Learn Spanish in 30 Days: Daily Action Plan (Realistic Beginner Guide)

Learn Spanish in 30 Days: A Realistic Day-by-Day Action Plan

Can you learn Spanish in 30 days? The honest answer: you won't reach fluency, but you'll make dramatic progress. With a structured plan and daily commitment, you can go from zero Spanish to basic conversations in a month.

This guide gives you exactly what to study each day for the next 30 days. It's realistic, actionable, and designed for beginners who want clear direction.

What You'll Achieve in 30 Days

By day 30, you'll be able to:

• Introduce yourself and ask basic questions
• Understand simple Spanish conversations
• Order food, ask for directions, handle basic travel situations
• Conjugate present-tense verbs correctly
• Use 300+ high-frequency words in context
• Hold 1-2 minute conversations with native speakers

This is the beginner level - enough to travel, make friends, and feel confident in Spanish-speaking environments.

How to Use This Plan

Daily time commitment: 45-60 minutes per day (non-negotiable)

Best practices:

• Do the work at the same time each day (consistency matters more than duration)
• Follow the sequence - don't skip ahead or rearrange days
• Use the downloadable checklist to track progress
• Repeat days if you feel behind (it's okay to take 40 days instead of 30)
• Find a language partner by day 15 for speaking practice

Days 1-5: Pronunciation & Greetings

Goal: Train your ear to Spanish sounds and learn how to greet people.

Day 1: Spanish Vowels & Basic Sounds

• Learn the 5 Spanish vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and their consistent sounds
• Practice rolling R (or learn the soft R alternative)
• Listen to 10 minutes of native Spanish speakers
• Record yourself pronouncing vowels and compare to native speakers

Day 2: Consonant Sounds

• Learn hard vs soft consonants (c, g, j, ll, ñ)
• Practice 15 minutes of pronunciation drills
• Learn stress patterns in Spanish words

Day 3: Greetings & Politeness

• Learn: Hola, buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches
• Learn: Gracias, de nada, por favor, disculpe
• Practice pronunciation of each phrase
• Learn formal vs informal greetings

Day 4: Introductions

• Learn: "Me llamo..." (My name is...), "¿Cómo te llamas?" (What's your name?)
• Learn: "Mucho gusto" (Nice to meet you), "Encantado/a"
• Practice introducing yourself 10 times

Day 5: Basic Questions

• Learn: "¿Cómo estás?" (How are you?), "¿De dónde eres?" (Where are you from?)
• Learn: "Estoy bien, gracias" (I'm fine, thanks), "Soy de..." (I'm from...)
• Have a 1-minute conversation with yourself or a language partner

For a deep dive into pronunciation, see our complete pronunciation guide. For greetings, check out how to say hello in Spanish.

Days 6-10: Numbers & Basic Vocabulary

Goal: Learn numbers 1-100 and essential everyday vocabulary.

Day 6: Numbers 1-20

• Learn: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez, once, doce, trece, catorce, quince, dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve, veinte
• Practice saying numbers out loud 20 times
• Learn to count from 1-20 without looking

Day 7: Numbers 21-100

• Learn tens: treinta, cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta, ochenta, noventa, cien
• Learn how to form numbers 21-99 (veintiuno, treinta y uno, etc.)
• Practice saying random numbers 1-100

Day 8: Food & Drink Vocabulary

• Learn: agua, pan, carne, pollo, pescado, verduras, frutas, café, cerveza, vino
• Learn: "Tengo hambre" (I'm hungry), "Tengo sed" (I'm thirsty)
• Learn: "Me gusta..." (I like...), "No me gusta..." (I don't like...)

Day 9: Travel & Directions

• Learn: hotel, calle, plaza, estación, aeropuerto, baño, farmacia
• Learn: "¿Dónde está...?" (Where is...?), "¿Cuánto cuesta?" (How much does it cost?)
• Learn: izquierda, derecha, recto, cerca, lejos (left, right, straight, near, far)

Day 10: Common Nouns & Adjectives

• Learn 20 common nouns: casa, día, noche, tiempo, persona, amigo, familia, trabajo
• Learn 10 basic adjectives: grande, pequeño, bueno, malo, nuevo, viejo, rápido, lento, fácil, difícil
• Practice using adjectives with nouns (casa grande, día bueno, etc.)

For a complete vocabulary list, see our essential Spanish words guide and numbers guide.

Days 11-15: Present-Tense Verbs

Goal: Master verb conjugation so you can form real sentences.

Day 11: Regular AR Verbs

• Learn the pattern: hablar (to speak), trabajar (to work), estudiar (to study)
• Conjugate: yo hablo, tú hablas, él/ella habla, nosotros hablamos, ellos hablan
• Practice conjugating 5 AR verbs 10 times each

Day 12: Regular ER & IR Verbs

• Learn ER verbs: comer (to eat), beber (to drink), aprender (to learn)
• Learn IR verbs: vivir (to live), escribir (to write), partir (to leave)
• Practice conjugating 5 ER and 5 IR verbs

Day 13: Irregular Verbs - SER & ESTAR

• Learn SER (to be - permanent): soy, eres, es, somos, son
• Learn ESTAR (to be - location/condition): estoy, estás, está, estamos, están
• Practice the difference: "Soy ingeniero" vs "Estoy en la casa"

Day 14: Irregular Verbs - TENER, IR, HACER

• Learn TENER (to have): tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen
• Learn IR (to go): voy, vas, va, vamos, van
• Learn HACER (to do/make): hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacen

Day 15: Verb Practice & Sentences

• Conjugate 20 different verbs (mix of regular and irregular)
• Form 20 sentences using different verbs and conjugations
• Example: "Yo hablo español. Tú trabajas en una oficina. Él va al mercado."

