Spanish is spoken by over 400 million people , it is the official language in  over 20 different countries and is the  working language of the UN. 18% of New Yorkers speak the language. These in themselves are strong enough reasons to learn Spanish. But beyond this, it is a language that exposes you to the culture of an entire subcontinent; it's music, art, cuisine, literature and poetry. It enables striking up a conversation with people around you, as 41 million people in the United States are native speakers of the language. Interesting factoid: Miguel de Cervantes' classic Spanish novel Don Quijote de la Mancha is second only to the Bible as the most translated book in history. Now, that is a book you would want to read in Spanish.

A Study group is a great way to keep focused on one's goal because now, one is in it together with like minded individuals . Sharing resources, brainstorming, clarifying doubts, engaging in Spanish conversations however rudimentary, on the study forum, are some of the advantages of creating a study group. Focus, adaptability, consistence, persistence and smart learning are imperative in making the study of Spanish a success! Read this to understand thoroughly the advantages and disadvantages of being part of a study group.

Set aside 30 minutes a day  if not more; it would sustain interest and promote familiarity with the language on a daily basis. Having realized that early on as well as the necessity of will power, it dawned on me that the best way to motivate the daily learning of Spanish was to engage with others towards the same goal! There is no perfect time to study; I have managed to study in the wee hours of the morning, late into the night. Scientists have also configured that one can learn languages in one's sleep. There are also methods for accelerated learning of languages through the practice of Yog Nidra. It could take years to attain fluency in a language but not according to this. It really depends on you. In order to attain basic fluency with an active vocabulary of high frequency words of 4000 or more, it depends on how you intend to familiarize yourself with the language on a regular basis. There must be a host of reasons to constantly access your new language of choice ~ I make mine music, movies, cuisine and Latin people. You could create your own reasons. The possibilities are endless. Weekends are off for bookish study or collaborating on forums but there is no stopping one from sampling or even indulging in Latin Cuisine, dancing Latin dances or listening to Latin Music on a lazy Saturday afternoon. You can think of it as an all out gustatory, terpsichorean and auditory Latin experience which would only serve to enhance your love for Spanish and introduce you to something novel.

One can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of resources available, but instead of inundating yourself with numerous reference or study guides, I would recommend that you stick to three ready reference guides only ~ a text book, a grammar guide and a dictionary. A Book for Beginners: Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven Approach by Margarita Madrigal and Andy Warhol   A Dictionary: (Any dictionary would do) Spanish English Bilingual Visual Dictionary  by DK Publications   A Grammar Book: (Any standard grammar text would do) Practice Makes Perfect Complete Spanish Grammar by Gilda Nissenberg

I found Duolingo quite useful for vocabulary and also memorization through rote learning of phrases. This may appear childlike at first instance but do remember that children learn languages very quickly and not through a grammar book as much as through imitation, play and generally trying to make themselves understood. So the key to learning a language you intend to use is to learn like a child. There are countless other sites offering Spanish language resources for free - BBC languages, MOOC's like EdX, Busuu etc. The point is not about having access to countless resources and doing nothing about them. It is imperative to be serious and stick with your group. The internet is virtually a gateway to learning but the only thing missing out there is you!

Finally, we will take the level of DELE most pertinent to our level of confidence or even the amount of study attempted. Exams are held in different months and details can be accessed here. It would take around 60 hours of study to attempt level A1. What is the DELE? (Source: Instituto Cervantes New York) The DELE, granted by Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education are official and international accreditations of a person's degree of proficiency in Spanish. The diplomas can be obtained by sitting an examination that tests the candidates' ability to read, write, speak and understand spoken Spanish, according to internationally standardized levels of competence established by the Council of Europe in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Why take the DELE? The only official diploma in Spanish internationally recognized. Issued by Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education & Science. Recognized by corporations, chambers of commerce, private and public educational institutions. Enhances your CV when applying for MAE – AECI scholarships. Facilitates the process of obtaining a student visa to Spain. Does not expire or has to be renewed. Levels A1 & A1 for students: Beginners proficiency in Spanish. A2: Advanced beginners proficiency in Spanish. A2/B1 for students. B1: Intermediate proficiency in Spanish. B2: Advanced proficiency in Spanish. C1: Highly advanced proficiency in Spanish. C2: Nearly native proficiency in Spanish. Here is the syllabus in general; for details look here. Proficiency LevelSyllabus A1ü  Use simple sentences and expressions related to everyday situations. ü  Saying basic salutations like hello, goodbye, please, thank you and apologizing. ü  Accepting or rejecting an invitation. ü  Meeting and presenting themselves and others. ü  Identify and describe people, places or things. ü  Express tastes, likes and dislikes, desire and need. A2ü  Communicate in a language minimally complex with native speakers. ü  Ask, grant or refuse permission, orders and commands. ü  Express obligations, preferences, satisfaction and desire. ü  Listen to articles, stories, news and express surprise, joy accordingly. ü  Addressing and congratulating someone. B1ü  Speak fluently expressing events on a variety of topics in the present, the past and the future tense. ü  Understand and answer questions, summarize, communicate and offer some opinion on topics related to everyday life if spoken to them slowly and clearly. ü  Understand and give directions to navigate in a city, rent a car, order food and follow instructions to cook. ü  Give and understand orders, ask and give help, express an agreement or a disagreement. ü  Formulate hypothesis on a general topic you are aware of. ü  Inquire about someone’s mood or health ü  Apologizeor react to an apology. ü  Begin and enda conversation, show interest in continuing a conversation, repeat what you have said and check if you have understood correctly. B2ü  Narrate what others have told you using reported speech. ü  Express stronger emotions like fear, grief, concern, disappointment, gratitude and appreciation. ü  Take a stand as for or against any proposal, argument etc., ü  Write formal and informal letters using conventional methods. ü  Paraphrase, summarize and assess what others have said in a social setup with remarkable fluency and ease of expressions. C1ü  Write clear grammatically well-structured sentences, presentations, articles and texts on complex subjects. ü  Defend ideas, point of view, arguments with a clear opening and conclusion. ü  Show skepticism, approval, disapprovalon a variety of situations. ü  Formulate some hypothesis, transmit messages or narrate events, give orders/ commands, make requests in different time lines. ü  Utilize the language in a literary sense, participate, react, respond and interrogate on various topics in a flexibly and fluently. C2ü  Understanding and responding to texts spoken at medium or fast pace. ü  Report oppositions, processes, results and circumstances. ü  Linking ideas, adding information and forming structured speech. ü  Provide recommendations or advise. Refer to issues and interpretations from your point of view and that of others. ü  Ability to extract information and summarize texts. Also ability to produce different types of text using discourse markers to show process and result relationship. ü  Express likes, wants and preferences and influence the ideas, decisions of the other party. ü  Understand and respond to questions posed by a native speaker, without having them to rephrase or paraphrase their questions.