Spanish Acquisition

Context

Started learning Spanish in December 2025. Currently 75 days in as of March 2026. The approach prioritizes building a deep vocabulary base through spaced repetition before emphasizing production, informed by research on second language acquisition.

Current State

• Day: 75 (as of 2026-03-09)
• Anki vocabulary: ~700 words in various stages of mastery
• New cards per day: 11
• Deck: Frequency-ordered 10,000-word deck (working through from most to least common)
• Daily time commitment: Anki reviews (~20-30 min) + new card learning

Protocol

Phase 1: Vocabulary Foundation (Current, Months 1-6)

• Anki: 11 new cards/day from frequency-ordered 10k deck. Focus on recognition (Spanish → English) rather than production (English → Spanish) in early stages.
• Graded readers: Starting in approximately 1-2 months (around month 3-4). Target 10-20 minutes of reading per day, beginning with A1-level graded readers and progressing as comprehension allows.
• Tutoring: italki tutors, 1-2 hours per week. Provides structured conversation practice and corrections in a low-pressure environment.

Phase 2: Expanding Input (Months 6-12)

• Continue Anki reviews (daily load will increase as older cards come due less frequently and new cards are still being added)
• Increase graded reader difficulty as vocabulary grows
• Maintain and potentially increase tutoring hours
• Begin adding Spanish podcasts or YouTube content at appropriate level

Phase 3: Deepening Fluency (Months 12-24)

• Anki new cards may slow or stop as 10k deck completes; reviews continue
• Transition from graded readers to native content (news, books, etc.)
• Continue tutoring with more advanced conversation topics
• Spanish-language media consumption becomes a regular habit

Phase 4: French Introduction (~Month 24+)

• Begin French acquisition using the same framework (Anki frequency deck, graded readers, tutors)
• Continue Spanish through tutoring and content consumption. The goal is maintenance and continued growth, not pausing
• French benefits from Spanish similarity (shared Romance language vocabulary and grammar patterns)

Evidence Base

• Spaced repetition: Well-established in cognitive science as the most efficient method for long-term retention of declarative knowledge (vocabulary). Anki implements the SM-2 algorithm.
• Frequency-ordered learning: Learning the most common words first maximizes early comprehension. The top 2,000-3,000 words typically cover ~90% of everyday speech.
• Comprehensible input hypothesis: Krashen’s theory that language is acquired (not learned) through exposure to input that is slightly above current level (i+1). Graded readers provide this in a controlled way.
• Passive before active: Reducing the demand for production in early stages lowers the affective filter (anxiety/frustration), increasing consistency and compliance with the learning program.

Notes

• The 11 cards/day rate was chosen to keep daily review load manageable as the deck grows. At this rate, the 10k deck takes approximately 2.5 years to complete.
• italki tutoring sessions serve dual purpose: structured practice and accountability.
• French timing is flexible. The key trigger is feeling that Spanish vocabulary is well-entrenched, not a specific date.