If you have decided to learn Spanish as a second language, you basically have two ways to learn the basics through to a conversational or fluent level. You can go to a country where the language is spoken and take a course while immersing yourself in the culture and people at the same time. Or you can decide to learn Spanish in your own country using various courses and/or the internet.
Each method has it's own positives and negatives but the immersion method requires extra cost and time to be able to do. This is often out of reach for many people that have jobs, a mortgage or a family. Learning a language is a full time occupation using this method.
Whilst it is not as convenient as a home study course, immersion learning is reputedly the most effective. This is logical as you get live in the country and take in all the cultural aspects of the country to reinforce your learning.
Using a home study course is not as expensive and you can fit it into any kind of lifestyle but it probably won't be as effective because you don't get the same type or level of exposure to the language as you would with immersion. With this said, a home study course can teach you some of the basics of a language.
Thus, depending on your level of motivation to learn Spanish, a good self study course can get to a reasonable conversational level. It can prime you for when you actually use the language for real, as in a vacation or dealing with Spanish speaking clients. Once you start speaking to real people the real learning will begin.
So here are a few home study learn Spanish computer programs that may help you reach your Spanish language goals.
Visual Link Spanish
This is a fine learn Spanish computer program. It uses multi media - sound and vision - to drive the teaching. So a word or action is expressed on the screen in graphical form and spoken by a course narrator. It also makes speaking a sentence straightforward. It breaks down a sentence into it's basic elements and teaches you to speak them. In this way you are saying a meaningful sentence in as little as 5 minutes. Indeed, this is the byline of the product - that you will be speaking complete Spanish sentences in five minutes. It gets harder with more complex sentences and tenses but it is a good program.
Rocket Spanish
Rocket Spanish is a popular learn Spanish program. In terms of uniqueness, it can be downloaded over the internet immediately after purchase. So you could be learning Spanish within 30 minutes. Rocket Spanish uses a few methods to teach the language. In fact it could not be strictly terms a learn Spanish computer program as it uses an mp3 course to teach the language. It also features and interactive pdf course and various games that help you practice comprehension and vocabulary. You can even print out some flash cards that it supplies if you want to play games against other people. You can sign up for a free six day course to get a feel for the Rocket Spanish program.
Before You Know It
Before You Know It uses simple phrases as the building blocks of language much like visual link. The computer program allows you to learn Spanish using sight and sound. It also has a feature to record your accent when speaking and play it back against a native speaker. This can be useful to hone your accent although I have never really liked these kinds of features. You also need to get a microphone. There is also a "lite" version of the program that can be downloaded for free. It shows you how the program works with a few of the introductory lessons. You can get a feel for the program and whether it would suit your learning style. Then you can upgrade to the paid version.
Any of these three programs can help tyou get to a reasonable level in your Spanish studies but ultimately they will only be successful if you apply yourself to the material. No course is a magic bullet and you will only get as much out as you put into it.
Each method has it's own positives and negatives but the immersion method requires extra cost and time to be able to do. This is often out of reach for many people that have jobs, a mortgage or a family. Learning a language is a full time occupation using this method.
Whilst it is not as convenient as a home study course, immersion learning is reputedly the most effective. This is logical as you get live in the country and take in all the cultural aspects of the country to reinforce your learning.
Using a home study course is not as expensive and you can fit it into any kind of lifestyle but it probably won't be as effective because you don't get the same type or level of exposure to the language as you would with immersion. With this said, a home study course can teach you some of the basics of a language.
Thus, depending on your level of motivation to learn Spanish, a good self study course can get to a reasonable conversational level. It can prime you for when you actually use the language for real, as in a vacation or dealing with Spanish speaking clients. Once you start speaking to real people the real learning will begin.
So here are a few home study learn Spanish computer programs that may help you reach your Spanish language goals.
Visual Link Spanish
This is a fine learn Spanish computer program. It uses multi media - sound and vision - to drive the teaching. So a word or action is expressed on the screen in graphical form and spoken by a course narrator. It also makes speaking a sentence straightforward. It breaks down a sentence into it's basic elements and teaches you to speak them. In this way you are saying a meaningful sentence in as little as 5 minutes. Indeed, this is the byline of the product - that you will be speaking complete Spanish sentences in five minutes. It gets harder with more complex sentences and tenses but it is a good program.
Rocket Spanish
Rocket Spanish is a popular learn Spanish program. In terms of uniqueness, it can be downloaded over the internet immediately after purchase. So you could be learning Spanish within 30 minutes. Rocket Spanish uses a few methods to teach the language. In fact it could not be strictly terms a learn Spanish computer program as it uses an mp3 course to teach the language. It also features and interactive pdf course and various games that help you practice comprehension and vocabulary. You can even print out some flash cards that it supplies if you want to play games against other people. You can sign up for a free six day course to get a feel for the Rocket Spanish program.
Before You Know It
Before You Know It uses simple phrases as the building blocks of language much like visual link. The computer program allows you to learn Spanish using sight and sound. It also has a feature to record your accent when speaking and play it back against a native speaker. This can be useful to hone your accent although I have never really liked these kinds of features. You also need to get a microphone. There is also a "lite" version of the program that can be downloaded for free. It shows you how the program works with a few of the introductory lessons. You can get a feel for the program and whether it would suit your learning style. Then you can upgrade to the paid version.
Any of these three programs can help tyou get to a reasonable level in your Spanish studies but ultimately they will only be successful if you apply yourself to the material. No course is a magic bullet and you will only get as much out as you put into it.
About the Author:
Find out more about the latest course from Rocket Languages, click jetset Spanish for more details or go to learn Spanish for reviews of many popular Spanish language courses and tips on how to speak Spanish.
