8 Reasons Learning Spanish Is Difficult

Can Spanish Be Challenging for Native English Speakers?

Spanish is an increasingly popular language and one of the most popular languages in the world hosting over 450 million native speakers. It’s a vibrant and colorful Romance language that stems from the Vulgar Latin with a dynamic history. And learning Spanish can help give you an advantage in the world. If you already started learning Spanish, here’s a great post with tips from a qualified Spanish translator on how to learn Spanish effectively through immersion.

Even though some would classify this language as one of the easier ones to learn, that doesn’t mean that you can learn it without any difficulty. Before you sign up for the best language learning program and start reviewing your Spanish language book, you might want to take a look at some of the hardest obstacles native English speakers have to overcome before they become fluent in Spanish.

The Alveolar Trill AKA, the Rolling “R”

When learning Spanish, the difficulty involved in learning how to roll the “r” tends to be at the top of the list of complaints. Many English speakers have problems with rolling their “r”s because English doesn’t have this feature.

However, as Spanish becomes more and more common-place in the U.S., English speakers from that area are becoming more and more familiar with how to accomplish this. Still, if you find yourself struggling with it, it is possible to learn how to do it with practice. There is no genetic component involved, despite it being a widespread rumor that there is.

Another point of importance is how long to roll the “r.” Words with one “r” require a short roll, while words with two “r”s require a more extended roll. And there are exceptions to this as well. It’s essential for Spanish learners to practice the pronunciation because errors can change the meaning of the word.

Pronunciation

As with any language, there are specific differences in how Spanish needs to be pronounced. The differences aren’t as tricky when compared to languages like French, German, or Chinese, but they still require practice. One of the benefits of learning Spanish is that pronunciation is relatively strict. Vowels are always pronounced the same, for instance. And consonants sound the same in most circumstances as well, with fewer variations than English. Still, there are differences. Here are a few to be aware of:

• B/V: These consonants essentially sound the same, taking on the “b” sound in nearly all instances.
• J: Just remember jalapeño with this one, the “j” comes off as more of an exhale than a hard letter, kinda like you’re saying, “haaa.”
• H: It’s silent. It’s easier to remember when it’s at the beginning of a word like “hola” but harder to remember when it appears in the middle of a word. Regardless, it’s always silent unless its a loanword or combined with a “ch.”
• LL: While the “l” is typically pronounced harder in Spanish than in English, the double LL sound comes off as a “y.”

As with learning any language, to master these sounds you need to practice, practice, practice. However, because pronunciation is very strict in Spanish, once you learn Spanish, it’s pretty easy to implement. Before long, you’ll be pronouncing words correctly without thinking about it.

Dialects of Spanish

Spanish is widespread. It’s the official language of 20 different countries, and it’s the second most spoken language on the planet by native speakers. It’s existence as a global language is a result of colonialism, meaning that in a similar way that English has distinct variations between English speaking countries, Spanish does as well.

A speaker of Spanish in Mexico speaks differently than one from Chile or even Spain. In fact, it’s a common point of comparison for Spanish speakers in Spain and Mexico. They often critique each other’s use of the language. Even in Spain, there are variations between the “Standard” Castillian Spanish and different regional dialects. That being said, it can create problems for the Spanish learner.

The version you cover in your Spanish language program may not be the one you find yourself needing to speak in Chile. If you are in the States and you learn a local Spanish or a Spanish outside of the classroom, then the chances are that Mexican Spanish will profoundly influence it. Traveling to Spain or Chile or Argentina would expose you up to a variation of Spanish requiring more study and practice.

“Ser” vs. “Estar”

There are two versions of the verb meaning “to be” in Spanish. “Ser” refers to permanent attributes and to events occurring in time. “Estar” refers to states of being or temporary experiences. You’ll need to be familiar with when to use each form. Otherwise, it could lead to confusion or worse, embarrassment.

Noun Gender

English speakers struggle with gender simply because we aren’t used to it. While English does not have gender, many other languages do, including Spanish. Every noun is either masculine or feminine. And in addition to that, adjectives adjust to fit the versions of the type of nouns they describe. The best solution is to learn the article with the noun. Even better, learn an adjective with both to help make it easier and faster for you to use the appropriate version of the word.

Natives Talk Fast

One of the obstacles to overcome with speaking any language is listening comprehension. And when you’re learning Spanish, this can present even more problems as it’s the second fastest language spoken. Spanish is less dense than English regarding information per syllable, meaning that you have to speak more to communicate the same amount of information. This means that natives talk fast naturally. Improving your listening comprehension takes practice, but you’ll be able to listen better with practice.

Subjunctive Tense

The subjunctive tense describes the mood and happens to be one of the more tricky parts of Spanish grammar. While tense refers to when an action takes place, mood refers to the feeling behind it. Spanish uses the subjunctive mood often, creating more variations of verbs that new learners will have to study. Even so, remember that grammar comes naturally with exposure in most cases, so try not to stress out too much about this.

False Cognates

Spanish, like many other languages, has its fair share of false cognates that can trip you up and even cause embarrassment. While some are harmless, like “sopa” meaning “soup” not “soap.” Some can be a little awkward, like “pie” meaning “foot” and “embarazada” that means pregnant, not embarrassed.

Learning Spanish Benefits You

Spanish is a great language that opens the doors for you. Whether you live in the U.S. or you want to travel the world, knowing Spanish means you can speak to over 400 million more people and visit many countries, all without having to open up a grammar book.

While there are some challenges to overcome, this is common with all foreign language learning programs. The key is to stay consistent and take your time, knowing that your hard work will pay off and you’ll be speaking Spanish fluently in no time.