Try a few FREE interactive lessons from the Rocket Spanish Premium Package, one of the most popular Spanish courses on the internet. The interactive method of learning Spanish focuses on active speaking and learning to think in Spanish. You will speak Spanish actively from lesson 1.

Normally $27, These Spanish Lessons Are Yours FREE

Mauricio Evlampieff, native Spanish speaker, and Amy Waterman, the editor of Rocket Spanish lessons, will guide you through the basic conversational Spanish in 3 Audio Lessons and 3 Language & Cultural Spanish lessons.

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Free Spanish Lessons Contents

The first lesson will be delivered to your mailbox in a few minutes. In the next 6 days, you will receive 6 Spanish lessons. They contain audio files, which you can download to your computer or listen to online. You will also get transcripts of all conversations in both Spanish and English, so you can understand everything easily.

You will get additional free Spanish lessons

After the first 6 Spanish lessons, you will get weekly emails with Spanish learning tips, additional free Spanish lessons, and other free resources for learning Spanish.

All Spanish Lessons in the Full Premium Spanish Package

The 6 Spanish lessons included in the Free 6 Day Spanish Course are a sample selection from the full Premium Rocket Spanish Package, which includes:

• 32 interactive Spanish audio lessons (about 25 minutes of audio per lesson; all lessons include Spanish and English transcripts and extra vocabulary)
• 31 language and culture Spanish lessons
• “MegaSpanish” quizzes and games for practicing Spanish grammar and vocabulary (actually MegaSpanish are 3 Spanish word games in one: MegaVocab, MegaAudio, and MegaVerbs).

See more details about the full Premium Rocket Spanish Package now

Join the Thousands of Successful Spanish Learners

This is a unique (and most likely temporary) opportunity to try the interactive learning approach of some of the most popular online Spanish lessons. More than 40,000 people enjoy lifetime membership to the Premium Rocket Spanish Lessons. More than 600,000 people worldwide have learned foreign languages with the Rocket lessons so far.

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The FREE Spanish Lessons cost you nothing – you have nothing to lose and you may gain a lot – find an efficient and entertaining tool for learning Spanish. Of course you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe to the FREE Spanish lessons now:

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Topics of Lessons Included in the 6 Day Spanish Course

The free Spanish lessons you will get as part of the 6 Day Spanish Course will mainly cover the basic conversational Spanish. You will learn Spanish greetings and small talk (all those buenos días, buenas noches, señors, señoras, and señoritas). Mauricio and Amy will also show you how to introduce yourself and how to get what you want in Spanish speaking restaurants and shops.

Examples of more advanced Spanish lessons

Besides the basic conversational Spanish lessons you will also get samples of more advanced Spanish lessons and learn more vocabulary. All new vocabulary in the Spanish lessons is presented with audio files for you to see how to pronounce the unfamiliar words and phrases.

Little tips and warnings for Spanish learners

Mauricio often mentions little tips for learning Spanish effectively and warns you about particular potential difficulties and common mistakes Spanish learners make.

Learn the 4 Different Words for “You” in Spanish

Unlike English, the Spanish language typically differentiates between familiar and unfamiliar conversations when addressing people. There are actually 4 different kinds of “you” in Spanish. Using an incorrect “you” for a particular moment can get you into quite embarrassing situation in Spanish speaking countries.

But don’t worry – Mauricio will explain all the Spanish you-words in the second lesson of the Free 6 Day Spanish Course.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and one of the most popular languages people learn as foreign language. At the same time, internet is fast becoming the most common tool for learning foreign languages. Naturally, there is virtually endless supply of Spanish language websites and Spanish online courses. This fact has two consequences for a Spanish learner:

1. It is highly likely that a website or course which suits your needs does exist somewhere.
2. Such website or course may be very difficult to find and choose, because there are so many options to check out.

Quality of Spanish online courses varies

On the internet you can find Spanish language courses made by native speakers and qualified teachers, applying effective and interactive study methods and providing an extensive support, even on a 1-1 basis. However, you can also find courses whose only purpose is to extract money from enthusiastic learners and offering little value in return. As you would expect, the majority of Spanish online courses falls somewhere between these two extremes. How to choose the great ones and avoid the scams?

