What is the best way to learn Spanish?
As an online language teacher, I often get asked “How should I go about learn Spanish online?”. People are often confused because of all the different learning methods out there. While obviously, immersing yourself in a learn to speak Spanish speaking country will help you more than anything else, this article is aimed at the majority of language learners. Those of you who want to learn a language as more of a hobby, rather than lifestyle.
When people ask me how to learn Spanish, I mention two main points. First, you must adopt a multi-prong attack. There are lots of different ways to study and each have pros and cons. Secondly you must be consistent. Find something that works and keep working at it. Changing how you go about learning Spanish will not do you any good at all.
So what is this “multi-prong” attack? I like to use as many useful resources as I can. The first weapon in your arsenal should be an audio/software program. This will be the foundation of your learning and products these days are both of excellent quality and reasonable in price. Second, you need a language buddy. In the old days, you would send off for a penpal, but these days, you can logon to somewhere like Myspace and find hundreds of people willing to help you learn their language.
Thirdly, you will need a few handy books. A dictionary to help you identify any words you do not recognise. A phrase book to help you build up phrases for all kinds of scenarios. And last, but not least, some children’s books. These are great because they will help you learn the basics, just as a child would.