LESSONS TO LEARN SPANISH

There are now many lessons to learn Spanish available online - some free, some you need to pay for, some downloadable, and some that can only be completed online. On this page I want to introduce you to the most professional and practical - I prefer to give you details of only the two or three courses that I consider the best. So, let's begin - here's my basic list of the most useful lessons to learn Spanish.

Lessons to learn Spanish - free

For the best lessons to learn Castilian Spanish (i.e. the Spanish spoken in Spain), I think it would be difficult to beat the BBC. They offer an excellent introductory course, Spanish Steps. There are 24 steps in all, and each one is calculated to take you about 20 minutes.

The BBC offers other lessons to learn Spanish, also at beginner level: Talk Spanish. These are 15 short videos on different, everyday topics. When you finish these lessons, you can pass on to Sueños, 10 online topics with audio, video and quizzes. If you really like these lessons, you'll find that there is a complete Spanish course you can buy, including a student's book with cassettes and CDs.

For (free) Latin American lessons to learn Spanish, I like the material offered on the Spanish language section of the About.com website. They offer a Spanish 101 course at basic level.

For students who have completed this basic stage, the same website offers a number of lessons to learn Spanish at higher levels, entitled Spanish Lessons: Intermediate and Advanced Levels.

Lessons to learn Spanish - paid services

Free lessons to learn Spanish, like the ones listed above, can start you off, but after a while, if you're really serious about learning Spanish, you're going to have to pay for a "proper" course if you want to make suitable progress.

These commercial courses follow a more structured approach, with revision and tests included along the way. As with the free lessons to learn Spanish that I mentioned above, I prefer to highlight only a couple of the very best courses.

I have chosen them precisely because they are both extremely flexible and include many different types of learning activities. In this way, they cater for the diverse learning strategies and styles of each individual student.

• Power-Glide: this program uses multiple methods of learning: music, stories, activities, etc. Power-Glide is fully accredited through the Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities, so you can even get credit for your Spanish studies. Just as important, you can see some sample lessons before you buy, and you get a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Platiquemos: this is an adaptation of the Foreign Service Institute Spanish program and is ideal for the serious student. It provides numerous drills as well as background on grammar and culture. This Spanish course makes the text of two whole units (units 1 and 3) available for you to try before buying. Finally, the author is available to give students help and advice (within reason) by e-mail.

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