How to choose a good Spanish online course

There are several things the good Spanish online courses tend to have in common. Some of the following points are more important than others. Of course, the importance of individual characteristics will also vary from person to person and depend on your strengths, weaknesses, and learning habits.

Content of a useful Spanish online course

• Audio lessons, ideally downloadable in mp3 format. These are very important, especially in the online language learning world. Without practicing listening (and repeating aloud) you will only gain the ability to read, which is not enough for having live conversations with natives.
• Explanation of pronunciation and stress rules and pronunciation exercises.
• Explanation of grammar and grammar exercises.
• Most common conversational situations and related vocabulary covered in detail.
• Interesting lessons covering the culture and lifestyle in Spanish speaking countries (these will also provide additional motivation for learning Spanish).
• Spanish language games for grammar and vocabulary training.

Other characteristics of a useful Spanish online course

• The course matches your level in Spanish. Most Spanish online courses start at the beginner level, but if your Spanish speaking abilities are already advanced, you can try to look for intermediate or advanced courses.
• Native speakers involved. Ideally there will be both a native Spanish speaker and a non-native teacher. Both of them provide useful perspectives – see Your Spanish Language Teacher: Is Native Speaker Better or Not?
• Sequential learning. Make sure you know at least the very basics before learning advanced vocabulary and more complicated sentence structures in order to avoid getting confused and discouraged.
• The course provider offers a kind of support, typically in the form of email contact or online forum.
• The course provider offers a free trial version or at least a money back guarantee. Even when you do your research thoroughly, you will not know if a course is useful and suitable to your needs before you actually see what’s inside. Looking for courses with free trials will also eliminate the scams.
• Interactive and fun form. The more entertaining the course is, the lower the probability that you will give up at some difficult point in the future.

There are many different Spanish courses available in the universe, ranging from traditional brick and mortar language schools to modern Spanish language online courses practicing innovative methods. In any case, the most important factor determining the quality of a Spanish language course is… the teacher. There are two types of Spanish language teachers:

• Native Spanish speakers.
• Non-native speakers, who have learned Spanish as a foreign language.

The benefits of learning Spanish from native speakers

The obvious advantage of native speakers as Spanish language teachers is that you can be sure they are really good at speaking Spanish. They will teach you the correct pronunciation and they will make you used to communicating with the natives. You probably know the difference between speaking to your classmate in a made-up exercise interview at a language course and asking for directions at a train station in Madrid. Yes, the second one is much harder. A native Spanish teacher can prepare you for such real-life situations much better.

Limitations of native Spanish teachers

However, learning Spanish from native speakers can also have disadvantages. As they have spoken Spanish since they were born, they haven’t experienced the process of learning Spanish as a foreign language themselves and may not have the best understanding of what makes learning Spanish difficult, which aspects of Spanish grammar are hard to non-natives, or what the common vocabulary traps are. Sometimes a well qualified non-native Spanish teacher can explain these issues much more effectively.

Can I have the strengths of both?

So it seems you can’t have the good part of both. Spanish classes with two different teachers at the same time are rare – and you can expect that even if you find one, it will be quite expensive. Fortunately, the internet offers solutions. In these days, there are various online Spanish courses which you can either directly attend online, or download to your computer and watch videos at home or listen to the mp3 lessons anywhere you go.

Online Spanish courses combining native and non-native teachers

Some of these online Spanish courses have multiple teachers recording the mp3s and videos – some of them are native Spanish speakers, and others are professional non-native experts. The most effective solution is when both native and non-native teachers interact with you at the same time in a lesson. One such course is provided by Rocket Languages, but with a little search you can find several other providers. Rocket Languages offer a free trial of their course, which you can order using the form below.

Spanish language is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world both in terms of the number of native Spanish speakers (which you can mainly meet in Spain, Latin America, the United States, but also in many other countries and regions) and in terms of people like you who are learning Spanish as a foreign language. There are numerous benefits of learning Spanish as a foreign language, which range from career prospects to a variety of personal reasons. How to speak Spanish language and understand spoken Spanish? What is best to do when the current level of your Spanish is poor or none?

How to speak Spanish language: the advantages of online Spanish courses

Unless you have a lot of time and are willing to spend at least several months in a Spanish speaking country learning Spanish naturally from everyday life situations, you will need to look at some tools for learning Spanish. The traditional model of live classroom courses and textbooks may be very effective if you are lucky and have a great Spanish teacher.

