You can now try out Rocket Spanish FREE with a 6 day email course that they are giving. It really is pretty good and you will get a nice feel for what they have to offer. There are 3 audio lessons in this series, as well as some additinal information on the Rocket Spanish program. Sign up below and afterward, I made a small Rocket Spanish Demo for you. Don’t mind me saying “um” alot, not Stephen Spielberg, but should give you some more decent information.

Enjoy

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Does learn Spanish software really do a decent job of teaching Spanish? Online and off you can find many options. If you go into Bestbuy or another large electronic store, you can find various brands. If they are selling them, probably people are buying them.

I think the reason they are so popular, is that they actually do work as long as the student is motivated. Some of the options out there are:

Rocket Spanish

Rosetta Stone Spanish

Tell Me More Spanish

Learning Spanish Like Crazy

Visual Link Spanish

Transparent Languages

Prices can vary from about $99 all the way up to $499 for a large very complete package with all levels represented. All of these programs use a total immersion, user interactive method for teaching Spanish. No more old school grammar study and vocabulary lists. Too boring. Just remember to try and include other types of activities in your study program.

I think that this is a very valid question and unfortunately one that is very difficult to answer. One of the most important things you can do when you learn Spanish, or any other language is not just studying. It’s having FUN, and lots of it.

The worst thing you can do is to get stuck with a program that feels like watching grass grow would be more exciting. I mean really, sitting there repeating one boring exercize after another can make you want to … well you know. Don’t let this happen. A Spanish learning program can be the greatest program out there, but if you are not enjoying your study time, then it is worthless.

What are decent programs? Rocket Spanish is great, as well as Tell Me More Spanish. If you hae a program and are getting bored, the problem may not be the program. Many times we tend to think that the software, or Spanish teacher is responsible for everything. It just isn’t so. You may be bored because you need to augment your studying with other fun activities.

Use your imagination and try something new.

More on that tomarrow!

Everyone has been asking me lately if it is really possible to learn to speak Spanish online. I always say the same thing. Yes it actually is, if, and this is a big “if” you add additional activities to your learning. All or pretty much alll of the main Spanish learning programs available today work wonders, but there is only so much they can do.

You must add stuff. Like what? Well, go and buy some magazines in Spanish and sit down and just read. By the way when you do this, don’t have a dictionary there so you can look up all of the words you don’t know. This will not help, and in fact it can hurt your progress.

Rent a dvd that has spanish audio as an option. Watch the movie and try to understand the main points. Again, you do not have to understand every word. Use your imagination and practice as much as you can what these spanish programs are trying to teach you. Anything extra that you can add will help.

You know there are many types of mistakes that one makes while learning Spanish or any other language, that are actually a result of the teaching methods and materials that you may be using. These “teacher induced errors” are technically called “transfer of training” and are a very common problem.

One example of this is looking at how some students learn their second language. For example, some of my friends, including me, have learned Spanish while being totally immersed in the language by living in Mexico and not necessarilly learning at a proper school. We would get help from friends. In my case, a good friend explained to me that in general, nouns that end in “a” are feminine and ones that end in “o” are masculine. Ok, sounds easy enough.

The problem arrives with all of the “exceptions to the rule” that all foreign languages always have. Some of my typical errors are “la agua.” The correct way is “el agua.” Another one is “la problema.” It should be “el problema.” One last one is “Me gusto (instead of ‘gusta’ because ‘he’ is masculine) la manzana.

Did you know that when you are learning a new language such as Spanish, you actually begin to create your own system for understanding and using this second language? Linguistic professors call this “interlanguage.”

A scary fact is that only 5 percent of foreign language students completely learn their second language, while the other 95 percent accomplish various levels of proficiency. There are also 5 things that you wind up doing when learning Spanish without even knowing you are doing them.

The first thing is that you project features of your first language onto your second language. Mistakes with word order are an example of this. In English we obviously say “crazy musicians.” In Spanish it would be “musicos locos.” When I speak Spanish, sometimes I make this mistake and say “locos musicos.” Oh by the way, my wife is a linguistic expert and she did a study of how I learned Spanish while living in Mexico the past 18 years. A bit embarrassing for me, but I think it could help you understand the process of learning a second language.

In the next blog posting we can talk about some of the other 4 things that go on while you study.

Spanish, as a second language, is becoming a very good one to learn nowadays. Every year there is more demand for bilingual people who speak English and Spanish due to the growth of the Hispanic population globally. Fortunately, as people start to study Spanish, they quickly find it is fun and easy to learn.

Spanish is a language that is the heir of a widespread, but relatively short-lived, colonial empire. Today it is widely spoken on the continents of Europe, Africa, North America and South America. Those who endeavor to study Spanish also soon realize the rich culture that is an integral part of the language. Intertwined with the Spanish language are traditions of strength, artistic expression, welcoming warmth, vibrant entertainment and appetizing cuisine.

These days, because of the popularity of this language, you can study Spanish through a number of different types of Spanish courses. Anyone from beginners to very advanced students can find Spanish language courses to help them advance and improve their grasp of the dialect.

The best and most comprehensive courses will include a curriculum that is balanced. It is important to integrate all the various aspects of the Spanish language such as: writing and reading Spanish, speaking and listening to spoken Spanish, Spanish grammar and vocabulary, Spanish pronunciation and phonetics. It is important that each of these areas of study are addressed in a systematic and balanced way. Checking for these elements will help to assure that the Spanish language course that you choose will deliver wide-ranging understanding, while keeping the course simple and straightforward at the same time.

With modern teaching methods that incorporate the different senses and learning styles, many beginners are able to enjoy accelerated learning. This means that even those who are completely new to Spanish language courses are able to gain the skills in a rather short period of time and become effective at communicating on a basic level. For those who already enjoy some proficiency, they are able to more quickly gain expertise and mastery of the Spanish language.

In order to learn the basics and understand the foundation of the language, it is important to comprehend the vocabulary, the grammar and its usage. In order to properly speak, read, and understand both spoken and written Spanish, you must be able to recognize and use verb conjugations correctly.

These days you can study Spanish in many different ways and from countless sources. You can take a Spanish course at colleges or universities, engage a personal tutor, use books or manuals or workbooks, utilize audio-visual courses which are available on DVDs or online. One of the most important things in choosing a method to learn Spanish, is to find the course that best meets your learning style.