Beginning Spanish ‐ What Method is Best For You to Start Learning Spanish? By Rosana Hart LearnSpanishRapidly.com
My husband and I have had so many friendly conversations all over Mexico because we weren't afraid to use our far‐ from‐perfect Spanish. When we spent a month in Guanajuato, we often bought coffee from this university student.
My friend Jason wanted to learn to speak Spanish, but he was confused about how to go about it. Should he take a class? Maybe he should study Spanish online, but there were so many websites to choose from. Since he worked and had a young family, he didn't have much time. Maybe he shouldn't begin Spanish right now.
If you have thought of starting to learn Spanish, what approaches have you considered or possibly tried? There are a variety of methods you can use to learn to speak Spanish. Here are five of them: • Beginning Spanish classes through a local continuing education program • Online Spanish courses • Go to a Spanish‐speaking country for an immersion course • Taking a Spanish course on mp3 files you can carry with you or listen to in the car Beginning Spanish
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• Working with a multi‐media Spanish program on your computer Which Method of Beginning Spanish Would Be Best for You? Here is a quick description of the pros and cons of each method. Really, there is no one method that will be right for everyone. You have to consider your own situation, budget, and reasons for wanting to begin Spanish.
(1) TAKING A LOCAL SPANISH CLASS The routine of going to class may help you study, but if you want to learn to speak Spanish, this is not usually a good choice. Classes of this sort tend to be heavy on grammar and weak on conversation. Also, they are quite time‐consuming when you think of going to and from the class and that part of the class time is wasted or spent on helping other students with things that aren't a problem for you.
(2) ONLINE SPANISH COURSES This is quite possible, and there are even some good free courses.
(3) IMMERSION COURSE IN A SPANISH‐SPEAKING COUNTRY By far the most expensive approach, this also provides a vacation. There are immersion classes in virtually every Beginning Spanish
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Spanish‐speaking country. These vary a lot in quality, so do your research.
(4) MP3 COURSE Probably the most convenient method, with a course like this you can listen to it from your computer but more likely you will listen via an Ipod or similar device, or through a car stereo. This method can be very effective for learning to speak Spanish. If you also want to learn to read and write Spanish, be sure to select a program that also has books or workbooks.
(5) MULTI‐MEDIA COMPUTER PROGRAM In this approach, you interact with a computer program. It's nice that you can move at your own pace from one lesson to the next, learning as you go. Some of the programs include MP3 files you can use on an Ipod or similar device. These programs are probably the very best way to begin Spanish on your own. Pay close attention to the differences between the programs, as some are based on current research into how adults learn languages. Once you decide what method you want to start with, you can move on to the next step, of choosing which course or program or whatever you will select. Jason chose a multi‐media computer program with add‐on MP3 files. What will you choose? There's no reason you should give up on your dream of beginning Spanish, even if you are very busy. Visit my website Beginning Spanish
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LearnSpanishRapidly.com to get the information you need to start learning Spanish. To compare some of the top programs, see my comparison chart for learning Spanish programs. – Rosana Hart
Beginning Spanish
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