However, if you can’t or don’t want to attend a classical live course for a reason (e.g. time or money), you can try to learn Spanish independently. In these days there is an endless supply of Spanish online courses (ranging from super-highly priced ones to free courses). The advantages of learning Spanish online or with a course downloaded to your computer are obvious: time, flexibility, the ability to tailor the pace and focus on your own needs and study habits, and (in many cases) lower cost.

Putting your newly acquired Spanish skills into practice

Independent online courses are a great way to start and get a bit organized with Spanish, but as a standalone tool they have weaknesses too. If you are learning Spanish with your computer only and have no one to practice with, you will not fully learn to use Spanish in real life conversations. Practice makes perfect and with learning foreign languages this is valid 110%. It is therefore essential that you combine your independent study efforts with some real life practicing.

How to find opportunities for practicing Spanish

Again, you have a plenty of options. You can find a fellow Spanish learner. Or maybe you know some people who are originally from a Spanish speaking country. They will most likely be very happy to see you making effort to speak with them in their native language. And, not least, what about a holiday in Spain?

There are many benefits of learning foreign languages and millions of people around the world learn foreign languages for various reasons ranging from career over personal reasons to just being interested in the language and culture. Spanish as one of the most widely spoken languages in the world is also one of the most rewarding to learn as a foreign language. Let’s look at some of the most obvious benefits of learning Spanish.

Spanish language opens new career opportunities

Although English has become the standard in international business, there are still many places and many companies where English is simply not enough to work and do business effectively. Even when your Spanish speaking business partners understand English, knowing Spanish may be that little advantage that eventually puts you ahead of your competitors. This is true for all foreign languages, but being one of the most widely spoken languages in the world makes Spanish one of the few top choices if you want to learn a second or third language to improve your career prospects.

Personal and social benefits of learning Spanish

It is well known that people in Spain and other Spanish speaking cultures are really able to enjoy life and tend to spend a lot of time with friends and groups of people. If you are able to understand and speak Spanish, you will have the opportunity to make friends with them and enjoy some of those fiestas too.

Learning Spanish and travelling

Many of the countries where Spanish is spoken natively are among the most popular tourist destinations in the world and offer rich culture, breathtaking natural sceneries, good weather, and a relaxed way of life.

The process of learning Spanish itself is a great reason for travelling to Spanish speaking countries and spending time in native Spanish environment will also accelerate your learning process. Once you have gained the ability to use Spanish in real life situations, you will find that you can enjoy spending time in Spanish speaking countries even more thanks to your language abilities.

If you have just started learning Spanish you probably have many questions in your head. For example take the obvious lesson 1 of every course: Spanish greetings. You know that there are two ways of addressing people in Spanish: formal (usted) and informal (tú). You use formal when you speak with young people, friends, and people you know. You use informal when talking to strangers, especially when they are older than you. This is quite simple.

Hola vs. Buenos días vs. Buen día and Adios vs. Hasta luego

But is it still polite when you greet a stranger Hola (it sounds so informal!), or should you rather use the obviously formal Buenos días, Buenas tardes etc. – in the street, in a shop…? (Answer: Hola is fine in most situations). To make things more complicated, maybe in the region where you are at the moment people are more used to saying Buen día rather than Buenos días and young people greet each other in other strange ways (ever heard Holis or Holanda? – it doesn’t always mean the Netherlands).

How are you? can also have many different forms in Spanish – cómo estás, cómo te va, qué pasa, qué haces, qué tal, and many other expressions often starting with cómo or qué. They all mean the same, but in a particular situation and region one may be more suitable than another.

And when you are leaving, is it better to say simply Adios, or the more-difficult-to-pronounce Hasta luego?

Regional differences in the Spanish language

In fact there are no universally valid rules for these things. Spanish is spoken natively by some 350 million people in many countries which are often culturally hugely different from each other (take for example the approx. 40 million native Spanish speakers in the US and compare their culture with that of the approx. 40 million in Spain or that of the 11 million in Cuba). There are big differences in culture, way of life, and also the little Spanish language nuances between and among individual Spanish speaking countries – and even between regions within every country.

How to learn which greetings to use where you are?

