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Learning Resources - Software - Books and Audio
Spanish is decended from the romance language tree, originating from northern Spain. Its use slowly spread inside the Kingdom of Castile eventually becoming the de facto language of the government and commerce. Later, during the 15th and 19th centuries, Spanish spread to Africa, North and South America and the Pacific Rim as a result of Spain colonial ambitions. Today, in addition to Spain, spanish is spoken in most Latin American countries as well as Equatorial Guinea. All together, 21 nations use Spanish as their native language. Spanish is also one of the official languages of the United Nations. It is spoken by nearly 400 million people (as a native language) making Spanish the most widely spoken Romance language and possibly the second most spoken language worldwide. The world's largest Spanish-speaking population resides in Mexico, and Spanish is the second most widely used language in the United States as well as the most popular studied foreign language in U.S. schools and universities. this is largely due to the proximity of Mexico, and the substantial number of Mexican immigrants in the US. Additionally, Spanish is easily the most popular foreign languages of native English speakers everywhere, as many of the worlds most popular warm weather tourist destinations are within Spanish speaking nations. Less learn the language for potentially lucrative business and employment ventures, particularly in the United States. It's also a very popular second language in France, Italy, Portugal, and particularly the southern states of Brazil (native Portuguese) - mostly due to the fact that it's easy to learn, and makes travel easier in nearby countries . The combined total of native and non-native Spanish speakers is approximately 500 million (according to estimates), making it the fourth most spoken language by total number of speakers. Internet statistics show Spanish as the third most commonly used language on the internet, after English and Chinese. Spanish is the third most influential language in the world, according to George Weber's point system, making it critical in international commerce and trade. Start Today! There is no time like the present, and never have so many resources been at your disposal for learning a foreign language. Check out the links and descriptions below to find a program that fits your needs.
Spanish Learning Resources on the Web
This site features free resources, as well as a pay per program (monthly, annual, and a collection of CD's). A very simple and easy to navigate design. Registration is free and includes access to lessons and a free "virtual report card" to keep track of your progress. Premium content includes an increased number of lessons and resource material. Completely Free - 123 Teach Me offers Basic and Conversational Spanish lessons. It even offers a clever placement test to help determine your level - some that's quite useful for both self study and classroom study. Keep in mind the levels are a bit subjective, and you may encounter specific vocabulary you don't immediately recognize on the quizzes. Interesting site that offers MP3 based lessons that are much more affordable than the likes of Pimsleur lessons (which are excellent). Also includes French and Chinese lessons. The good news is that the online based lessons are free (63 or so per language) - and they are actually pretty darn good. Basic Spanish phrases, etc... Includes Audio. Site appears to be in Beta. This is a very clever site - the instructor has a series of (currently) 35 video's (in Mp4 format, intended to be viewed on a mobile Mp3 player) which are available for 40 dollars for a 6 month subscription (which should be sufficient time to review all of the material). Some of the content is available for free, to aid in your decision on the subscription, and it's very good. Site designed for workplace communication. There are seperate lessons that focus on Teachers, Healthcare, Customer Service, Real Estate and Banking and Finance. Several lessons are available for trial, and a 6 month membership run 89 dollars if you like what you see. Fairly in-depth site that contains numerous free text based lessons. Useful if you already have a grip on the language, or are looking for a quick reference. Through the use of grammar lessons and verb drills, this site teaches the basics of learning the Spanish language. Learn Spanish Quickly, Easily With Online Videos One stop shop for providing everything that has to do with learning Spanish as a second language. Spanish SoftwareExcellent Spanish vocabulary builder for the DS. Click the above link for a full review. Check here for a full review of Visual Link Languages Spanish course. Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Latin America), Level 1, 2 & 3 Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Spain), Level 1, 2 & 3
Spanish Books and AudioBYKI™ Deluxe by Transparent Language Super quick learning software package by Transparent. Very effective quick vocabulary learning tool at a very reasonable price. Click the above link for a full review! Stories from Latin America : Historias de Latinoamerica Stories from Mexico : Historias de Mexico Stories from Spain / Historias de España (Side by Side Bilingual Books) All three of the above books are nothing short of excellent (there is also a fourth one that's out of print). One side of the page is in English, the other is in Spanish. What you end up with is a terrific learn-as-you-read grammer lesson that works for both native Spanish, and native English speakers. Of all the Spanish speaking resources I have used, these books are tops - and inexpensive too. Check them out, let the reviews do the talking. English Grammar for Students of Spanish: English Grammar for Students of Spanish If you read any book on Spanish grammer as it relates to English, look no further. Another gem of a book, only around 200 pages long, and worth every penny. The brilliance lies in the presentation. Take a look at what other people are saying about it! 501 Spanish Verbs: with CD-ROM (Barron's Foreign Language Guides) By now, this book is a classic! Well laid out, well thought out, and invaluable reference for the student, casual learner and even those "quien habla con fluencia". Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns And Prepositions 
The above three books are must haves for those learning Spanish on their own. These are all workbook style with a lesson, followed by written answers (all can be checked in the back of the books). It will take you a long time to get through them, but the effort is well worth the result. Several more books are now presented in this series, including a new grammer book Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar
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, but I prefer the English grammer book listed above.
