Learn Spanish for Free

Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 10:28 AM  
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I like to feature a variety of ways to learn Spanish, both the programs or sites that cost money and those that don’t. Especially now that there are many people who have to watch their money more carefully but may have time on their hands… time that can be spent in part learning some Spanish.

Here is a list of the articles I have written for this blog and put into the category “Learn Spanish Online Free.” Take a look…

To see a list of these articles (and any more that I may have written since, if you come upon this article later, go to my page in this blog at  http://www.learnspanishrapidly.com/blog/category/learn-spanish-online-free/ where you can read the start of each article and then decide to click through or not.

New, My Special Report for Purchasers of Rocket Spanish

Friday, February 18th, 2011 at 8:47 AM  
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I’ve recently written a short (seven page) report called Rosana’s Top Five Tips for Using Rocket Spanish and Other Rocket Language Courses,

This is a free bonus for people who purchase Rocket Spanish by clicking through from this site. (I make a commission on these sales and this is my way of saying thanks for buying through my site.)

Here’s how it works:

1. You click through from this site to the Rocket Spanish website. You can use the image advertisement in the sidebar here or any text link I have. Click to read more >>>

A Great Site and Forum About Learning Languages

Friday, February 11th, 2011 at 1:29 AM  
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Some time back I came across a website on how to learn any language. There are pages on different languages, including an interesting one on Spanish even though I don’t agree with the recommendations at the bottom of the page. Anyway, the forum is my favorite part. There isn’t a Spanish section as such, but there is a section where you can read or post questions about learning your target languages. In that section a moment ago, I noticed discussions on Italian, Mandarin, and several other languages, including a few on Spanish. Here is one thread on translating Spanish.

You can read the discussions without signing up for the forum, but to take part, just sign up.

I find this great fun. Sometimes I “waste” too much time here. Where else could I see a lively discussion on learning ancient Egyptian, with a list of recommended books and sites? Not that I am planning to learn ancient Egyptian. I’ll stick with working on my Spanish, French, and may really get back into Mandarin, which I once knew a few basics of.

Using Facebook to Learn Spanish

Friday, February 4th, 2011 at 10:35 AM  
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How can you use Facebook to learn Spanish? First, I am going to ramble a little. Skip down to the next heading to just get my answer to that question.

Over the past few months, I have just been beginning to understand FB, as people often abbreviate it. At first, I just used it to stay in touch with a few far-away friends and to find out what was going on locally in my small town. But as I gradually got more comfortable with the interface (it took me months to realize there are messages as well as posts), I have begun branching out into more practical uses.

Why bother? Well, one of my friends commented that he went into a Starbucks in California, where he lives, and noticed that there were eight other people using their computers there. ALL of them were on Facebook. And where did he post this observation? On FB!

Like it or not, it is rapidly growing in popularity and it is being used for many purposes. Personally, I like it. As a writer who wants to communicate, I have at times been frustrated by the rankings of this site in Google. Seems to me that my content is more thoughtful and useful than a lot of websites that may rank above mine for various topics. Facebook provides a different way. There, your pages can get fans who communicate with each other. Good ol’ word of mouth.

3 Steps for Learning Spanish with Facebook

You need a FB account for this, and you are only allowed to have one.

[1] So if you haven’t signed up yet, go ahead and do it. If you are reluctant because of all the bad publicity, just be sure you set your privacy settings carefully. FB itself has useful help pages on all aspects of how to use it.

[2] Next, you might like to join my page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Learn-Languages-Fast-Tips-from-Rosana/136911029696682

Well, “join” isn’t the right word. You “like” it by clicking on the little thumbs up icon near the top. If you do that, then whenever you log into FB, you will see what is called your wall, and if anybody you like has posted something new, you will see it there.

I have the RSS feeds from my 3 sites on learning languages set to update into that page of mine. So you can keep up with everything I write. Didn’t know I have 3 sites? Well, this is the main one. Then I have a more general one, LearnLanguagesRapidly.com which so far is mainly about learning French and learning Chinese, but it also has general tips on learning any language. I also have a site just on Rocket Spanish.

