Learn Spanish — from Zero to Conversational

Complete A1 to B2.2 Curriculum

Course: Spanish

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, with over 500 million native speakers across 21 countries. It's one of the most rewarding languages to learn — and one of the most accessible for English speakers.

Variety taught: neutral international Spanish — ustedes as the default plural and pan-regional vocabulary. Spain-only features such as vosotros and the 'c/z' sound appear for recognition only, and regional differences are flagged in the units where they matter.
🗣️ 500 million native speakers — official language in 21 countries across 4 continents.
📊 Spanish is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers. The pronunciation is phonetic, the grammar is logical, and thousands of words are similar to English.

Why learn Spanish?

What you get

Grammar you'll master

Presente de Indicativo

The Spanish present tense covers regular and irregular verbs across three conjugation groups (-ar, -er, -ir). Master ser, estar, tener and ir from day one.

Hablo español todos los días. / ¿Tienes hambre? / Somos estudiantes.

Pretérito Perfecto

The present perfect links past actions to the present. In Spain and much of the Caribbean, markers like hoy, esta semana and alguna vez trigger it; across most of Latin America the Indefinido is normally used in those same contexts.

He comido paella hoy. (Spain) / Comí paella hoy. (Latin America) / ¿Has visitado alguna vez España?

Por vs Para

One of the most common challenges for English speakers. POR expresses cause, duration and exchange. PARA expresses purpose, recipient and deadline.

Estudié por dos horas. / Compré flores para mi madre.

Ser vs Estar

Both mean 'to be' — SER for identity and permanent traits, ESTAR for states, locations and temporary conditions.

Soy médico. / Estoy cansado hoy.

Presente de Subjuntivo

The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, doubts and emotions. Triggered by verbs like querer que, esperar que, es importante que.

Espero que llegues pronto. / Es importante que estudies cada día.

El Condicional

The conditional (would) is used for polite requests, hypothetical situations and advice with debería.

¿Podría traerme la cuenta? / Yo en tu lugar, estudiaría más. / Deberías descansar.

A taste of the curriculum

¿Has estado alguna vez en México?

Have you ever been to Mexico? — Present Perfect for life experience.

Sí, fui el año pasado. ¡Me encantó la comida!

Yes, I went last year. I loved the food! — Past tense + opinion.

¿Qué harías si pudieras volver?

What would you do if you could go back? — Conditional + subjunctive.

Volvería para aprender a cocinar mole. Es importante que uno pruebe la cocina local.

I'd go back to learn to make mole. It's important that one tries the local food.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to reach B1 in Spanish?﹢

Spanish is considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers. LingoNibble's structured curriculum is designed to help you reach B1 conversational proficiency in 6-9 months with consistent 20-30 minutes of daily practice.

What makes Spanish grammar challenging?﹢

The biggest challenges are verb conjugations (Spanish has more forms than English), the subjunctive mood, the distinction between ser and estar, and knowing when to use por vs para. LingoNibble covers all of these with dedicated units.

Do I need to know the alphabet first?﹢

Spanish uses the Latin alphabet with a few extras (ñ, ü) — if you can read English, you can read Spanish. Unit 1 covers pronunciation from scratch.

What's the difference between Spain Spanish and Latin American Spanish?﹢

The main differences are pronunciation (the 'c/z' sound) and the vosotros pronoun used in Spain. LingoNibble teaches neutral international Spanish, with vosotros and the 'c/z' sound covered for recognition.

Is Spanish useful beyond Spain and Latin America?﹢

Spanish is the world's second most spoken native language with over 500 million speakers. It's the official language of 21 countries and increasingly valuable in the United States, Europe and global business.

Plan your study

Guide · Spanish roadmap

Spanish Learning Roadmap: From A1 to B2.2

A week-by-week study plan, the grammar that matters at each stage, and sample dialogues at A2 and B1.

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Sample Vocabulary

Hello

Hola

Good morning

Buenos días

Good afternoon

Buenas tardes

Good night / evening

Buenas noches

Reading Comprehension Stories

Curriculum Overview (60 Units)

1

Unit 1: Personal ID

Greetings, names, origin, ser/estar/tener, hay, numbers 0-20, the letter Ñ and Spanish pronunciation/spelling basics, then a roleplay to put it all together.

