Audio
If you want to learn Spanish on your own, audio (CD or mp3) is one of the most popular ways to learn. The range of audio lessons to choose from is almost overwhelming, with offerings from companies such as Berlitz, The Learning Company, Pimsleur, and a host of others.
When learning by audio, you can choose one of two routes. One formula is to start right from the beginning with the basics (such as colors, numbers, and the alphabet), thus steadily building your knowledge from a solid foundation. This is similar to how you would learn a language as a child – gradually acquiring new vocabulary and grammar and learning to put them all together.
The alternative method is to “Learn Spanish in 10 minutes” or “Speak Spanish in a Week”. Audio books with titles like these approach language learning from a different angle. Instead of starting with the basic building blocks of language, they dive right in with complete phrases and sentences that you will need to know and understand in order to exchange information in Spanish. These programs focus on helping you to quickly acquire the verbal skills needed to ask for directions, order your meal in a restaurant, book a hotel room, and other such activities.
The downside to this second type of audio programs is that you are basically memorizing snippets of language in a phonetic manner, without truly understanding what each part of the sentence really means. If you learn solely by this manner, you will have great difficulty trying to come up with new sentences on your own. Another downside is that even if you master a few phrases that you can say to a native Spanish speaker, there is a large chance that you won’t be able to understand their response! If you’re a total beginner to Spanish, these types of lessons can often be overwhelming. If you already have some basic knowledge of the Spanish language, then these targeted lessons may be more to your benefit.
Any good audio program will come with a book that includes and explains all the information in the audio lessons. This is essential, because seeing the language helps to clarify the things that you’ve been hearing in the lessons. This is good for visual learners who need to see the way a word is spelled and the way sentences are constructed.
This biggest benefit to learning Spanish with audio programs is that you can listen to your CD or mp3s anytime, anywhere – in your car, on the bus, in the shower, while you’re jogging or cooking, etc. With proper attention, you will be able to learn a decent amount from audio lessons, especially if you follow up the audio lessons with book learning.
Audio programs rely on repetition and memorization techniques to teach a language. Therefore the downside is that what you learn may go in one ear and out the other. If you rely solely on an audio program to learn a language, you may have difficulty trying to retain the information in the long run.
Computer programs
Language-learning computer programs combine audio with visual to create a more well-rounded learning experience. They provide an experience that is as close as you can get to immersion without actually communicating with other people. Computer programs like Rosetta Stone teach Spanish as if you were a child learning a language. You learn by association, connecting an image with a word. Their technique is all visual - no translation. This method decreases the gap between hearing a sentence and calculating the translation in your head, by making language-learning a more instantaneous, intuitive process.
The better computer programs have speech-recognition technology that can assess your pronunciation. While this is a nifty function, the results are not always accurate. Therefore it’s more of a novelty than a helpful tool.
Computer programs start with basic vocabulary and then build grammatically by adding simple sentence formations that gradually get more complex. This is a more organic way of learning, because it does not rely on translation. With programs like Rosetta Stone, you have the option to choose whether or not the written words are displayed on the screen, which is helpful for those who need to see the way words and sentences are constructed. These programs also test your spelling skills and comprehension with written tests.
The main benefit to learning Spanish from a computer program is that you are engaged both visually and aurally. If you can’t afford to take a course or hire a private tutor, computer programs provide a good alternative. They allow for virtual immersion in Spanish in the comfort of your own home.
The downside to learning Spanish from a computer program is that you are confined to using the program only on a computer, so there is limited use (unlike an audio CD, which can be listened to nearly anywhere).
Podcasts
A new alternative to learning Spanish via audio CDs is to learn via podcasts. A podcast is essentially an Internet radio program that you can download and then listen to on your computer, burn onto a CD or put onto your mp3 player. There are many free, good quality podcasts available for learning Spanish.
Most of them have an accompanying PDF guide which you can download that includes the grammar, vocabulary, language rules and any other information covered in the podcast. Although the podcasts are free, the PDFs usually are not. The companies broadcasting the podcasts make their money from people subscribing to their site in order to access the PDFs.