You won’t learn these regional nuances from books and courses. But there is a way.

When you were a child your parents have probably told you that listening to other people’s conversations is impolite, wrong, and you just shouldn’t do it. However, when you are learning Spanish, doing exactly this can help you grasp the local specifics of the language. Observe how people interact in the streets or in shops. Do they say Hola or Buen día? Adios or Hasta luego? Do you often hear Cómo estás or Cómo te va? You will not only see which greetings and phrases are the most common in your region, but you will also record them in your subconscious mind and suddenly you will realize that you are using them too.

Of course, an even better method than observing is participating in conversations yourself. Speak to the natives a lot and see how they are greeting you or asking how you’ve been.

Languages and verbal communication represent one form of interactions between and among people. However, it is not the only one. Non-verbal communication like gestures, mimics, and body language complement verbal communication – in some cultures and languages more than in others. People in Spanish speaking countries tend to use gestures and body language a lot, therefore getting used to these is an integral part of any effort to learn the Spanish language.

Body language can help you understand spoken Spanish

By watching gestures and body language, you can often tell what the speaker is thinking or what energy the person has at the moment. This may be a useful piece of information, especially when your ability to understand spoken Spanish is limited at the beginning. Spanish native speakers tend to speak at very high speed and it is sometimes difficult to understand Spanish word by word. Body language can help to fill in these gaps.

You need to practice non-verbal Spanish communication too

From the ideas above it is clear that you will need to practice non-verbal Spanish communication besides learning the verbal Spanish. You should get used to the gestures and body language that Spanish speakers use. Though this is quite intangible and it is hard to measure progress, becoming familiar with Spanish body language will improve your ability to understand Spanish to a surprisingly high extent.

How to get used to non-verbal Spanish

The best way to practice verbal as well as non-verbal Spanish communication is of course spending time with native Spanish speakers and doing a lot of talking and listening. If you don’t have such opportunity at this moment, at least try to get a less active exposure to verbal and non-verbal Spanish. Many Spanish online courses have video sections. Their advantage is that they are usually structured in a way that you start with easy short interviews, get everything explained to you, and then move to more complicated and longer videos. Advanced Spanish learners can also try watching Spanish TV online or watching Spanish movies.

The benefits reading has on passive and active language skills are well known. They are true not only for your native language skills, but also for learning foreign languages, including Spanish. If becoming fluent in Spanish is among your goals, include reading Spanish books and other Spanish texts in your personal Spanish study program. Reading books will improve not only your reading skills in Spanish, but also your active writing and speaking abilities.

Can you read Spanish books if you are a complete beginner?

If you have just started learning Spanish, the idea of reading a Spanish language book probably sounds quite ambitious to you. You are right, reading Spanish books is very hard without knowing the basic Spanish vocabulary and the core of Spanish grammar. If you are a complete beginner, focus on learning the basic grammar and learn a few basic words and phrases first. You can easily do this online – there are many Spanish online courses and some of them are completely free at the beginner level.

Which Spanish texts to read with limited knowledge of Spanish

As soon as you are able to construct and understand simple sentences, you can start looking for longer Spanish texts to read. They don’t need to be books at the beginning. You can try to read Spanish online news regarding the topics of your interest. For example, if you like Spanish football, read about Real and Barca online… in Spanish. You will be able to understand a lot even without knowing much Spanish, as many words, expressions, and names will be familiar to you because of your interest in the topic.

Other ways to improve Spanish vocabulary knowledge

Regardless of your level in Spanish, traditional books are not the only kinds of Spanish texts you can read to improve your Spanish vocabulary. Newspapers and magazines covering the topics you like can be a good and entertaining option for you. They may be difficult to get if you’re living outside Spanish speaking countries, but many newspapers and magazines have online versions available on the internet.

You can also watch Spanish speaking TV or movies, or listen to Spanish language radio. Compared to books, these channels have the advantage that they also teach you the pronunciation of Spanish words.

Learning Spanish is a complex long-term task and therefore deserves some planning and preparation. Make sure you don’t skip these 4 necessary steps before you start with your first Spanish lesson. Though some of them may seem really small and irrelevant, they can significantly influence your success later as your Spanish becomes more advanced, lessons become more difficult, and your initial motivation becomes history.

