If you’re planning a holiday to a Spanish speaking country it’s always a good idea to know some of the most important phrases that you’ll need to use while staying in that country.
Actually, if you could manage to learn a good portion of the language before you go on your holiday you’ll probably have a much more enjoyable vacation.
If you’d like to start learning Spanish visit An Ear For Books and take a look at the Spanish audio books that they are selling. The first book in their collection gives you five hours of Spanish language classes broken into 10 30 minute sessions.
You can listen to your Spanish language lesson tapes as you commute back and forth from work if you’d like. Why not put that time to good use for a change? I’ll bet you’d learn Spanish in no time.
AnEarForBooks.com also has audio books that range from best sellers to the classics so take a look at the rest of their selection while you are there.
I’ve always found that the only way to learn the language is in the country.
Jean Luc Picard: although I really like your show I disagree with your language learning methods. Although it is beneficial to be in the country where the language is spoken it is possible with some discipline to simulate this experience wherever you are.
If you live in a decent size city then start joining interest groups, cultural centers or just shopping where people who speak the language you are learning are. That combined with regular study will help you gain a strong conversational base in any language.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona and Spanish is huge. You should take Spanish classes but you can watch the news in Spanish, listen to the radio and read the Spanish paper. All for free.
I agree that it’s possible to learn a language without visiting the country it’s spoken in. That’s especially true these days with international media available via satellite and the internet. Even if you can’t find speakers in your local area I bet you can find speakers of the language you want to study online, or at least video and news material.
Not to mention the great availability of guides including audio books and podcasts in the language you want to study. I think the reason going to the country that speaks the language works is because you immerse yourself in it 24 hours a day. It’s possible to come close to replicating that with modern technology.
We get 4-6 cable channels that have Spanish language audio. Half of our DVD collection has Spanish language audio. There are two Spanish language newspapers locally. There is a cubic TON of information online, from Wikipedia in Spanish to Google News, to podcasts galore and internet radio and tv.
What it does take as was mentioned is discipline. It’s like learning anything else you have to commit a bit of time each and every day to make it a part of you, but it can be done!
Some good advice above.
Someone once told me that the best way to learn a language is to start sleeping with a native speaker. The advice was given tongue in cheek, but I think there is great value in learning by being around native speakers as much as possible.
That said, it’s probably better to get some basic understanding of the language and building vocabulary before jumping into conversation – if you don’t know anything you’re not going to get very far!