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Spanish sometimes called Castilian (castellano) is a Romance language that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade. It was taken most notably to the Americas, and also to Africa and Asia Pacific with the expansion of the Spanish Empire between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. In contemporary Spain, Castilian is just one of several regional languages spoken including Aranese, Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician.

Today, about 350 million people speak Spanish as a native language, making it the world's second most spoken language in terms of native speakers but fourth in terms of total speakers.

Mexico contains the largest population of Spanish speakers. Spanish is growing increasingly popular as a second or third language in a number of countries due to logistical, economic, and touristic interest towards the many nations which chiefly use Spanish as the primary language. This phenomenon is most notable in Brazil, the United States, Italy, France, Portugal, and much of the Anglosphere in general

Michel Thomas ( by Michel Thomas)

No memorizing, no text books, no drills, no homework!

The last course produced by the great man himself. This has to be his most popular course and we can totally recommend it for anyone wanting to speak Spanish. For Spanish there is a complete series from Introductory (taster) to Foundation (beginners), Advanced, Language Builders (Vocabulary) and a second vocabulary course. Although he focuses on Latin American Spanish, he does teach you about the different pronunciations you will encounter in Spanish speaking countries. This is not parrot learning of phrases but actually learning structure and formulating your own sentences! Michel Thomas is especially suited to those who struggle with language learning. He makes it so easy! The courses are all audio. Please also look at the reviews others have given.

Spanish Pod ( Praxis Language)

This is a fun and easy way to learn Spanish through humorous and topical real life dialogues. The dialogues are kept fairly short and are then discussed and analysed down to the important meanings. Spanish Pod covers real Spanish conversations which teach you the most commonly spoken words and phrases in around 70% of Spanish conversations. The team behind Spanish Pod are very enthusiastic about the language and can teach it to you in a relaxed and easy way. Some similarity with the relaxed style of Michel Thomas but far more in the way of vocabulary. Take advantage of their FREE 7 day trial to get some very useful starting tools! The service is subscription based as follows:

7 Day FREE Trial - Covers all the Newbie lessons (MP3)

BASIC ($9 a month) all lessons + transcripts

Premium ($29 a month) as above + lesson dialogues, reviews and study tools

Praxis ($39) all of above + full access to the other language pods of Spanish, French, English, Italian and Chinese

See their subscription page for fuller details

Assimil Spanish With Ease ( by Assimil)

Assimil has a glowing reputation for language learning based on their simple two fold approach. The first stage is known as "Passive Learning" which requires you to listen to the lesson, say it aloud (or to yourself) so you get pronunciation right and then to follow it again using the translation conveniently written directly opposite. The second stage is called "Active Phase" and starts approximately half way thorough the book. At this time you carry on doing the Passive phase (daily) then you revert back to the first lesson and translate it yourself without looking at the translation. It is more effective if you approach this as a written exercise rather than trying to recall it in your mind only. Then you do your next passive lesson and go to the second lesson of the book to translate and so on.... Don't worry, though, the instructions are clear and you won't go wrong. You need to do one lesson a day (also a translation when you reach that second stage which adds another half an hour). The dialogues are expertly written and played out by professional voice actors of the country. They are lively and humorous and keep your interest. The lessons are ordered so you build gradually on what you have learnt. Don't be tempted to do more than one lesson a day, there is a reason why its "little and often" so to maximise your learning capability and keep you excited to continue.. This is an approach that will take at least 6 months to complete and by then you will acquire a level of understanding comparable to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The lessons/stories are different for each language.

Smart Spanish ( by Christian Aubert)

This is the same principle as for the Smart French series in that you learn the art of the real spoken language. The Spanish taught in colleges is correct but Spanish is spoken very fast by native speakers and its also pronounced differently, not just depending on the region but just by the natural way of speaking, in the same way as you do in your own language. We strongly recommend Smart Spanish to compliment any Spanish learning as it really is the icing on the cake for attaining fluency. The Smart Spanish series is a follows:

Smart Spanish - Beginners - Basic conversations analysed

Smart Spanish - Intermediate / Advanced. More in depth conversations.

