Learn Spanish as a Second Language
Language learning products for Spanish
Spanish is spoken as a first language by over 330 million people wordwide ranking it in second place after Chinese. Altogether, including second language speakers, Spanish is spoken by over 420 million people in the world ranking it as the third most spoken language in the World after English and Chinese. This coupled with the large minority of people in the United States that speak Spanish as a first language make it a very worthwhile and useful language to learn.
Reviewed Language Learning Products - The major Spanish language products reviewed by Lingualogue
Fluenz Spanish 94% in our Review
A fantastic piece of Spanish language software that seems to incorporate all of the positives of other language learning products while scrapping the negatives. The interface is beautifully produced with a full video tutor (Sonia) who guides you through audio conversations and breaks down the new vocabulary. The Exercises are also excellently done, focusssing on each aspect of language learning as effectively as we have seen.
Click here for Fluenz Spanish.
Tell Me More Spanish 92% in our Review
A huge software program with over 2000 hours (if you buy the 10 level package) and over 10,000 exercises of Spanish learning. Includes an excellent voice recognition software which is used in a top class dialogue section using pictures and questions to involve you in verbal dialogue with the computer. It checks your vocabulary and your pronunciation at the same time. This is the new 'performance' package; it is expensive but comprehensive.
TELL ME MORE Spanish Language Software
Rocket Spanish 88% in our Review
A surprisingly good audio course at an excellent price. Concentrates on conversations in Spanish with the listener repeating the sentences as they are broken down into parts. The accompanying games are excellent and should be considered in their own right. Pricewise, possibly the best value available to learn Spanish.Buy Rocket Spanish
Linguaphone allTalk Spanish 86%in our Review
A Spanish audio package that follows a storyline of an English speaking person thrown into a situation in Spain. You join the person as they are forced to learn the situational language from a bilinugal Spanish instructor. The vocabulary is very travel oriented and you are expected to learn the vocabulary as you go along.Visit Linguaphone
Pimsleur Spanish 84% in our Review
A Spanish audio course that concentrates on listening to conversations and repeating vocabulary to build sentences and phrases. Uses graduated interval recall (vocabulary is reintroduced continually at increasing intervals)to help cement memory. Possibly the quickest way to get started at learning to speak Spanish.
Order Pimsleur Spanish Download or Pimsleur Spanish CD Delivery
Rosetta Stone Spanish 84% in our Review
A Spanish language software program that uses a multiple-choice style of studying involving images of objects or actions accompanied by phrases spoken and written in Spanish. The aim at the beginning is to listen to the sentence or phrase and choose the most appropriate image. As you continue the phrases begin to combine and add more vocabulary to make more complicated sentences.Buy Rosetta Stone
Michel Thomas Spanish 84% in our Review
A Spanish audio product that places you as the third student in the classroom with Michel Thomas. You and the other two students must answer the questions and translate the sentences when asked by Michel. A lot of vocabulary can be learned that is similar to English.
Transparent: Learn Spanish Now 82% in our Review
The software portion of the Transparent family of products—they also have a Spanish audio and a Spanish flashcard course. The software uses voice recognition to check pronunciation and concentrates on building situational conversations with as few or as many prompts as you need. Also has historical passages in Spanish. Buy Learn Spanish Now
Onlingo Spanish No Rating in our Review
A Spanish audio software package that we do not recommend. Based on other customers' testimonials and official complaints it has been decided that we would write the review only to serve as a warning to those people who may be considering ordering it.
Recommended
Language International - Learning Spanish on location
Learn Spanish in Spain or South America at a location of your choice with Language International. Immerse yourself in the language and the culture: The food, the wine, the dancing, the weather, and the conversation—by far the ultimate way to learn the Spanish language. If you have the time, the money, and the inclination you will find no better or faster way to learn Spanish. A sure-fire language learning method Get Prices Now!
Visual Link Spanish
A complete and useful Spanish language course that concentrates on teaching you how to build sentences, ask and answer questions, and truly communicate in Spanish. The course is sizeable and comprises 2 CD-ROMs with over 220 interactive lessons and activities, 10 audio CDs and a manual, along with some other stuff to make your Spanish learning life easier.
