When I first arrived in Spain, my Spanish was practically zero. I’d stutter just trying to order food, relying entirely on hand gestures and my broken English. Seeing many friends on the forum discussing language learning, I decided to share my own experience of starting from scratch and passing the DELE B2 exam after more than a year of self-study. I hope it can be of some help to those of you on your own Spanish learning journey.
My Three Stages of Self-Study
A1-A2 Level: Building a Solid Foundation
This was the most tedious but also the most crucial stage. The main textbook I used was ‘Modern Spanish’ and its accompanying workbook. Although many people find this series a bit dated, its grammar system is incredibly complete and clear. For a complete beginner aiming for Spanish B2, it was a huge help. I made a rule to study one lesson each day and complete all the exercises that followed. The goal at this stage is to master all the fundamental grammar points, like verb conjugations and gender/number agreement. Don’t rush; a weak foundation will make learning much harder later on.
B1 Level: Comprehensive Development of All Skills
By the time I reached B1, I clearly felt my vocabulary and grammar were insufficient. So, I started using the ‘A Trip Across Spain’ textbook series. Its strength is its scenario-based teaching, with content that is much closer to real life. At the same time, I forced myself to do extensive input and output practice. For listening, I listened to the news on RTVE every day. At first, it was all Greek to me, but by sticking with it, I gradually started to catch keywords. For speaking, I found a language exchange partner, and we would chat online for an hour every week. We started with simple self-introductions and moved on to discussing hobbies. It didn’t matter if I made mistakes; the key is to have the courage to speak.
B2 Prep Stage: Targeted Final Push
Three months before the exam, I officially entered preparation mode. The core of this stage is to drill past papers! I used ‘Preparación al DELE’ and ‘El Cronómetro’. Both books offer targeted exercises and mock tests for the four sections of the exam. I highly recommend doing the practice tests under strict exam timing to identify your weak spots. For example, I found that I always ran out of time on the writing section, so I specifically practiced brainstorming and completing essays within the time limit.
Recommended Resources and Tools for Prep
Besides the DELE B2 prep textbooks, I also used some supplementary tools. Here is a table I’ve put together for anyone interested in self-studying Spanish B2:
| Tool Category | Name/Platform | Description |
|---|
| Dictionary App | SpanishDict | Word lookup, verb conjugations, rich examples |
| Listening Material | RTVE Play, Cadena SER | News, podcasts, practice with different accents |
| Speaking Practice | Tandem, HelloTalk | Finding language exchange partners |
| Mock Exams | ‘Preparación al DELE’ | Official practice tests, get familiar with the exam format |
Self-studying Spanish is definitely a marathon, not a sprint, and the most important thing is persistence. The feeling of progress, from not being able to speak a word of Spanish to now being able to chat about the weather with my elderly neighbor, is indescribable. I hope my experience can help everyone, and I welcome other experts and top students to share their tips too! ¡Ánimo a todos!