[3] There is a search box at the top of any Facebook page. Type in: learn spanish, or speak spanish, or any similar phrase, and a list of pages on the topic will appear. Check out some of them and on the ones you like, click that like button and you will be following it. Here is one to take a look at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spanish-Word-a-Day/134479353231790

Rocket Spanish vs Fluenz Spanish Revisited

Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 8:26 AM  
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People want to know how different Spanish language programs compare with each other. After all, once you make a choice and start learning to speak Spanish, you are going to use your program a lot. This article compares my two favorite courses, Rocket Spanish vs Fluenz Spanish. I have used them both.

When I was living in Mexico recently, for about five years, I began using both programs. I slightly favored the Fluenz multimedia course over the Rocket one, but I used to advise people that it really depended on what they wanted. Either course can do a good job of getting you going in basic Spanish. The truly crucial thing is that you actually use whatever you get!

But my opinion has changed a bit recently, and I will tell you why. My husband and I moved back to the United States over half a year ago. (Not because Mexico was getting rougher, though that is true, sadly, but because of family and close friends and community I was missing.)

Anyway, here is why my thoughts have changed. I can’t help but notice how busy everyone is, here in the United States. Many people I know have trouble fitting all the basics in, let alone something they just want to do for fun, like learning Spanish! Seems to me that all our friends are busier than they were five years ago when we left.

So now I would favor Rocket Spanish. Why? Because you can put the heart of its program, the 31 audio files, onto your mp3 player, and then you can listen to them over and over, and take part in the conversations in Spanish, while you are doing other things. I used Rocket Spanish this way in Mexico too, typically when I was walking for exercise.

Because Fluenz is primarily a computer multimedia program, you need to be sitting in front of your computer to use it. Seems like people already do that a lot. In fairness, Fluenz does come with some sound files you can listen to as well, but to me those seem auxiliary. So it is not Rocket Spanish 1, Fluenz Spanish 0… they are both excellent. It’s just about which one you would actually do!

Click on the images in the sidebar to find out more details on either program.

Fluenz Spanish Revisited

Friday, January 21st, 2011 at 11:25 AM  
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Fluenz Spanish is still my favorite program for learning to speak Spanish using multimedia methods on your computer. Interestingly, just about the most popular article on this blog is Rosetta Stone or Fluenz Spanish? Comparing the Best Programs,

That was written a couple of years ago and it still expresses my feelings. In a nutshell, I like it that Fluenz draws on current research on how we learn languages, research that was unknown back when Rosetta Stone was created. I was at fluenz.com the other day and was pleased to see that they are featuring a a comparison of Fluenz Italian and Rosetta Stone Italian, done by an AP writer and on ABCnews.com. Of course, it says Fluenz is better or it wouldn’t be featured there, but it was an interesting article.

If you want to read more about Fluenz, go to my official Fluenz Spanish Review, or see the list of blog articles I have done on Fluenz Spanish.

I just got my copy of Fluenz Spanish back from a friend in Mexico who had borrowed it when we returned to the US. I might have taken another look at it for this article but I had already promised to lend it to a friend who is eager to learn some Spanish to use here in Colorado. Speaking of lending, if you can’t afford it at present, ask you local public library if it can!

Rocket Spanish Revisited

Friday, January 14th, 2011 at 9:23 AM  
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Rocket Spanish is one of the programs I recommend most often, and in this article I am going to revisit why this is so. Next week I will be doing the same thing with Fluenz Spanish, and the week after I will compare the two programs. These are my two favorite program for learning Spanish.

Rocket Spanish consists of a series of sound files that you listen to and practice with. It also comes with a variety of ebooks, in PDF form, which you can use on your computer. You get illustrated language lessons, software games to build your vocabulary, and more. There is also access to a forum on using the program where you can ask questions or join in the discussions.

Tips on Using Rocket Spanish

You can do everything at your computer, or you can put the sound files on an ipod or other mp3 player and use them at many different times. This is what I have done, and I find it very useful. For example, I walk a lot for exercise and I can put my mp3 player in my pocket, headphones on my head, and listen while I walk.

