How good is my Spanish after 1 Year? (An honest progress update)
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Contents
An honest progress update
What I did (my method)
Listening
Reading
NO speaking practice
How much time did I spend in total?
What is my current level?
Am I happy with my level?
Why this is the ultimate method
What is my goal with Spanish now?
1-year progress video
I have just passed the one year mark of learning Spanish.
It was always my goal to do a progress video after 1 year of learning Spanish (watch it at the end of this post!).
For three reasons:
I was curious how much Spanish I would be able to speak using input only.
To see what level I would be at after having learned at a very relaxed pace for 1 year.
I wanted to demonstrate my level to you language learners out there. So that you could get a realistic picture of how much Spanish (or a similar language) you’ll be able to speak using this method. Provided you spend the same amount of time as I did (we’ll get to how much time in a little bit).
An honest progress update
There are a lot of “fluent in x amount of days”-types of videos out there. Some of them are really impressive. But it is also very easy to have a script and plan what you’re going to say ahead of time - to sound way more fluent than you actually are.
For me, I wanted it to be honest, not perfect. Realistic, not trying to impress anyone. Because my goal with this blog since the beginning has always been to help people learn languages.
My hope was for it to be encouraging to those who are watching. To know that it’s okay to not be perfect, and to make mistakes. It’s all part of the process of learning a new language.
I put it up on YouTube for all of you to see.
What I did (my method)
What I actually did was very simple.
For the first two months I mostly used Pimsleur, and Language Transfer (you can read more about what I did in this post)
After those initial months, I only did two things:
Listened and read.
I kept it simple and focused on what would be the most effective use of my time. It not only is a method that works, but it’s also a very fun and relaxed way to learn. You’re just a receiver of the language through input. Your brain takes care of the rest.
Reading
I read using LingQ (get 37% off). Simple mini-stories at first, then various articles and materials at LingQ (they have a huge library of interesting content).
After a few months, I started importing and reading regular books. I did this when I reached around 2,000 known words in LingQ (about 3 months into my learning). This is generally a good time to start reading books if you’re using the app.
I’m now on my 3rd book and it’s getting easier and easier and more and more enjoyable to read.
Most days I read my Spanish first thing in the morning. That’s it. I’m done with it for the day and I move on to learning my other languages.
To find out more about my approach to reading in Spanish, check out this blog post.
Listening
This has mostly been through watching videos. Mainly at Dreaming Spanish (read more about it in my post Everything You Need to Know about Dreaming Spanish), but also various videos on YouTube like Español con Juan, Korean StarCraft Games with Spanish commentators, podcasts on LingQ, etc.
Anything that I found interesting to listen to and watch.
You can read more about my listening habits in this post where I wrote extensively about it.
Most days I’m done with my listening way before lunch or even before breakfast.
I tend to listen while I empty the dishwasher, make breakfast, and get ready in the morning. This usually takes about 30 mins, which is my daily goal.
Some days it’s spread out more - 7 mins here, 5 mins there. As long as it’s at least 30 mins total at the end of the day, I’m happy.
Dreaming Spanish keeps track of how much time you spent listening, which makes this super easy to track. You can even input the time you spend listening on YouTube and other places. It makes it easy to see when you’ve hit your goal (and how much time you’ve spent in total).
All I focus on is just getting those 30 mins in. I don’t try hard or put a ton of effort into it, other than just trying my best to pay attention and listen actively.
Because I know that at the end of the day, it’s the compounded time spent over the months and years that will bring results, not me trying hard.
NO speaking practice
With the other languages I have learned I have deliberately practiced speaking.
I did not do this with Spanish (except the listen-and-repeat-out-loud with Pimsleur for the first month, and 1 iTalki lesson on my day 7 learning - you can see parts of it in this video).
For a couple of reasons:
To see how much I’d be able to speak through only getting input.
In the past few years I have moved away more and more from practicing speaking, and instead focused pretty much only on getting input. I have found this to be a more effective use of my time. It improves speaking without consciously trying to do so.
My wife and I spent 3 months total in Spain last year. It did provide opportunities for me to speak. But it was mostly very short interactions. Like the cashier at the grocery store asking how many bags I needed.
I only had a couple of opportunities for more meaningful and longer conversations. Such as with cab drivers and those types of situations.
Speaking is more of a way to see and experience where your level is currently at. You get a clear picture of how good (or bad) your language abilities are. You do learn from these interactions, but it’s mainly from the input you’re getting from the other person.
So while I didn’t deliberately practice speaking, I didn’t avoid it either. I simply spoke with people whenever the opportunity would arise.
I will say though that speaking is very useful in that it’s very motivating. Especially if you’re an extroverted person. It will give you a boost to want to go home and learn even more.
As for the actual learning, getting input is where your time should be spent.
How much time did I spend in total?
The years spent learning a language is a meaningless number. How much time was spent with that language in that year is what matters.
Whether it’s 50 hours, 100, or 500 hours - this is going to be the best indicator of your level (given that you try your best to pay attention when getting input).
Early on I started tracking exactly how much time I spent with the language when it comes to listening (the first 2 months were a rough estimate though).
I spent 208 hours listening in total.
It’s a good start and foundation to build on. I’m able to communicate with natives (although making many mistakes).
The total time I have spent reading I don’t have an exact number of. On average 20 mins a day (the first few months it was more like 5-10 mins, and later 20-25 mins per day).
A rough estimate would be around 120 hours reading in a year.
I hit 10,000 “known words” in LingQ right before Christmas.
What is my current level?
I would say I’m at a lower intermediate (around a B1). I’m basically comfortable enough to watch interviews and certain things on youtube, but not necessarily TV shows (which I sometimes still do despite that).
