Who Offers the Best Spanish Lessons Online? Have you ever wanted to learn Spanish? Maybe you would like to interact with native speakers while traveling. Or perhaps you would like to speak Spanish with your contractor or other people you do business with.
Great
We'll bet you didn't know that Busuu is named after an endangered language in Cameroon which is spoken by only a small group of people. Funny though, the Busuu language isn't one of the languages that's offered by this platform. Busuu was founded in 2008 and has since partnered with McGraw-Hill Education, a well-known textbook company. Spanish is one of 14 languages you can learn with Busuu, and when you complete a writing assignment, a native Spanish speaker will evaluate your work.
Tell Busuu your level of learning intensity
Before you even get your Busuu account, you'll communicate your reasons for learning and your study time availability. For example, are you learning Spanish to communicate with family/friends, do you plan to travel, are you wanting brain exercise, or something else? Then decide your study goal by letting them know how many minutes per day you'll be able to dedicate to your Spanish lessons.
Take a placement test
Rather than just starting out at the beginning, if you know some Spanish already, you can take a placement test. The test helps determine which CEFR level you're at. CEFR is the European method for determining placement. This is good because you'll know your level, basically internationally, and can transfer this information to most any language course. Busuu offers lessons from level A1, the most basic, to C1, the lower of the advanced levels. It's rare to find an online Spanish course that teaches up to C2, but that's fine.
Using inference and context
One of the features we like about Busuu Spanish is that they want you to use inference when trying to understand what they're saying. For example, you'll see a photo of people in a restaurant, hear the dialog, then you'll answer a question where you'll need to use context to answer. It's much more natural than studying flashcards and then putting flashcards into a dialog.
Remember the days of learning through dialog?
Old-school Spanish textbooks would teach language by showing application of the vocabulary in context of a dialog between two people. This is the case with Busuu, as the old is new again. Dialogs offer real-life situations and conversations. In a restaurant scene, for example, you'll learn how to order meals and how to converse with the server. Isn't that much more useful than how the Bird App tells you how to say "the turtle's pencil"?
Free version
You can sign up for free access to Busuu's Spanish lessons, but you really won't get more than just a taste, and you'll miss the grammar explanations. We suggest getting a paid subscription, keeping in mind the 14-day cancellation period that starts once your paid time starts.
Premium version
Pay for a subscription here because it's worth it. You can get feedback on your Spanish from the Busuu community, personalize your study plan, get the grammar review, receive official CEFR certification, and unlock all 14 languages to learn. Prices range from around $5-$11 per month, depending on how long you commit to using Busuu.
Free trial
When you subscribe to Busuu Premium, you'll have a 7-day free trial period to all the Spanish material now unlocked for you. It's a very short window of time, so if you want the free trial, make sure you'll have the time to use it.
Lesson structure is logical
Each of the Busuu lessons is broken down into three or four mini-lessons, all on the same topic. The first Spanish mini-lesson shows you the words that will be used, the second gives you practice using them, and it ends with an assessment, usually a mini-quiz or a writing prompt. Spanish lessons also introduce verbs in newer-to-you conjugations to build your proficiency. The lessons build on each other, bringing you gradually into the next CEFR level.
Native speakers evaluate your work
This is a novel concept. Native Spanish speakers can review the written and spoken work you submit to Busuu. You, too, can choose to evaluate the written and spoken work of Busuu's English learners. Try it, it's fun!
Busuu gets the job done but lacks in flair
When an online Spanish language platform partners with a well-known textbook company, you'll receive quality lessons that get the job done with a proven learning method. We love that Busuu is reasonably priced, uses context, doesn't overuse the flashcard method, and goes up to level C1 for Spanish proficiency. With Busuu's almost completely traditional teaching and quizzing methods, we would suggest more animation, competition, or other motivating features as an improvement, to help learners look forward to the next lesson. Beyond that, though, Busuu is a super-solid way to learn Spanish and we give these lessons an excellent rating.
Continued from above...
Have you ever wanted to learn Spanish? Maybe you would like to interact with native speakers while traveling. Or perhaps you would like to speak Spanish with your contractor or other people you do business with.
Here are some fun facts for you to consider. According to a recent US census, Spanish is the most common non-English language spoken in US homes, 12x greater than the next four most common languages. The US is the world's fourth-largest Spanish-speaking country. And, as such, jobs in the US are always looking for bilingual (English-Spanish) speakers.
No matter why you want to learn Spanish, the real question is which online Spanish lessons are right for you. With so much of our life being digital and using apps regularly if not daily, it's only natural to want to explore apps or online methods for learning Spanish. There are many to choose from, and we can help you sift through the options.
The first thing to consider is how much Spanish you already know. If you're just getting started, your choices are almost endless, as many programs have an abundance of material for beginners. In fact, some of these programs focus so much on the beginners that they seem to run out of steam when creating material for the intermediate students, and then there's none if you want to hone your advanced Spanish with them. There are those who cater to all levels of proficiency, but it's certainly not all, and you have to know which is which. No worries - wherever you are on your Spanish-learning journey, we have excellent online programs and apps to recommend for your needs.
Another consideration is your learning style and preferences. Some learners need motivation through lessons with animation, gamification, and prizes. Others find animation and gamification overwhelming and would rather get straight to business, preferring the old-school grammar lessons and vocabulary flashcards. Consider if you want your Spanish curriculum to tell you where to start and then follow those lessons in a linear fashion. If you do, great. However, other people want to choose their own path and select lessons where the theme is of interest to them. Either way, there are plenty of online Spanish lessons that will suit you.
Once you're more aware of why you're learning Spanish and how you want to learn it, there are a few more aspects you should consider as you choose where to take lessons:
The experts at Top Consumer Reviews have evaluated, rated, and ranked the best choices for online Spanish lessons. We're sure that with this information, you'll have what you need to make the right choice for your goals in learning and becoming fluent in Spanish. ¡Ya vamos!
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