I speak English as my first language. But like many native English speakers, I’m a bit lazy when it comes to learning other languages.
I learnt French for three years at secondary school, supplemented with some evening classes in my twenties. Although I still remember quite a lot of vocabulary, and can read it reasonably well, I have a terrible accent and am therefore reluctant to speak French. I know that whatever comes out of my mouth will be pronounced with an English accent. Plus, I often struggle to understand answers when I ask a question. I decided early on that languages were not my forte.
But a planned trip to Central America encouraged me to start learning Spanish, and it has been made easier by the discovery of new ways to learn languages online.
How am I learning?
I spent a while browsing YouTube videos and forums for language learners, before deciding on a website called Dreaming Spanish (DS). DS uses an immersive process called comprehensible input (CI), where you only listen to videos of native Spanish speakers – initially there’s no speaking, grammar or reading and no English translations. It’s the natural way that children learn their language. However, it’s controversial to some as it advises not starting to speak until you’ve reached around 600 hours of input. This gives learners time to absorb accents and pronunciation, but it also means it’s a slow process.
0-50 hours – super beginner
As I have minimal Spanish knowledge I started at the super beginner level. Initially I watched the free videos but signed up to the premium product a couple of weeks ago later. It’s less than £6 per month so is a cheap way to learn.
The videos are mostly 5-10 minutes long and they cover a huge variety of topics. The older videos are basic with lots of pictures drawn on whiteboards. The newer videos are mini-films, but the use of AI and canned laughter on some of them isn’t always to my liking. There are a variety of presenters, from different countries across central and Latin America, as well as Spain. Even at super beginner level it’s easy to distinguish the pronunciation from different countries.
50-150 hours – beginner
After the first 50 hours I moved on to beginner videos. Although the team at Dreaming Spanish have categorised the videos by difficulty, learners can also rate them. This meant that I had already watched some beginner videos which learners had rated easier compared to others. I found that it very much depends on the presenter – older videos with Pablo (who started DS) were harder than the newer scripted videos.
The topics get a little more interesting as you increase levels. They range from travel and short stories, to science and life in Spanish speaking countries. The presenters are all in their 20s-30s so there are also topics such as outfits, dating and make up. Who knew I’d know the words for date and kiss so early in my studies.
Reaching 150 hours
It took me about 5 months to reach 150 hours. I watch videos every day, anything from 30 minutes to an hour, and track my hours on the DS website. I’ve also started listening to podcasts for language learners (Chill Spanish and Cuentame) on my drive to and from work.
Before I started my language learning journey I naively thought I might be fluent at 150 hours. However, I have a very long way to go! That said, I can definitely understand a lot more compared to my 50 hour level. I’m currently watching videos with a difficulty rating of between 35-40 (out of 100). When I started, I watched videos with a rating of around 15-20.
It still feels a bit weird that I’m solely learning Spanish by watching videos. But, for me, I’m very happy not to be learning grammar conjugations or vocabulary lists.
Did it help me on holiday?
This was my original motivation to learn Spanish, back in December 2025. I visited Costa Rica in April 2026. and as I was heading to some less-touristy parts I wanted to be prepared.
Native Spanish is spoken much faster than the videos I’ve been watching so I was generally picking out key words rather than understanding full sentences. However, I was happy to understand when a waiter asked if my partner wanted fried onions with his lunch. I’m taking this as a win!
What’s next?
Language learning never stops. I’m only focusing on comprehension at present, but from around 600 hours I will start reading, and also speaking. For the purpose of this challenge I’m going to aim for 1000 hours of learning. At my current rate this will take me all the way up to my 60th birthday!
Want to try this method yourself? Head over to the Dreaming website to access Comprehensible Input in French or Spanish. There’s a free version – I’m not being paid to sell you anything.
Challenge partly complete
Challenge partly completed. Pop over to read the full list of my 60 things to do before I’m 60.