I want to learn Spanish (In your OPINION whats the best way to learn quickly) (train, price)
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Sorry for the long title..Back in middle school I made it up to level 4 in Spanish I know the basic introduction of Spanish How to say Hi, How to Say Bye (being formal and informal) and etc. But I was never the class type (always forget) so in your opinion what is the best way to learn Spanish or any language for that matter? People say to actually go to a Spanish speaking country and immerse your in the culture but I live in the USA, are there cheap reasonable ways to make that possible? In the future I do want to earn a degree in Spanish but like I said I was never the sit in the class room type to learn it, this thread may seem pointless because I kind of answered my own post but I'm trying to get more options.
Which country should you go to??? Must be nice to be able to pick and leave the country for an extended period of time just to learn a language!
Mexico. Or Spain. Probably.
Check out Rosetta Stone. We just bought it and I went through the first lesson just to check it out, and I can see it being very effective. If it works well, I'm going to pick up the Russian language packs next. We have a lot of customers from Russia. Seems that they're overrepresented in the trucking industry, or at least in our customer base, for some reason.
Which country should you go to??? Must be nice to be able to pick and leave the country for an extended period of time just to learn a language!
Mexico. Or Spain. Probably.
Check out Rosetta Stone. We just bought it and I went through the first lesson just to check it out, and I can see it being very effective. If it works well, I'm going to pick up the Russian language packs next. We have a lot of customers from Russia. Seems that they're overrepresented in the trucking industry, or at least in our customer base, for some reason.
I remember, years back, going into a book store and looking in the language section. Some companies had two Spanish language classes, one for Latin America and one for Spain. I saw a course entitled something like 'How to Speak to the Hired Help' - no kidding!
I know a woman who had two years of Spanish in school, was a straight A student, and could not understand the spoken language of her Puerto Rican in-laws. When they wrote things down it was better, though.
People from Latin America do not all agree as to which country speaks the best. I think I remember someone suggesting Columbia and I forgot the other - Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, maybe?
I would ask which country to go to on the 'Americas' forum.
This is a short thread, but people are disagreeing as to the value of Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur. I think the government uses Pimsleur to train people.
There are some free lessons offered (not for you, an advanced student) if you google for it, including one on Utube.
Everyone seems to say that total immersion is preferable:
As you have discovered, the traditional method of learning a language usually involves learning all of the grammar rules and learning translations for hundreds of words. This is great if you are an academic, with the intention of eventually teaching the subject at some level.
If however, you just want to be able to hold a conversation in the language, there is a much easier and quicker way to learn. Some have mentioned immersion. That in my opinion will help, but I think it is a difficult way to learn without having a basic background knowledge of the language, and culture.
There is an easier way to learn Spanish, using hundreds of words you already know, and only having to learn a few basic sentence structures. This will give you the ability to start conversing at a basic to intermediate level. Whether or not you choose to go with the immersion method, or a formal learning method, I would guess that your goal is to be able to hold a conversation in Spanish, and not just know all the grammar rules.
If you are interested, check out [URL="http://easyspanishlessons.co/"]Learn Spanish The Easy Way - EASY SPANISH LESSONS[/URL] which may help to get you conversing in Spanish quickly. There are free lessons available also.
The most important thing is to choose a learning style that suits you best. Do you learn better by doing, or by reading about, or by listening? If you can determine your learning style, you can choose a method that will work for you.
Whatever method you choose, it might be a good thing to get actual vocal training with someone there to correct you. I once worked in a foriegn owned company. The people in charge had a real good written knowledge of English, but were pretty bad at speaking and understanding it as spoken.
Okay, I researched a little and that seems like the best route but how would I do this? Which country should I go to?
If you were serious, I would recommend Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala or Panama. Basically because I have been to them, that is their official language (mostly). Interesting and inexpensive...
Surely you can find a group in Brooklyn you can practice with.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 10-20-2013 at 10:40 PM..
You could take some CE (continuing education) courses at a local community college. Its a couple hundred dollars for about a 3-4 month class. You can take more advanced courses as you progress. It is completely taught in Spanish, so the "immersion" aspect is already there.
I would also recommend just switching your TV channels to Spanish only, if you can CC in English it will help you learn/translate.
If you attend church regularly, look for any classes there, it is very reasonably priced. Church services in Spanish help as well.
Good luck to you!
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An easier way
