learning spanish - best books/resources?

[shirt]

currently in central america for work and struggling language wise. i'm here for another 4-6 weeks so was thinking of ordering something from amazon to help me.

any recommendations for a course / book / audio cd? plenty of native speakers around for me to practice on.

[mikeyr]

The coffeebreak Spanish podcast is decent and most of it is free. Some good apps out there too such as Babbel.

[TEKNOPUG]

Michel Thomas.

[montymoo]

Try Duolingo, it is maybe better for learning how to read and write in the language rather than talk, but it is a great little app that can be used on your phone/ipad and also on a PC.
I have been using it for several months along with Italki and a couple of others and i have made some good progress.

[iphonedyou]

Hello shirt!

I've been learning Spanish on and off for a couple of years, five or six months seriously (with tutor).

Duolingo

Brilliant, particularly for learning how different elements of the language work together to form a cohesive whole. Hopelessly addictive, almost game like - but fantastic.

Memrise (app)

Download to your smartphone. You can search 'decks' - try starting with 1500 words Spanish vocabulary and go from there. This uses the spaced repetition system to embed language in your long term memory, and it really works.

ReadLang webreader

Download this browser plug-in, start reading Spanish newspapers online and it allows you to translate words as and when required with just a click. Places those words in flashcard decks for you also.

Spanish Dictionary website

Does what it says on the tin. Vocabulary, definitions, sentence examples, conjugation.

WordReference (app)

Download the application to your phone; fantastic for definitions and words with multiple uses, helps with choosing between words that on the face of it may seem similar (e.g. avisar / advertir, escoger / eligir) and also warns you before you say something embarrassing (like, be careful using coger in Latin America but fire away in Spain).

Spanish conjugation (app)

Allows you to practice your verb conjugations in any or all tenses you choose. Really helpful for improving recall of preterite / imperfect / future / etc.

Spanish verbs (app)

Larger number of verbs than the previous - shows you all conjugations at a glance and highlights irregular conjugations.

Those are all online / phone based so maybe get started with those. Can advise you of books tomorrow when I see what I've got!

Buena suerte y espero te que ayuda

Edited by iphonedyou on Thursday 1st October 12:39

[RumpleFugly]

Another thumbs up for Duolingo. I just dip in for half hour a day and it sticks with you.

[a311]

Micheal Thomas is very good if you can live with the accent and pace (little slow at times). He also seems to be sucking on a lozenge for large parts of it. The alternative is Paul Noble same formula and a bit more touristy focused. The advantage to the Paul Noble on is it gives you the Spanish and Latin Spanish version of the word. I speak Spanish reasonably well but when I've been on holiday to Latin american countries they say i speak like their grandparents....

The above methods teach you commonality between English and Spanish and get you to create vocabulary rather than remember lot of words and phrases. I'd couple this with an app or two for more vocab.

[shirt]

Some great responses, thanks very much.

Iphonedyou: some cracking links there. I have created a duolingo account. Unfortunately for me though I have a blackberry so no apps for me unless I go buy a tablet. Hmmmm, I wonder how much they are here......

Still interested in a book if you have any you'd recommend, I need to order some stuff for work on Amazon anyway.

Gracias!

[bazza white]

I've been using duolingo for Spanish. Whilst I like it and whilst sat in front of my tablet I can get through the levels once I put it down it's gone.

Been watching some youtube vids which explain some things so I'm guessing a mix of tools is best.

[shirt]

ended up with the michel thomas cd's, madrigal's key to spanish book, and duolingo.

i agree with the comment re: thomas sucking a lozenge. the male 'student' is really fking annoying though, i want to hit him for being so stupid.

[Lotus Notes]

I bought Mexican Spanish by ASSIMIL, In fact it was French/Spanish as I live in France.

In all, South America has a simplified Spanish and after reading this book I could have a good conversation with the locals with minimal effort..

[tobinen]

I am trying Duolingo for Spanish thanks to earlier posters here. It's quite good fun. I tend to do a little every day. I like the way it's set out, nice and simple and clear.

[shirt]

try the cd's. they're expensive but worthwhile. i like the approach, gives you a good command of how the language works and a large vocabulary in a very short space of time. i have it on in the car on my commute.

[sparkythecat]

I'm amazed at how quickly the Spanish speak. Whilst learning what words mean and enunciating a few phrases and sentences should be fairly easy, understanding what the buggers are saying in reply appears a completely different matter.

[shirt]

i know what you mean. its quite amusing watching one of my english colleagues [fluent in spanish] talking with a native speaker. its like changing from 33 to 45rpm. they must also make for great digeridoo players as the length at which they can speak without breathing is quite astonishing.

one thing to note about the thomas method is that he doesn't care much about pronunciation - particularly the rolled R which i find unnatural to use.

[a311]

shirt said:

ended up with the michel thomas cd's, madrigal's key to spanish book, and duolingo.

i agree with the comment re: thomas sucking a lozenge. the male 'student' is really fking annoying though, i want to hit him for being so stupid.

Ha ha, the guys like the fricking village idiot isn't he?! You start answering for him.

Paul Noble uses the same system but with a native speaker, it's less annoying but more tourist focused.

Stick with it, learning how to 'create' rather than 'remember' lots of words I found is a great approach. Problem is I started to learn Italian and I get really mixed up!

[iphonedyou]

sparkythecat said:

I'm amazed at how quickly the Spanish speak. Whilst learning what words mean and enunciating a few phrases and sentences should be fairly easy, understanding what the buggers are saying in reply appears a completely different matter.

Yeah it's not easy. I use News in Slow Spanish to help me with this, and it's interesting and contemporaneous too which is a real bonus. My teacher tells me to focus on the vowels. If you imagine a sine curve, the emphasis on pronunciation in Spanish puts the vowels at the peaks, and the consonants are all in the troughs.

He's right but I struggle loads. Although sometimes that's as much because their verbs obviously change so much depending on tense, and my vocab is realistically probably only around 1500 words when heard, as opposed to reading which would be a lot higher.

[Ayahuasca]

shirt said:

currently in central america

Whereabouts? We might be neighbours.

[shirt]

i'm in panama city so most likely. loving the fantastic condition roads and well mannered taxi drivers.

[Ayahuasca]

We are neighbours then!

How long are you here for?