Visual Link Spanish
Podcasts
Spanishpod101
A comprehensive site which allows you to learn Spanish at your own pace through whichever medium suits you best. They offer audio podcast lessons, video, written lessons and flashcards. New lessons daily keep it fresh and relevant and fun enough to keep you interested long enough to learn. SpanishPod101
CoffeeBreak Podcasts
An award winning Spanish learning podcast through Radio Lingua with seasons of 10 podcasts each. Free and easy listening. A great, clean and friendly podcast site. CoffeeBreak
Spanish LingQ
A free weekly Spanish language podcast with full transcripts. Spanish LingQ
Other Spanish Products
Synergy Spanish
A 68 lesson Spanish audio course teaching you how to speak basic Spanish with a core vocabulary of 138 words. Available to download or CD order. Click Here!
Learn Spanish Like Crazy
Spanish course that offers 2 free audio lessons with transcripts and 10 free video lessons with Jazmin Barrera. Click Here!
Linkword Languages
A useful and effective course where Spanish vocabulary is taught using visual memory techniques. The program gives you the Spanish word and gives you an image to visualise which will help you link the English to the Spanish. This is a very effective method of memorising vocabulary. Click Here!
Spanish Language Speed Learning Course
A course that claims to be able to teach you to speak Spanish in 12 days. A bold claim but a reasonable price. Click Here!
The Verberrator
Verb conjugation software for Spanish that will conjugate your words easily and teach you quickly as it goes along. I have seen Verberrator in action through someone else, and I must say it looks a great and very easy to use product. I am looking to get a full copy of the verberrator now so I can do a full review of it. It looks good enough to have its own review. I will let you know as soon as I have it.
Get Verberrator!
Spanish Assistant Business 2 software
Compile Spanish letters or emails with ease even if you do not speak the language. Business with Spanish companies has been proven to increase if correspondence is in their native language. USe software to help you increase your business. Click Here!
Spanish Language Learning Books
Other Spanish Links
English to Spanish Translation - Trusted Translations, Inc. is the leading professional Spanish translation service provider in the United States and a recognized industry authority on the Spanish language
Learn Spanish guide, all about how to learn spanish and how to speak spanish.
Free Spanish Courses
Rocket Spanish 6-Day Evaluation
Get 6 free lessons of the excellent Rocket Spanish language course sent direct to your email inbox. Even if you don't want to buy the course it is still 6 full audio lessons for nothing. We like things for nothing.
BBC
Learn Spanish for free with online courses, games, and audio dramas from the BBC. Click here
See also our Free language courses section and our podcasts section.
Free links
Study Spanish - A lot of good stuff for Spanish learners
InstaSpanish - Spanish learning site with podcasts
Rojas Spanish - All Spanish Podcasts
Spanish News Bites - Spanish news with English translation
Spanish Romance - Spanish Courses and resources
FSI language - Plenty of free downloadables
World Nomads - short conversational podcasts
More about Spanish
Spanish is a member of the Romance family of languages and is descended from the Vulgar Latin brought to the Iberian peninsula by the soldiers and colonists of ancient Rome. Therefore the Spanish vocabulary is basically of Latin origin, although it has been enriched by many loan words from other languages.
Within Spain the Spanish refer to their language as Español when contrasting it to other foreign languages but Castellano (Castilian) when contrasted with the other Spanish languages of Galician, Catalan, and Basque. There are also a number of different dialects used in the Americas. The Castilian dialect was already the accepted standard of the language by the middle of the 13th century, largely owing to the political importance of Castile. There are several striking differences in pronunciation between Castilian and major dialects of Latin American Spanish. In the former, c before e and i, and z before a, o, and u, are pronounced th, as in English think; in the latter, they are sounded as s in English see. Moreover, the alphabetical symbol ll in Castilian is pronounced as lli in English billion; but in Latin American Spanish, as y in English you. On the whole, however, the differences between the Spanish dialects of Europe and of Latin America with reference to pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar are relatively minor.
There are many similarities between English and Spanish which can make learning Spanish easier than many other languages.
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