Free Spanish Courses

When choosing a way to learn Spanish, the first step before you even look at the products out there is to decide what type of learner you are. Are you someone who learns mostly by learning? Or do you learn better by reading? What about by doing? Most of us, while we can learn in all three ways — and do so — learn best through one primary method. That’s what the research shows. So, if you believe you are an auditory learner, then this section is for you. Go for the CD. Now a lot of you might think , why not a DVD? That way you get the audio and the video. But research tells us that to learn Spanish, or anything else for that matter, one must keep distractions to a minimum. So, while a DVD might keep you entertained, your eyes might be wandering while your ears are trying to focus (get it ;-). So stick with the CD system, and you’ll likely save money this way too!

If you’ve ever tried to learn Spanish by reading a textbook, you know it can be tough to figure out how to pronounce words. The Spanish language is pronounced very differently from words in English. For example, the “ll” in llama is not pronounced “lama” but rather “yama”. There are a lot of other nuances to the language, much more difficult to pick up on than that. So, if you have the money to spring for private lessons, a college course, or a DVD disk like Rosetta Stone, then you probably don’t need to worry about how to speak properly. You’ll hear it in those cases. But back again to the person who is learning from reading a textbook. What is that person to do to figure out the proper pronunciation? Well, check it out! A Spanish English dictionary with the words spoken properly!

It’s at SpanishDICT.com

Check it out today!

The First Spanish Audio to be reviewed is Rosetta Stone Spanish

The first remarkable thing about this cd is the price. It is very expensive. Just browsing their website, it looks like their introductory CD costs
about $200. This is completely crazy! For $200 you could afford to take a full length course at your local community college and get some feedback on your conversational skills.

But of course, not all of us have the time to go to classes. So, if you have the money to spend, then perhaps this isn’t such a bad offer after all. Rosetta Stone is internationally reknown for their ability to teach people languages with a minimum of difficulty. The CDs come in a set, level one, level two, and level three. The first costs $209, the second $239, and the third $259. Discounts are available if you order multiple levels together.

Guest post by Mister Drunkems

Do you love penguins? What about Chilean Penguins? There are some there, you know! Me too! No, I haven’t lost my mind…my girlfriend just got ‘Happy Feet’, a movie about, you guessed it, penguins! Penguins are all the rage these days. What’s not to love about them? Fuzzy and cuddly. Sure, they regurgitate fish but other than there’s nothing gross about them. So where am I going with this? Well, you can learn Spanish and watch movies at the same time. How? By choosing the Spanish language option on the DVD. Especially if you’re familiar with the movie, this can be a great way to add to your Spanish vocabulary. So, the next time you feel like learning some Spanish, why not watch a movie?

This is a great article from Gerald Erichsen about not trusting every company that offers Spanish Lessons for a price. Some of the more well known ones like Rosetta Stone and Spanish for Mastery are fine, but don’t feel like you have to spend money. If you do decide to buy a program, ask around and check out the reviews on sites like Amazon to make sure you’re getting a good one.

Tuesday January 1, 2008

Your mistakes aren’t so bad by Gerald Erichsen

One of the most popular blog posts I had here during the past year was one in which readers were invited to share their most embarrassing moments while learning Spanish. But even the worst mistakes the readers of this site have made aren’t as bad as one made by a certain language instructional company based in Siusun City, Calif. (Because I’ve read the company’s Better Business Bureau report, I’m not going to provide a link to the company and give it free publicity.)One would think that a company that specializes in teaching people Spanish (and other languages) would have someone on staff who speaks the language. But apparently not: (more…)

If you are interested in learning Spanish, the best way to do it to practice speaking it. Depending on where you live, this could be difficult. So, what can you do? Well, a lot of things actually. Take a cooking class that specializes in Spanish food, or Mexican food, or any kind of food that comes from a Spanish speaking country. Conversely, look into local classes through community education, continuing education, adult education, or community college courses. Almost all of them offer free or low cost introductory Spanish classes. Another idea once you make a little bit of progress is to join a Spanish book club. While you will still have to do some work on you own, you will find the experience of practicing with friends invaluable.