciation hurdle.

Speed of Native Spanish Speakers

Lastly, one fun but intimidating aspect of learning Spanish is keeping up with the speed of native speakers. While some speak at a normal pace (comparable to English), others talk extremely quickly. Speakers from Spain are particularly fast, while those from Latin America tend to be easier to understand.

On average, Spanish speakers talk about 25% faster than English speakers—a significant challenge for learners.

Overall Evaluation

Spanish is often listed as one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. According to Babbel, it’s the third easiest language after Norwegian and Swedish.

English and Spanish share many similar words, which is a huge advantage for beginners. However, Spanish grammar can be tricky, with its verb conjugations, irregularities, and the subjuntivo. The initial stages of learning Spanish are relatively straightforward, but reaching a B1 or B2 level requires consistent practice and repetition. Speaking Spanish comes naturally to some learners, while others might feel stuck.

The Key Takeaway

Spanish is spoken in numerous countries, and native Spanish speakers are generally friendly and welcoming. However, communicating with them can take considerable effort. While Spanish grammar isn’t as easy as some claim, no language is truly easy to master. Compared to other languages, though, Spanish is relatively straightforward. With enough motivation and practice, you can benefit immensely from knowing one of the most spoken languages in the world.

Happy learning!

Hana Koubova

Language enthusiast