For detailed verb conjugations, see our essential verbs guide and present-tense conjugation guide.

Days 16-20: Simple Conversations

Goal: Build confidence speaking with real sentences.

Day 16: Asking & Answering Questions

• Practice: "¿Qué haces?" (What do you do?), "¿Dónde trabajas?" (Where do you work?)
• Practice: "¿Cuántos años tienes?" (How old are you?), "¿De qué país eres?"
• Form 10 questions and practice answering them

Day 17: Negations & Preferences

• Learn: "No tengo..." (I don't have...), "No me gusta..." (I don't like...)
• Learn: "Prefiero..." (I prefer...), "Me encanta..." (I love...)
• Practice forming negative and preference sentences

Day 18: Restaurant Conversation

• Learn: "Quisiera..." (I would like...), "¿Qué me recomiendas?" (What do you recommend?)
• Learn: "La cuenta, por favor" (The check, please), "¿Cuánto cuesta?"
• Practice a full restaurant dialogue (ordering, asking questions, paying)

Day 19: Travel Conversation

• Learn: "¿Dónde está la estación?" (Where is the station?), "¿Cuánto tiempo tarda?" (How long does it take?)
• Learn: "Un billete a..." (A ticket to...), "¿A qué hora sale?" (What time does it leave?)
• Practice travel-related conversations

Day 20: Free Conversation Practice

• Have a 5-minute conversation with a language partner (or record yourself)
• Topics: introduce yourself, talk about your job, ask about their family, discuss food preferences
• Don't worry about perfection - focus on communication

Days 21-25: Listening & Comprehension

Goal: Train your ear to understand native Spanish speakers.

Day 21: Beginner Podcasts

• Listen to 20 minutes of beginner Spanish podcasts (SpanishPod101, Duolingo Spanish, etc.)
• Don't try to understand everything - just listen for familiar words
• Listen to the same podcast twice

Day 22: Spanish TV with Subtitles

• Watch 20 minutes of a beginner-friendly Spanish show (Octonauta, Dora the Explorer, Easy Spanish on YouTube)
• Use Spanish subtitles (not English)
• Pause and repeat phrases you hear

Day 23: Music & Lyrics

• Listen to 5 Spanish songs designed for learners
• Read the lyrics while listening
• Try to sing along (pronunciation practice)

Day 24: Native Speaker Interviews

• Watch 15 minutes of "Easy Spanish" YouTube videos (interviews with native speakers)
• Try to pick out words you know
• Notice pronunciation and natural speech patterns

Day 25: Comprehension Review

• Watch a Spanish video without subtitles
• Write down 5 words or phrases you understood
• Watch again with subtitles to check your understanding

For specific show recommendations and study routines, see our guide to learning Spanish through TV and movies.

Days 26-30: Review & Confidence Building

Goal: Consolidate everything you've learned and build confidence.

Day 26: Vocabulary Review

• Review all vocabulary from Days 6-10 (numbers, food, travel, adjectives)
• Use flashcards or Anki for spaced repetition
• Test yourself: can you recall 80% of the words without looking?

Day 27: Verb Conjugation Review

• Conjugate all verbs from Days 11-15 (regular AR/ER/IR + irregular)
• Form 30 sentences using different verbs and conjugations
• Time yourself: can you conjugate 10 verbs in 2 minutes?

Day 28: Conversation Simulation

• Have a 10-minute conversation with a language partner
• Topics: everything you've learned (introductions, food, travel, daily life)
• Ask them to correct your mistakes

Day 29: Listening Comprehension Test

• Watch a Spanish video (15-20 minutes) without subtitles
• Write down 10 things you understood
• Watch again with subtitles to check accuracy

Day 30: Celebrate & Plan Next Steps

• Have a full conversation in Spanish (at least 15 minutes)
• Reflect on your progress: what can you do now that you couldn't do 30 days ago?
• Plan your next phase: intermediate grammar, more vocabulary, conversation practice

Downloadable 30-Day Checklist

Track your daily progress with our downloadable 30-day Spanish learning checklist. Check off each day as you complete it, and watch your momentum build.

Download here: [30-Day Spanish Learning Checklist PDF]

Print it out and post it on your wall. There's something powerful about physically checking off each day.

Tips for Success

1. Find a language partner by Day 15. Speaking with a real person (even via video call) accelerates learning dramatically. Use apps like Tandem, HelloTalk, or ConversationExchange.

2. Don't skip days. Consistency matters more than duration. 45 minutes every day beats 5 hours once a week.

3. Speak out loud. Silent learning is slow learning. Pronounce every word, every sentence. Your mouth needs to learn the muscle movements.

4. Embrace mistakes. You'll say things wrong. Native speakers will correct you. That's how you learn. Don't be embarrassed.

5. Use spaced repetition. Review vocabulary and verb conjugations multiple times. Your brain needs repetition to consolidate memories.

What Comes After Day 30?

By day 30, you'll have a solid beginner foundation. But Spanish learning doesn't stop there. Here's what to focus on next:

• Intermediate grammar: Past tense, subjunctive mood, more complex sentence structures
• Vocabulary expansion: Move from 300 words to 1,000+ words
• Conversation fluency: Longer conversations, faster speech, natural idioms
• Cultural immersion: Watch movies, read books, travel to Spanish-speaking countries

For a complete beginner roadmap that goes beyond 30 days, see our complete beginner roadmap. For timelines on reaching fluency, check out how long fluency takes.

The Bottom Line

You can make serious progress in 30 days if you follow a structured plan and commit to daily practice. This isn't fluency - but it's enough to travel, make friends, and feel confident in Spanish. Use this day-by-day guide, track your progress, and celebrate each milestone. By day 30, you'll be amazed at how much you've learned.