Start learning Spanish

Where the language comes from

Spanish is a Romance language that developed from spoken Latin in the Iberian Peninsula. It is used across Spain, much of the Americas and other communities worldwide. Vocabulary and pronunciation vary by region. No single country owns the only correct everyday accent. Choose materials from a region you want to understand and keep a note of useful alternatives.

Writing and sounds

The alphabet has 27 letters including ñ; ch and ll are digraphs, not separate letters. Start with the five vowels a e i o u. Written accents help mark stress: teléfono. Compare the single tap in pero and the trill in perro. The course uses seseo and yeísmo for a broad phonemic guide; many speakers in Spain distinguish /s/ and /θ/. Do not treat that difference as an error.

Your first conversation

Begin with Hola, Me llamo Alex and Mucho gusto. Ask ¿Cómo te llamas? in an informal introduction. Use Por favor, habla despacio to ask someone to slow down. Practise a short exchange first, then listen without reading. The question marks ¿ ? help identify the whole question in writing, so include both when typing.

Grammar to start with

Learn nouns with their article: el libro, la mesa. Adjectives often agree in gender and number. Verbs change with the subject: yo hablo, tú hablas. For a simple preference, use Me gusta el libro; with a plural noun, Me gustan los libros. The combinations de + el and a + el normally become del and al. Learn these as complete phrases, not word-for-word English.

Culture and a seven-day plan

Tú, usted and vos have different uses across regions and relationships. Follow the other person's preference rather than inferring it from nationality alone. Day 1–2: vowels and stress. Day 3: articles with ten nouns. Day 4: greetings. Day 5: one present-tense verb. Day 6: read a short exchange aloud. Day 7: ask and answer five questions, then review your difficult sounds.