Podcasts are a great, informal way of learning a language. They provide a more interactive learning process than you can get with the traditional audio CDs, because they often have forums for the people who follow the podcasts. This allows people to ask questions, discuss the lessons, and get immediate feedback and input from others. This creates a nice, supportive community feel.
Another advantage to podcasts is that they cover topics that are usually more current than the content covered in audio CDs. Podcasts can deal with fresh, current events and address questions raised by listeners. Oftentimes the people who create the podcasts are also open to suggestions from community members about future podcast topics from their listeners.
Books
Books are helpful tools in language learning, but they have their limits. The main thing is that you will never be able to learn a language by just a book alone, because you will always need to hear the correct pronunciation in order to understand. Even though most books teaching Spanish include a pronunciation guide, it’s just not the same as hearing the words spoken by someone who truly knows the language. With that said, books are excellent supplemental tools when combined with other methods of learning, such as audio lessons, computer programs, or courses.
Books are excellent tools for visual learners who need to see the words spelled out. They are also essential for explaining the various rules of a language and displaying verb conjugations. A comprehensive book is indispensible for any serious language learner. It is great to have around as a reference when you encounter a new word or verb conjugation during your other lessons.
If you seriously want to learn Spanish, it’s imperative to have a Spanish-English dictionary.
Courses
Taking a course is one of the best ways to learn a language. It is best if your instructor is a native speaker, so they can speak with a proper accent. When you are in a roomful of pupils, everyone is in the same boat, so you can support one another. Learning in a classroom setting also helps curb any frustrations, because you can ask questions and get an immediate, well-informed response.
Interaction is important when learning a language. It is not only essential to hear the language spoken aloud, but also to speak the language yourself. If you only listen to Spanish being spoken but don’t speak it aloud yourself, your knowledge will remain locked up in your head, unable to spontaneously emerge when you need it. Speaking Spanish in a language learning course strengthens your confidence with using the language, and you will get immediate feedback to help pinpoint your mistakes.
Taking a course in Spanish can provide you with the immersion experience that is so essential in learning a language. The only real disadvantages to taking a course are that they cost money (much more than audio lessons), and you may need to look around to find a course that fits into your schedule.
Private Tutor
A private tutor can really focus your learning and hone in on your strengths and weak points. A good tutor will pick up on your language level and tailor the lessons to suit your needs. You can request a more focused approach - for instance, if you need to learn common business phrases, or terms you’ll need when buying a house, your tutor can build lessons around your needs. There is also more room for spontaneity with a private tutor.
A benefit of private tutoring over class lessons is that you have more flexibility with scheduling, so you can choose a time for lessons that is convenient to you both.
If you hire a private tutor, it’s ideal to choose a native speaker who knows the language inside and out. With a private tutor, you get the benefit of one-on-one attention with a fluent Spanish speaker who can correct your own pronunciation.
The main disadvantage of hiring a private tutor is the cost, as it will likely be more expensive than taking a classroom course. Also, since it’s one-on-one it may feel more intense and overwhelming than a classroom situation.
Language swap
A great way of getting free one-on-one Spanish language interaction is to do a language swap. Find someone who speaks Spanish who is willing to speak Spanish with you on a casual (but ideally regular) basis. It can be mutually beneficially if you find someone who would like to improve their English speaking skills. If you don’t know anyone first or secondhand, post a listing on craigslist or on a social networking site to find someone in your area who would be willing to hang out and speak Spanish with you.
If you set up a language swap, agree to only speak in Spanish for a set amount of time, no matter how much you may struggle. Even if it’s for only 15 or 30 minutes at a time, you will greatly benefit from this type of language immersion. If your language swap partner wants to learn or improve their English, helping them with English may actually help you learn Spanish, because you will be observing up-close how someone else learns and digests a language.
This method of learning Spanish has the added benefit of new making friends! Language swaps needn’t be intense encounters – you can arrange casual situations such as meeting in a coffee shop, turning it into a social situation.
Immersion
Ultimately, the best way to truly learn a language is through total immersion. When you are placed in a situation where you are forced to speak and understand the language, you will automatically work extra hard to comprehend and communicate.The most intense way that can immerse yourself in the language is by visiting a Spanish speaking country, either as a tourist or as an exchange student. If this is out of reach, the next best things are to take a language course, hire a private tutor, or arrange a language swap.
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