Learning Spanish for Free Online - part 1:
Resource Review: Language Transfer’s Complete Spanish course
Spanish Learning Curve Freesource #1
Level: Beginner and lower Intermediate
Cost: FREE (but please donate if you can)
Listening length: 14.5 hours
Language Transfer’s Complete Spanish course is an excellent resource for anyone looking to improve their Spanish. This 14.5-hour audio course is FREE, and the lessons will help contextualise the language and its grammar structures.
The course is designed to be accessible for beginners and lower intermediate learners, and it covers all the essential structures of the Spanish language.
Language Transfer is the brainchild of Mihalis Eleftheriou, a polyglot and self-proclaimed reluctant activist who speaks multiple languages fluently and has built free online courses around his own style of language acquisition, ‘The Thinking Method.’
What is The Thinking Method?
The Thinking Method uses logic and linguistic patterns to help learners understand the language’s structure. Mihalis also includes etymological explanations of the roots of Spanish—and where those roots and cognates connect with English—to help learners to remember the new words through these associations.
The audio-only class-based delivery of Mihalis’ courses is similar to the well-known Michel Thomas method. But Mihalis’ approach is more modern and relatable. Anyone who’s tried Michel Thomas’s courses knows that he isn’t a very patient teacher.
(I will write a longer comparison of Michel Thomas versus Language Transfer: Complete Spanish in a future post.)
Course structure:
Complete Spanish is divided into 90 audio lessons, each one around 10 to 15 minutes long. The lessons are short classes conducted by Mihalis for a student new to the language, with each class designed to be listened to in order.
Complete Spanish covers everything from basic vocabulary and grammar to more advanced topics such as verb tenses and idiomatic expressions. The course doesn’t rely too heavily on memorization or repetition but instead encourages learners to think critically and actively engage with the language.
What’s great about Language Transfer:
Unique teaching method: Complete Spanish teaches the language’s underlying structure through logic and pattern recognition.
It’s completely free: The course costs nothing (though I’d encourage you to donate to the project if possible).
Versatile delivery: All Language Transfer courses can be listened to on Soundcloud, YouTube, or even the free LT app, making it accessible for learners.
Audio-based: The lessons are entirely audio-based, which means this course is a great option for learners who prefer to combine listening with other activities like exercise, commuting, etc.
Engaging teacher: Mihalis Eleftheriou is a patient, knowledgeable, and engaging teacher, and his explanations are inventive and memorable.
Comprehensive coverage: Complete Spanish really does teach you the Spanish language’s main structures in just 14.5 hours!
What’s more limited about the course:
No progress tracking: Learners don’t receive feedback on their progress as they would with other courses that include interactive exercises or quizzes.
Limited interactivity: Complete Spanish’s main interactivity is speaking out loud. The course doesn’t include written materials or exercises.
No written materials: In fact, the course doesn’t include any written materials.
If (like me) you prefer to use a visual component in your language learning, this could be a downside.
With the above in mind, I’d recommend checking out the transcript version of Complete Spanish, which some of Mihalis’ community put together. This helped solidify what I was learning through the audio lessons. Also, reading along with the transcript while listening allows you to make notes or highlights about what you are learning (something Mihalis actively discourages - sorry, Mihalis!).
One aspect that might be discouraging, especially for beginner learners, is that the student Mihalis tutors in Complete Spanish often says the answer pretty rapidly - she was certainly faster than me much of the time.
While the app allows you to easily pause the audio, should you need more time to work out the answer to Mihalis’ prompted questions, if you are listening on Soundcloud or YouTube, you might find, as I did, that you fall behind.
But these are fairly minor issues in what is, otherwise, a great course.
Will Complete Spanish make you fluent?
In my experience, no single online course will make you fluent. Realistically, you will likely need to work through various Spanish resources and learning styles to reach fluency, gradually improving your listening, reading, writing, vocab acquisition, and speaking.
But Complete Spanish provides a solid foundation and makes some of the more complex concepts (like Spanish grammar) more accessible.
Overall, the Language Transfer: Complete Spanish course is an excellent resource for anyone looking to take their first steps in the Spanish language. Mihalis Eleftheriou is an engaging instructor with an inspirational mindset, and the comprehensive coverage of this course makes it a valuable tool for learners of all levels.
Have you tried Language Transfer: Complete Spanish? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
¡Hasta la próxima, chicos!
Sounds brilliant - might try it as a way to brush up my rusty Spanish!
Mihalis' language knowledge is insane and his voice is very soothing to listen to! I'm curious to listen to his other language courses, too