You can also listen while you are doing housework or at many other times. Once I was listening while taking the bus back from Guadalajara to the town near Lake Chapala, where I lived for several years. It’s only about an hour trip but somehow I got into a zone between being awake and being asleep, and the sounds of the dialogue went deep into me!

The grammar lessons and other PDF files are easy to do and can be done in the evening without a lot of alertness required!

Very Economical

The program can be downloaded at a very good price. I don’t put it here on the website because sometimes the Rocket Spanish people have specials, but you can find it here on their informative webpage. They offer the program both as a download which you can buy and immediately download and also, for a good bit more money, you can get it on a set of CDs which they will ship just about anywhere in the world.

The downloads are a very good deal, and even the CDs are not bad compared to other major  programs.

My Revisit

You can read my Rocket Spanish review here, which goes into more detail about the program.  I have not found anything of its type that I like as well. With the economy in its current condition, I think this is a very good choice. Note: if you are really strapped for funds, I suggest you explore some of the free websites first. Here is a link to a group of articles I have done about how to learn Spanish online for free. (I haven’t found any of the free places that I like as well as Rocket, but you might.)

Another reason I have become even more a fan of Rocket Spanish is something I mentioned under my tips. It is easy to work into your life. Since returning to the US from Mexico last year, I am certainly struck with how busy everyone seems to be here! Carrying around the sound files is a great way to learn some Spanish fast.

Just Saw This On Another Blog

Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 2:16 PM  
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Here’s another good blog on learning Spanish, with an article titled

Your Spanish Learning in 2011 – Our Best Advice!

Just click on the title to go to Notes in Spanish.

Want to Be Scared While Learning Spanish?

Friday, January 7th, 2011 at 6:26 PM  
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I recently came across a unique way to learn Spanish. Here is a scary book written in Spanish and English. Cleverly, you can’t even get to the next chapter til you do the exercises. Here is a sample, Chapter 19, in a cemetery. It’s gotten some great reviews.

This bilingual foreign language learning adventure consists of 46 chapters, in an illustrated mystery suitable for beginning to intermediate levels of Spanish, from about age 13 on through adults who are studying on their own. It comes with a follow-along CD to get your pronunciation up to speed, and the translation is line by line.

Well, I don’t much like being scared myself, but this sounds like I could handle it!

To find out more, click on the Chapter 19 link or on the image. Or it’s at Amazon, where it costs less but you may have to wait a while.

A New Year Is Coming, Great Time to Revive Your Spanish!

Friday, December 31st, 2010 at 10:32 PM  
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How are you doing with your study of Spanish? I admit that I love the new start of a new year, for all my good intentions. Sure, some of them fall by the wayside but just making a fresh start — whether you even call it a New Year’s Resolution or not — is enjoyable. If it has been a while since your worked a lot on your Spanish, what about giving it a try at the beginning of the year?

You could do something as simple as learning one word a day. If you do that, make yourself a pile of paper or cardboard flashcards and review your vocabulary the next day and a week later, at least. That will get you started!

Or you could do something more intensive, like getting yourself a program and using it to jumpstart your practice. Here are the reviews of my two favorite programs: the Fluenz Spanish review and the Rocket Spanish review. The first of these is a multimedia program to use at your computer, and the second is at its core a group of sound files you can use anywhere, along with a group of materials to use at your computer.

But you can read about them at the reviews. Another New Year’s tip is to get a calendar, or download a free one online… I just goggled “ms word 2011 calendar templates” and quickly downloaded and printed one out. a page for each month. I am going to use this to keep track of my blog posts, not my Spanish, but maybe I will print out another set and write my words of the day on the calendar. Hmm, if I do that, it will go on the fridge door! Anyway, you might like to do that too.

As for the blog, I am back into it, working ahead now on articles about my favorite programs for learning Spanish (Rocket and Fluenz) and some others, both paid and free.

Whatever you do, Happy New Year! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!