2

Unit 2: Family & Friends

Family, physical traits, colors, calendar, regular -ar/-er/-ir verbs, numbers 21-101.

3

Unit 3: Occupations & Time

Workplaces, professions, salaries, telling time, dates, big numbers, hacer, possessives (long forms), hay que.

4

Unit 4: Home & Housing

Rooms, furniture, chores, ir + ir a + infinitive, tener que, comparisons (más/menos que), prepositions a/de and contractions al/del.

5

Unit 5: Food & Dining

Foods, drinks, table settings, restaurant phrases, gustar/encantar, querer, polite quisiera, partitive 'de'.

6

Unit 6: Shopping & Clothing

Clothing, professional uniforms, sizes, prices, stem-changing verbs (o→ue, e→ie), poder/querer/necesitar + infinitive, por vs para, the number uno.

7

Unit 7: Health & The Body

Body parts, illnesses, pharmacy, doler (like gustar), sentirse, ser vs estar for health, reflexive pronouns.

8

Unit 8: Travel & Transportation

Transport, airports, directions, weather, saber vs conocer, present progressive (estar + -ando/-iendo), prepositions of movement.

9

Unit 9: Errands & Daily Life

Public services, local shops, errands, the informal imperative (tú), and 'para' to express purpose.

10

Unit 10: Travel & Leisure

Vacations, hotels, attractions, hobbies, weather. Review: ir a + inf, gustar/encantar, present progressive, large numbers.

11

Unit 11: Present Irregular & Stem-Changing Verbs

Master Spanish stem-changing verbs in the present indicative (e>ie, o>ue, e>i) such as querer, poder, and pedir.

12

Unit 12: Preterite Tense (Regular Past)

Master the Pretérito Indefinido (Simple Past) of regular verbs (hablar, comer, vivir) to recount completed past actions.

13

Unit 13: Irregular Preterite Verbs

Master irregular preterite forms in Spanish (ser, ir, tener, estar, hacer, poder, decir) and their specialized stems.

14

Unit 14: Imperfect Tense (Habitual & Descriptions)

Master the Pretérito Imperfecto in Spanish to describe habitual past actions ('used to'), ongoing states, age, and past descriptions.

15

Unit 15: Direct Object Pronouns

Master direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las) to replace nouns without repetition and position them before conjugated verbs or attached to infinitives.

16

Unit 16: Indirect Object Pronouns

Master indirect object pronouns (me, te, le, nos, os, les) in Spanish, their placement rules, and context on object duplication and leísmo.

17

Unit 17: Reflexive Verbs & Daily Routines

Master Spanish reflexive verbs (levantarse, ducharse, acostarse) and reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) for daily routines.

18

Unit 18: Affirmative Imperative (Commands)

Master affirmative imperative commands in Spanish for informal address (tú) and formal address (usted/ustedes), including key irregular forms.

19

Unit 19: Comparatives & Superlatives

Master Spanish comparative structures (más... que, menos... que, tan... como) and relative/absolute superlatives (el más..., -ísimo).

20

Unit 20: Preterite vs Imperfect Contrast

Master contrasting Pretérito Indefinido (completed past actions, interruptions) and Pretérito Imperfecto (background settings, habits, ongoing states).

21

Unit 21: The Present Subjunctive: Formation & Uses

Master regular and irregular Present Subjunctive forms, vowel shifts (-ar -> -e, -er/-ir -> -a), and introductory trigger contexts.

22

Unit 22: Subjunctive of Wish, Will & Command

Master structures of wishing, wanting, advising, requesting, and commanding (Quiero que, Deseo que, Espero que, Ojalá).

23

Unit 23: Subjunctive of Emotion & Reaction

Master subjunctive structures for expressing emotions, feelings, and subjective reactions (me alegra que, me molesta que, es una lástima que).

24

Unit 24: The Present Perfect Indicative: Formation & Uses

Master the Present Perfect indicative (Haber + Past Participle), regular/irregular participles, and temporal anchors.

25

Unit 25: The Simple Conditional: Formation & Uses

Master the Simple Conditional tense (hablaría, comería, viviría), irregular stems (har-, dir-, tendr-), and polite request/advice contexts.

