www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Here again is FSI- totally free.

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content ... ge=Spanish

Also Orange, you would be suprised how you can use this program and improve greatly, even if it is the only thing you do. However, I agree with the need to speak a great deal, espeically for those intermediate or under.

That said, I try to speak using SKYPE for at least a half hour a day, along with other forms of study. Again, the experts say use all mode of communication, speaking, listening, writing, reading, and add in grammer and vocabular study..No short cuts, just takes a lot of time and hard work if you are seeking fluency. If you just want to ask for a hummer and a beer, easy to learn enough in a few months. Not what I am after, however (not that I don't love a good hummer and a beer, of course).

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I said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side.
Lou Reed

For me it was just that, taking five semesters of Spanish. But the best thing was spending a year in Colombia studying when I was 22. After 3 months I was thinking in the language and fluent.

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Go Dolphins!!!

From what little I admittedly know about the subject, Brother DRD mentions the "tipping point" about fluency in a language--if you think (and even more so, dream) in a language, you're well on your way to mastering it.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

I learned in night school...community college. Cheap and fun. I had a year in High School, and always about 50 words stuck with me.

Spanish classes is more about grammar...how to conjugate a verb....in the present, past, futuro, etc. They also have an imperfect tense and a conditional tense with its own conjugation. After a year you will learn spanish subjunctives, which was foreign to me, but once you get the hang, then you understand. Every class there were about 20 new words to learn. I loved it.

Now I can go to Costa Rica and I have no trouble in expressing myself and listening to replies.

Regarding subjunctive tense, I took Spanish lessons in Mexico, where the Itialian owner of the school didn't ever use the subjunctive, though he spoke fluent Spansih. It worked for him. On the other hand, some words/expressions can change meanings dramatically without it. My philosophy - you can speak "Tarzan Spanish" (me Tarzan, you Jane), not conjugate anything, just have a great vocabulary, and you'll be well understood. But...you will have to study vocabulary!

I just signed up for my last Spansih course (20th Century Lit.) to qualify for a degree in Spanish. I'm stoked! Older people can still learn.

Sr. Miguel,

Congradulations on your soon to be degree in Spanish. A great accomplishment. I have thought about what you wrote for several days (not ALL time, pero de vez en cuando ). In truth, I am a bit suprised by your ascertion that man who was "fluent" in Spanish could not use the subjunctive. How can he express anticipation vis a vis past events. How can he describe regrets in the past? Por ejemplo, si el hubiera estudiado mas el subjunctivo, el hubiera charlado con tigo con mas profundidad. I would say that someone can certainly communicate well and understand a great deal, and SEEM to have a good command of the langauge without the subjunctive (and even some of the compound tenses, pehraps), but is that really fluent? Perhaps it is semantics, and perhaps he is able to do all that he wishes to do, but I just don't call that fluency. Fluency is about having a deep, intuitive understanding of the language, and being able to think within its structure, and say ANYTHING you wish to say, and understand everything that is said to you. You also have to have a massive vocabulary. So many people call themselves fluent, but are far from it.Its one of those things, the more you know, the more you realize there is so much to learn. I can basically do all my work functions in Spanish, can use each of the subjuntive sequences in conversation to some degree (although a bit slowly) but think I am a year or two of intensive work away from really being fluent.

Regardless, just a thought. Congrats on your last class. Espero que tenga mucho exito. Estudia como si fuera tu ultimo hecho.

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I said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side.
Lou Reed

Muy pocos saben lo mucho que hay que saber para saber lo que no sabemos- Loose translation
"Few know how much one needs to know to know how little one knows"

from the retired Spanish teacher in San Antonio

More ideas:
1. I buy DVDs of movies I like and know a little bit, then watch them with the spanish dubbed in and read the english subtitles. That way I am entertained plus learn Spanish.
2. mylanuageexchance.com is a place where I practice spanish in chat rooms with girls from all over the world. $6.
3. latinamericancupid.com, costs some money, but I chat with girls from all over in spanish and practice my language and flirting skills all at once. Works great.

I would like to add one more helpful resource: Meetup.com

Many cities have Spanish "meetup groups" These are usually free and are groups of people trying to learn and practice Spanish. There is usually an instructor and other volunteers who are very good and will help you practice and learn Spanish. I go to one every chance I get. It last about an hour and is lead by a high school spanish teacher.


Click on Meetup.com enter the area you live in and "Spanish" and search the site for a group near you.

Great idea on the meetups! I go to them all the time but never thought about a spanish one....

I think it was Mark Twain who said "the best way to learn a new language is in bed with a beautiful woman who speaks it."

Yo se que mejorando mis comunicaciones con mis amigas en Costa Rica, Mexico y otros paises, donde Espanol es la lingua, es un motivacion muy fuerte para mi.

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Don't call 'em hookers. I tell my wife I'm here dealing with holesalers.

Here's a thought on conjugation. I recently read a short story in Spanish in which one of the characters spoke only limited Spanish (he was Dutch of something). He simply put the pronoun before an infinitive verb and it was perfectly understandable within the story and I believe it would be understood in life as well. For example, "Yo entender." Literally it means, "I to understand." However, any Spanish speaker would know what you're trying to say. Thus, if all you want to do is speak some Spanish and be understood, just do that with the verbs and forget all the conjugation. You might not understand what the hell she's saying, but so what - "y que?" or whatever - "ni modo!"

I knew a monger once who mastered the present tense. When he wanted to refer to the past, he used the present but would begin each sentence "en el pasado...." or, conversly, "en el futuro" o "manana"....Works for the basics.

Doing a little Spanish work myself today, reading Mario Vargas Losa's "La fiesta de chivo." At the point now where I don't need to use the dictionarly WHILE reading, but have a couple of works per page (on average), that I need to look up for exact meeting. Then add it to the vocab list for memorization. Spanish is fun...wee..

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I said hey baby, take a walk on the wild side.
Lou Reed