1. Make sure you really want to learn Spanish

Decide that you really want to become fluent in Spanish. Make sure you have valid reasons for learning Spanish and that your motivation comes from within. In some cases, the mere fact that you have enjoyed your holiday in the Caribbean or the fact that your friend is now attending a Spanish course is not the kind of motivation that will keep you working hard later in the learning process, when you encounter difficult parts or your external conditions (for example the amount of time you have for learning Spanish) deteriorate.

2. Choose tools and resources for learning Spanish

As soon as you know that you really want to become fluent in Spanish, you need to get several different resources for learning Spanish. Combining multiple different types of exposure to the Spanish language is crucial. You need a textbook with exercises for learning grammar, a dictionary to quickly translate words you don’t know, and you will also need exposure to spoken Spanish to learn pronunciation and accents and get used to live conversations.

There are many ways how you can get exposure to spoken Spanish: mp3 lessons, tapes, DVDs, watching Spanish TV and video, listening to Spanish radio, or listening to Spanish spoken live by other people. You can get multiple tools at once as part of a live classroom course in Spanish (if you have enough time and money and can find courses in your city) or as part of an online Spanish course (if you have less time and less money).

3. Think about the time you can regularly dedicate to learning Spanish

Think about the time you can dedicate to learning Spanish every day, week, and month. Some portion of this time should be spent in a quiet environment where you can focus solely on learning Spanish without distractions.

However, you can also use additional time when you concentrate on other things besides Spanish (for example when commuting to and from work or doing some routine work at home) – these are good opportunities to listen to Spanish audio lessons for example.

4. I will complete lesson 12 by the end of March – set goals

After designing your time budget for learning Spanish, set goals providing that you will be able to track progress and you won’t fall behind your originally intended schedule. Make sure your goals are in line with your time budget. More ambitious goals (learning faster) require more hours per day or week. Your goals should be both challenging and realistic. Don’t expect to become fluent in Spanish in a month. On the other hand, don’t give yourself too easy goals. Easy goals don’t increase the probability of you achieving them. They often lead to laziness and excuses instead.

How to formulate measurable goals for learning Spanish

The goals in learning Spanish are best to be formulated as completing lesson X of your Spanish course or textbook by a certain point of time in the future. Make sure the goals and dates remain fixed. Write them down and don’t change them, unless you have a really strong reason (for example you get sick and unable to learn Spanish for two weeks).

Now that you have motivation, tools, time budget, and goals, have fun learning Spanish!

When you learn Spanish it is recommended that you use multiple resources like books, TV, audio, quizzes, online Spanish courses, and live conversations, rather than sticking to a single tool and single channel of learning Spanish. Visual tools like Spanish TV or movies have a specific position in the universe of tools for learning Spanish. Neglecting video while learning Spanish is a bad idea, as visual channels represent a unique and crucial kind of exposure to the Spanish language.

Native Spanish speakers tend to speak very fast

Native Spanish speakers in Spain, Latin America and other regions are known for the incredible speed at which they speak, which is probably somehow connected with their temperament and openness. The fast way of speaking makes the Spanish language difficult to understand in the real world situations, unlike the simulated environment of a language class.

Gestures and facial expressions help you understand spoken Spanish

On the other hand, native Spanish speakers are also known for the great amount of gestures and body language features they use when speaking. Sometimes the sharp facial expressions and hand movements may even look funny to someone not used to this kind of non-verbal communication accompanying spoken Spanish.

However, the gestures and the visual dimension of Spanish can dramatically increase your chance of understanding what a Spanish speaker is saying. You may not catch every single word at the fast pace of speech, but you don’t need to. You can figure out the mood, feelings, and subtle messages from the non-verbal language.

Use videos to learn all of Spanish: both verbal and non-verbal

The non-verbal side of Spanish is where Spanish videos and TV provide a useful resource for learning Spanish. When you see the gestures and facial expressions native Spanish speakers make when they speak, it will be easier for you to understand what they are talking about. You will also get used to the non-verbal Spanish and be prepared for it when you become involved in a real Spanish conversation in the real world.

Do not forget videos, TV, and movies when learning Spanish. They are an integral part of the Spanish learning universe and will help you prepare for the Spanish performed (not just spoken) in the real world.