Conversations with native speakers are still a challenge, but if they speak slower and are patient then I can have meaningful conversations.
I’ve reached a level where it’s even more fun to learn.
Reading has gotten significantly easier (although can still sometimes be challenging depending on the topic). Listening is also easier and new words stick way faster than when I first started.
It makes for a smoother and more enjoyable learning experience going forward.
Am I happy with my level?
That depends on which definition of “happy” we’re using.
I’m happy in the sense that I’m pleased with my progress so far.
I’m satisfied with this past year and how it has played out. I went from knowing virtually no Spanish to where I’m currently at today.
It’s an especially fun experience when watching American movies that happen to have Spanish lines of dialogue. I’ve been so used to not understanding those. So I assume that I don’t because all my life I never did. Only to realize: “hey! I actually know what they’re saying!”.
What used to feel foreign no longer does.
I’m not happy in the sense that I am complacent about my Spanish. I do want to improve (it’s getting more fun!), so I’m definitely going to continue to put the time into learning more.
According to the website “Dreaming Spanish” my current level is “Level 3”.
I would personally say that I’m at level 4, even though my listening input is just over 200 hours.
This is because of the reading I have done.
Dreaming Spanish calculates your level based on an only-listening approach (and obviously these aren’t exact numbers, but a good indicator nonetheless).
At the end of the day, reading is a form of listening.
Whether it’s better to use a “listening only” approach is up for debate, but I personally believe reading speeds things up a bit.
Why this is the ultimate method
In short - it’s so doable.
The above phrase is something I hear a lot from the people I coach learning languages. That they are surprised at how easy it is to get the language activities done, even when life gets crazy and busy.
The lower our threshold to get started every day is, the better. Because you will spend more time with the language (which is what will ultimately determine your level in the end).
Using this approach it doesn’t feel like learning a language because there’s no study involved. No trying to figure the language out. You just put the time in every day. Like checking in and out of a job. The results automatically come over time as you spend time with the language daily.
Even speaking will come with enough input! (You’ll have to judge for yourself how well when watching my progress update video below). So not only is it easy to get done, it’s very effective.
There’s no point in complicating things. Many somehow feel “it can’t be this easy”, and still be effective. But the challenge lies elsewhere.
Such as:
Consistency - keeping consistent for a year (or longer), even with motivation coming and going, the constantly changing seasons of life, and everything that life throws at you.
Priorities - not being distracted and tempted to do other things that are more instant gratification than learning a language.
Belief - keeping up the belief that you are going to get there with enough input, even when it feels like you’re not progressing.
What is my goal with Spanish now?
At this stage of learning, I know from experience it can be quite difficult to feel like you’re progressing.
In the beginning, you make quick gains. Getting to a B1 doesn’t honestly take that much time. But getting to a B2 (upper intermediate) probably takes just as much time if not more. So I’m probably looking at another 200 hours (or more) to get there.
Fortunately, I’m in no rush to get there. I enjoy the language learning process and I know I’ll get there eventually.
Having a healthy dose of nonchalance towards your language learning progress can actually be a powerful thing. It keeps stress and frustration far away.
When it comes to an ultimate goal with Spanish I actually don’t exactly have one. At least not yet.
I would like to continue until I get to a level where conversations with people get a lot easier. I will continue my everyday activities of reading and listening and I have no plans of increasing the volume right now.
As for a concrete goal (which I’m a big believer in), my goal is to hit 20,000 know words in LingQ by the end of the year. So I just calculated that I need to learn 27 words new words every day. This might sound like a lot, but it’s actually not. Many “new words” are just conjugations of the same word. It usually takes me about 20-25 mins of reading to get to 27. It’s just motivating to see the number of words go up.
With listening, I’ll continue to hit 30 mins every day.
The reason I’m not doing more is that I want to spend more time on my Cantonese this year. I have been increasing my time spent with the language since it’s a language that’s very important to me. I want to reach a very high level in it.
With Spanish, I don’t have the goal to reach as high of a level. I’m happy to be able to get to a B2 which is when you’ll have a basic level of fluency but not necessarily be super advanced.
An upper intermediate B2 is a good goal to have in any language. When you reach this, the language is yours and you’ll never forget it. Even if you don’t use it for years.
I will at least get there and then I will re-evaluate and see what I will do moving forward.
I’m personally happy with this pace, but you might want to improve faster. In that case, I would just increase the time you spend to 1 or 2 hours (or more) of listening every day. Spending more time reading every day will also propel your progress forward at a faster rate.
“Having a healthy dose of nonchalance towards your language learning progress can actually be a powerful thing. It keeps stress and frustration far away.”
1-Year progress video
As promised, here is my 1-year progress update video!
I recorded it literally on the day of my 1 year anniversary (Jan 16th) of learning Spanish.
It’s not scripted or edited. I left all the mistakes in (and I made a lot of them). You’ll see me looking for words, thinking, and having to say things in a different way to express what I’m trying to say.
I wanted it to be honest as well as encouraging. To show that it’s okay and normal to make a lot of mistakes at this point. We don’t all of a sudden start speaking with perfect pronunciation, rhythm, grammar, and so on. It’s a process that takes time.
I made this video so that you would know what to expect after a year of learning through input, at a similar pace to what I did.
If you get to 400 or 600 hours of input in a year, then you can expect to be at a higher level than I was when recording this video (assuming you’re fluent in English).
I had a lot of fun recording it. Enjoy!
What do you think of my current Spanish level? Let me know in the comments below!
(To find out how my Spanish has continued to progress, read my 2-year progress update)
