Start Here
"Start Here" by Listen, Read, Interact is a self-paced Spanish course that takes you from zero to A1 (Novice Mid), using stories, listening, and interactive reading. You'll meet recurring characters, follow short narratives, and build fluency through context-rich input in an immersive Spanish environment.
Course Format
- 6 story-based lessons
- All-Spanish input with built-in footnotes to increase comprehensibility
- Normal-speed audio for every story for realistic ear training
- Various kinds of interactive input processing activities: matching, fill-in-the-blank, comprehension, personal reflection, and more
Each Lesson Broken Down into Three Parts
Part 1: Vocabulary examples and pre-reading interaction
Part 2: Simplified first-person version of the story, with listening, reading, and guided interaction
Part 3: Complete story with listening, reading, comprehension checks, and output activities
How to Use This Course
- Move through the lessons in order. Each part builds on the one before.
- If you are overwhelmed, it's okay to slow down. You don't have to complete an entire lesson in one day.
- Advance to the next section once you feel comfortable with the current one.
- Reread and relisten as often as needed. Repetition is key.
- Use footnotes and activities to deepen understanding.
- Complete interactive activities to ensure mental processing of the language
- Respond to the personal prompts to start producing language naturally.
Getting from Zero to One in Spanish
In my view, the hardest part of acquiring any language is getting out of zero. That first jump of going from nothing to something is where most people hit a wall and give up. But this doesn't have to be you.
It's clear that the brain needs exposure to Spanish in order to acquire. Listening and reading help you start to notice how the language works. Interaction helps ensure that mental processing has taken place. The mental work of processing messages in Spanish isn't complicated, but it does take time and effort.
The first 20–40 hours of focused input often lead to the biggest breakthroughs. Once you can recognize common words and understand basic sentences, you have something to hook into the language with. And this opens up a whole new world of learning resources.
This course is designed to get you past the hardest part of acquisition: zero to one. After this course, you'll be in the water. And then it's just a matter of time spent in the water until you're swimming across the pool.
A Quick Note Before You Begin
This course is meant to be a strong foundation, but it's not the full picture. The more time you spend with Spanish, the faster you'll progress.
Real gains come from consistency. Even 20–30 minutes a day of focused input adds up quickly. It generally takes about 20-40 hours of mental processing of messages to reach A1.
What you get out of this course depends on what you put into it. Since you are hardwired for language acquisition, it follows that attention, repetition, and time matter more than talent. What matters most is sticking with it.