26

Unit 26: The Past Perfect Indicative (Pluscuamperfecto)

Master past anteriority (había hablado, habías comido) and past temporal connections (ya, todavía no, cuando, antes de que).

27

Unit 27: Combined Object Pronouns (Objeto Doble)

Master combined Indirect + Direct object pronouns (se lo, te la, nos los), le/les -> se rule, positioning, and graphic accents.

28

Unit 28: The Negative Imperative (Prohibitions & Commands)

Master the Negative Imperative (No + Present Subjunctive) for all persons, irregular forms, and pre-verbal pronoun positioning.

29

Unit 29: The Future Simple Tense (Futuro Simple)

Master Future Simple endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án), irregular stems (har-, dir-, tendr-), and probability in the present.

30

Unit 30: B1.1 Capstone Synthesis: Professional Discourse

Consolidate all B1.1 verbal tenses (Indicative pasts, Conditional, Future, Subjunctive triggers) in professional debate and academic analysis.

31

Unit 31: Subjunctive in Adjective (Relative) Clauses

Master subjunctive vs indicative selection in relative clauses based on known/specific vs unknown/unspecified/non-existent antecedents.

32

Unit 32: Concessive Clauses (Aunque & Por más que + Subjunctive)

Master concessive connectors (aunque, por mucho que, a pesar de que) with Subjunctive for unverified/irrelevant obstacles vs Indicative for known facts.

33

Unit 33: The Imperfect Subjunctive (Imperfecto de Subjuntivo)

Master Imperfect Subjunctive derivation from 3rd person plural preterit (hablaron -> hablara/hablase), accent marks, and past matrix triggers.

34

Unit 34: Type 2 Hypothetical Conditionals (Si + Imperfect Subjunctive)

Master Type 2 hypothetical structures (Si + Imperfect Subjunctive, Conditional Simple) for present/future unreal conditions.

35

Unit 35: Subjunctive in Temporal Clauses (Cuando, En cuanto + Subjunctive)

Master temporal connectors (cuando, en cuanto, hasta que, tan pronto como, antes de que) with Subjunctive for future/projected events vs Indicative for habitual/past events.

36

Unit 36: The Passive Voice & Reflexive Passive (Pasiva Refleja)

Master periphrastic passive (ser + participle + por) and reflexive passive (se + 3rd person verb: se venden casas) in institutional discourse.

37

Unit 37: Reported Speech (Discurso Indirecto)

Master reported speech backshifting rules (dijo que, preguntó si) for tenses, imperatives (-> imperfect subjunctive), and temporal/spatial deixis.

38

Unit 38: Type 3 Past Unreal Conditionals (Si + Pluscuamperfecto Subjuntivo)

Master Type 3 past unreal conditionals (Si + Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo, Condicional Compuesto) for past unfulfilled actions.

39

Unit 39: Purpose & Causal Clauses (Para que vs Porque)

Master purpose connectors (para que, a fin de que + Subjunctive) vs causal connectors (porque, ya que, dado que + Indicative vs no porque + Subjunctive).

40

Unit 40: B1.2 Capstone Synthesis: Professional Rhetoric

Consolidate all B1.2 advanced syntax: full subjunctive spectrum, Type 2 & 3 conditionals, reported speech backshifts, passive voice, and purpose/causal rhetoric.

41

Unit 41: Advanced Imperfect Subjunctive (Quisiera, Pudiéramos)

Master advanced uses of the Imperfect Subjunctive: courtesy formulas (Quisiera saber), hypothetical noun clauses (Ojalá pudiera), and administrative discourse.

42

Unit 42: Pluperfect Subjunctive (Hubiera / Hubiese Hablado)

Master Pluperfect Subjunctive formation (hubiera/hubiese + participle) and triggers for unfulfilled past desires, regrets, and hypothetical evaluation.

43

Unit 43: Mixed Conditionals (Si hubiera..., ahora sería...)

Master mixed conditionals connecting unfulfilled past conditions (Si hubiera + Participle) to present hypothetical consequences (Condicional Simple) or present condition to past result.

