A learn Spanish plan that fits 20 minutes a day
Most people who try Spanish stall at the same spot: they know hola and gracias, then hit ser vs estar and the past tenses and give up. This prompt has your todo.is agent build a 12-week plan around your level, your reason for learning and the accent you want (Spain or Latin America), with daily tasks small enough to actually do.
The prompt
- Make me a 12-week plan to learn Spanish. My level is [CURRENT LEVEL], I want Spanish for [REASON], and I prefer [SPAIN OR LATIN AMERICAN SPANISH]. I have [MINUTES PER DAY] minutes on weekdays and a bit more on weekends. Order the grammar so I can speak early (present tense, ser/estar, ir a + infinitive, then preterite vs imperfect). Each day: one small grammar point, 10 new words from a topic I will use, and one listening or speaking task with a link to a free podcast or video. Put it in an Excel file with one row per day, add a tab of the 300 most useful words, email it to me, and every Sunday at 18:00 send me next week's tasks and a 10-question review quiz on WhatsApp.
What to change
- [CURRENT LEVEL]: E.g. "total beginner", "school Spanish, rusty" or "A2, I can order food".
- [REASON]: E.g. "a trip to Mexico in June", "talking to my partner's family" or "work with Spanish-speaking clients".
- [SPAIN OR LATIN AMERICAN SPANISH]: Pick one. It changes vosotros vs ustedes, some vocabulary and the accent of the audio links.
- [MINUTES PER DAY]: Be honest: 15 to 30 is fine. A plan you keep beats a plan you abandon.
Example result
- 12-week Spanish plan: beginner to confident A2
- Goal: trip to Mexico in June · Latin American Spanish · 20 minutes on weekdays, 40 on weekends
- Weeks 1 to 3: survive and introduce yourself
- • Pronunciation: the five pure vowels, rolled rr, silent h, ll and y sound the same in most of Latin America
- • Present tense of regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs (hablar, comer, vivir)
- • ser vs estar: ser for what something is (soy ingeniera), estar for where and how it is (estoy cansada, estoy en el hotel)
- • Topics: greetings, numbers 1 to 100, food and drink, asking for directions
- • Speaking task: record a 30-second voice note introducing yourself
- Weeks 4 to 6: talk about plans
- • ir a + infinitive for the future (voy a visitar Oaxaca). You can talk about plans before learning the future tense.
- • Key irregulars: tener, hacer, poder, querer, ir
- • gustar and similar verbs (me gusta, me encantan)
- • Topics: transport, hotels, shopping, time and dates
- Weeks 7 to 9: tell a story
- • Preterite vs imperfect: preterite for finished actions (ayer comí tacos), imperfect for background and habits (cuando era niño, comía mucho)
- • Reflexive verbs (levantarse, llamarse)
- • Listening: one slow-Spanish podcast episode a week, first without, then with the transcript
- Weeks 10 to 12: real conversations
- • Commands for asking (dígame, ¿me trae la cuenta?)
- • Two 30-minute conversation sessions a week with a tutor or exchange partner
- • Final review: describe your last weekend for 2 minutes without stopping
- Sample day (week 2, Tuesday)
- • Grammar: estar for location (5 min)
- • Words: 10 restaurant words (la cuenta, la propina, sin picante…) (8 min)
- • Listening: 5-minute ordering-food video, repeat each line out loud (7 min)
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your level, your reason and how much time you have.
- Send it to your agent from the Today screen in todo.is, or by WhatsApp or Telegram.
- Your agent emails you the Excel plan and sets up the Sunday message with next week's tasks and a quiz.
- Reply "too easy" or "too much" after any week and the rest of the plan is adjusted.
Tips for a better result
- Learn ser and estar early and with examples, not rules. It is the mistake learners make the longest.
- Say every new word out loud. Spanish spelling matches pronunciation, so you can read aloud from day one.
- Pick one accent for your listening practice for the first months, then branch out.
- Ask your agent to turn each week's words into flashcards or an MP3 you can play on your commute.
learn Spanish plan: FAQ
- How long does it take to learn Spanish? With 20 to 30 minutes a day, most beginners reach basic conversation (around A2) in 3 to 6 months. Getting comfortable at B2 usually takes one to two years of steady practice.
- Should I learn Spain or Latin American Spanish? Pick the one you will hear most. They are fully understandable to each other; the main differences are vosotros, some vocabulary and the accent.
- Is Spanish hard for English speakers? It is one of the easiest languages for English speakers: lots of shared words, regular spelling and the same alphabet. Verb endings and the two past tenses take the most practice.
- Can my agent practise speaking with me? It can send you voice notes to repeat and correct what you write back, and it can send audio in Spanish. For live conversation, a tutor or language exchange partner works best.
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