Is Learning to Speak Spanish More Important than Being Able to Read and Write Spanish?

Why this question is ever asked is beyond my comprehension. It goes without question that it is far better to be able to communicate verbally than spend your time passing slips of paper and using the written word, especially when Spanish is concerned. OK, so maybe I'm going to the extremes of interpretation but I'm just trying to put a point over. nnLanguage purists and scholars demand that languages are spoken and learned correctly, and quite rightly so, that is their calling in life but, for the normal Joe, who needs to be able to fill his car with gas at a Spanish speaking service station or is desperate to find a mens’ room in a Mexican bar he's never been in before, the requirement for perfect grammar tends to hold little relevancy.nnSo the answer to the question isn't necessarily that it is more important to learn to speak Spanish first, but that it is the most logical way to learn Spanish because it is both quicker and more efficient.nnThe reason why is important for people to learn to speak Spanish first is because the need to communicate quickly far outweighs the need to communicate perfectly and in the case of Americans, who now share their country with the fifth largest population of Spanish speakers in the world, it has never been more important than it is now, to be able to communicate quickly. nnLearning Spanish without worrying about verb conjugations and other grammatical gotchas is a far easier and much more natural way to learn the Spanish language. Eventually, the student will need to learn how to read and write Spanish and also learn the finer aspects of Spanish grammar, but these will all be skills that will be made a whole lot easier because of being able to understand and communicate in the spoken word.nnThe easiest and most cost effective way to learn conversational Spanish is to purchase an online interactive Spanish course, however if you have the funds and the spare time an intensive immersion course will get you fluent in no time at all.