Teaching Myself Spanish...

[Hamalas]

Ok, so I'm working at a law firm full-time, which give me about 7-8 hours a day to listen to my MP3 player. This pleases me. I've been thoroughly enjoying myself by listening to lots of sermons, lectures, audiobooks, and good music. But I've decided to start a new project. I've decided to try and teach myself Spanish while at work. I took a few years of Spanish in high school and I even lived in Santiago Chile for a month. However, I really don't know much beyond some basic vocabulary and grammar. However, learning Spanish has been one of my lifelong goals, and having this much dedicated time makes this as good a time as any to try and immerse myself in the language. So far I've been listening to the notes in Spanish podcasts: Learn Spanish with Notes in Spanish Podcasts! : Notes in Spanish – Learn Spanish with Podcast Audio Conversation from Spain. Which have been helpful and interesting. I've also been listening to the local Spanish radio stations in an attempt to pick up and absorb as much as possible.

However, I would really appreciate any suggestions y'all can give. Are there any good resources (particularly audio resources, like podcasts) that you can recommend. Also free is always good.

 

[SemperEruditio]

I can't help but to say at this stage your best bet is to just speak to Spanish speakers as much as you can. You can listen to as many podcasts and learn all the grammar but until you actually start putting these sentences together with a native speaker not much is going to happen.

 

[Montanablue]

Exactly. The podcasts will certainly be helpful for learning grammar, but you must speak with native speakers. Look for a language table in your town.

 

[Idelette]

Yeah, my brother picked up Spanish very well simply by being around native speakers. He had taken several classes, but that didn't seem to do nearly as much. I would highly recommend spending time around native speakers.

 

[Scott1]

1) Befriend a Spanish-speaking person. Encourage them to speak to you in Spanish, rather than them politely trying to speak English with you. This will be much appreciated, and you will likely develop a warm, friendly relationship. (And remember, God ordains these)

.... La relación entre tú y su amigo, según manda Dios.

2) Christian radio in Spanish, excellent programming and the familiarity will help you learn:
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