C1 Fluency

Complete Spanish( by Juan Kattan-Ibarra )

Following hot on the heels of of Assimil is this completely revised and user friendly pack for learning Spanish to B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. This is a more traditional learning process rather than the mainly "intuitive" learning you get with Assimils'

The thematic approach is much in line with traditional language learning and does cover the subject in depth and more importantly progressively so you can see progress being made. Each unit starts with a "Statement of Aims" and completes the section by

a) Presenting the language

b) Practicing it

c) Description of language forms: For producing your own sentences

d) Pronunciation and Intonation

e) Information on Spanish People and Spanish Life

It is essential to buy have the CD's that go with the course to get the language practice and work through the book since a lot of the exercises are listening and commenting. Its a very bad idea to try and learn a language without hearing it!

A very enjoyable course indeed and a great improvement on the older versions. Extremely well taught and presented. We recommend that you follow only one unit a week and really absorb it ! There are 25 units in total so will take 25 weeks to complete. Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages compares to a very good A Level.

There is now a follow on course for C1 Fluency, entitled Perfect Your Spanish

Linguaphone All Talk (Linguaphone)

Linguaphone's "All Talk" range is surprisingly good in that it is entirely audio and revolves around a soap opera type style of dialogues, involving a 'posh' English lady called Linda arriving on business in Madrid and being helped by a native speaker, who speaks little English. You are always wanting to hear what happens next to our hapless heroes!

The dialogues are lively and funny, with background sounds (much like a radio play). After you are introduced to each dialogue you are then tested on the vocabulary and structure and also you are expected to apply it to alternative scenarios. These complete "All Talk" programs are 16 hours in duration and will give you a vocabulary of 2000 words, which is good enough to make yourself understood and converse simply with native speakers. We have given them 4 stars because of the cost. This could be cheaper if produced on CD's and then you could rip them to your own player. However it is a painless way to acquire an excellent understanding!

Berlitz ( by AvanQuest)

Berlitz Spanish is media rich and a very engaging way to learn Spanish. Berlitz have done a very good job with these 'Premier' course containing tuition levels of beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. You are talked through conversations generally so you are getting used to hearing naturally spoken Spanish from the start. The videos are interesting and fun. There are also games, flashcards and quizzes to help reinforce your learning. Berlitz have made learning on the move possible with materials able to be downloaded onto your MP3 player or Ipod. Berlitz have produced a great value for money package here.

	Rosetta Stone ( by Rosetta Stone)
	Learn Spanish (Latin American) the way you learnt your own language, WITHOUT TRANSLATIONS. Total immersion is the name of the game and it works and works well, if you can afford it! As before there is no translations or explanations and you learn by intuition and association, matching words or sentences to pictures. You will definitely need a bi-lingual dictionary and preferably a basic verb book. Its actually quite an enjoyable experience but expensive.

Pimsleur ( by Paul Pimsleur)

Pimsleur start you off immediately speaking Spanish and listening to it to respond. These courses are truly excellent but they are expensive and you may not be suited to this way of learning. These are all audio courses and teach conversational Spanish by using them for 30 minutes each day. There are 3 levels and each level comprises of 30 half hour length lessons, each level building on the previous one. No explanations regarding verb conjugations though but there is an English speaking host who guides, prompts and gives you not much more than word meanings. However it is an extremely effective method and has been used extensively within Govt and educational establishments. The price is however quite high. You can read about the method here. Download more detailed information on course content here (PDF)

Level 2 - Click Here

Level 3 - Click Here

Earworms ( by Marlon Lodge)

This is a very simple idea that makes learning Spanish fun and easy. Its an English man conversing with a Spanish woman and asking her how to say things in Spanish. All the time there is a rhythmic sound/beat going on to her syllables which is designed to stick in your mind rather like a catchy song. The vocabulary being taught is basic but essential and is a relaxing experience. You don't need to make any real conscious effort as your brain is absorbing it through the beats. There are two cd's in the Spanish range and you can listen to samples by clicking the pictures on the left. Overall a fun and enjoyable experience, reasonably priced and it works! But only for basic survival skills.

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