44

Unit 44: Complex Concessive Clauses (Por más que, Por muy + adj + que)

Master advanced concessive connectors (por muy + adj + que + Subjunctive, por más que, a pesar de que + Indicative/Subjunctive) in formal rhetoric.

45

Unit 45: Advanced Restriction Conditionals (A condición de que, Siempre que)

Master advanced restrictive conditional connectors (a condición de que, siempre que, con tal de que, a no ser que + Subjunctive) in legal, contractual, and corporate negotiation.

46

Unit 46: Advanced Causal Structures & Clefting (No es que... sino que...)

Master advanced causal contrast structures (No es que + Subjunctive, sino que + Indicative; No porque + Subjunctive) to rectify misconceptions in high-level debate.

47

Unit 47: Consequence & Intensification (Tan... que, De ahí que + Subjunctive)

Master consecutive and intensive structures (tan... que + Indicative, tanto... que, de ahí que + Subjunctive) in analytical and macroeconomic commentary.

48

Unit 48: Complex Temporal Connectors (A medida que, Conforme, Tan pronto como)

Master advanced temporal connectors (a medida que, conforme, tan pronto como, nada más + infinitive, una vez que) in narrative, legal, and macroeconomic context.

49

Unit 49: Advanced Reported Speech & Free Indirect Style

Master advanced reported speech backshifting, complex modal transposition, and free indirect style (estilo indirecto libre) in journalism and narrative literature.

50

Unit 50: B2.1 Capstone Synthesis (Advanced Argumentation)

Consolidate all B2.1 structures: advanced subjunctive tiers, mixed conditionals, concessive/causal rectification, and reported speech in professional rhetoric.

51

Unit 51: Advanced Preterit in Literary Narrative (Indefinido Avanzado)

Master advanced aspectual nuances of Preterit (Indefinido) in fiction: foregrounding, sudden aspectual shifts, historical narrative present vs preterit, and literary device integration.

52

Unit 52: Dislocation & Topicalization (A Pedro ya lo conozco)

Master left/right dislocation, topicalization, and mandatory clitic doubling (A Pedro lo vi ayer) in advanced spoken and stylistic Spanish.

53

Unit 53: Abstract Nominalization & High Register (Nominalización Abstracta)

Master abstract nominalization techniques (converting verbs and adjectives into formal nouns: implantar -> la implantación, frágil -> la fragilidad) for academic essays and legislative drafting.

54

Unit 54: Advanced Appreciative Suffixes (Diminutives, Augmentatives, Pejoratives)

Master advanced appreciative suffixes (-azo, -ón, -ote, -ito, -ico, -ucho, -uza) and semantic shifts (hacerse un lío vs librote, gentuza) in formal and colloquial pragmatics.

55

Unit 55: Diplomatic Courtesy & Hedging Formulas (Cortesía Diplomática)

Master high-level diplomatic hedging, softened disagreement, conditional of courtesy (Sería conveniente), and attenuating modal verbs in corporate negotiations.

56

Unit 56: Bureaucratic & Administrative Register (Registro Burocrático)

Master high-level administrative connectors, legal-bureaucratic formulas (a tenor de, en virtud de, con arreglo a), and formal legislative syntax in official Spanish documents.

57

Unit 57: High-Level Rhetorical Connectors (Conectores Discursivos)

Master advanced argumentative discourse connectors (a fin de cuentas, por ende, no obstante, consecuentemente, antes bien), nuance high-level debates, and construct coherent persuasive essays.

58

Unit 58: Advanced Stylistics & Emphasis (Estilística Avanzada)

Master high-level emphasis mechanisms, pseudo-cleft sentences (Lo que verdaderamente importa es...), thematic fronting, and stylistic inversion in Spanish rhetoric.

59

Unit 59: Cultured Phraseology & Idioms (Fraseología y Modismos Cultos)

Master high-level professional idioms, cultured phraseological expressions (hacer borrón y cuenta nueva, estar en el ojo del huracán, nadar a contracorriente), and metaphorical rhetoric in Spanish.

60

Unit 60: B2.2 Capstone Masterclass Synthesis (Síntesis Magistral B2.2)

Consolidate B2.2 masterclass proficiency: integrate administrative register, high-level discourse connectors, pseudo-cleft emphasis, dislocation, and cultured idioms in complex texts.