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How to Teach Yourself Spanish

Here's the general advice:

Subject your brain to as much Spanish as possible, in all forms.

But let's get more specific:

Music

Music helps immensely. When listening to Spanish music, do yourself the favor of reading the lyrics and looking up words you don't know until you are sure about what the song says. Then listen as usual and enjoy!

You can find lyrics online for most songs, just google for the song name with the word "letras".

Some artists with clear lyrics (plus Wikipedia info and music videos on YouTube):

Reading

Read a novel in Spanish, but do not use a dictionary. Reading with a dictionary is tedious and boring, and you'll be tired after a few pages.

Keep reading, even if you don't feel like you are understanding anything. Look up an occasional word if it is used repeatedly or seems really important.

If you can, stop yourself from translating to English in your head, and instead sound the words out in your best Spanish accent.

Easy-reading fiction is best, the kind you'd take on vacation. A book that you've already read in English is a great choice. Also, don't be afraid to read childrens books at first.

Read a few novels this way, and your comprehension will improve tremendously.

You may want to underline the words that you don't know as you read. It makes it easier to go back and find previous uses of hard words.

TV and Movies

Most DVDs and many TVs have these options. Even a boring movie can be interesting as a learning experience.

Useful Websites

A great tool called WordChamp Web Reader lets you read Spanish-language websites with English definitions available for every word in popups.

openphrasebook.org collects country-specific Spanish phrases, colloquialisms, and idioms, including audio recordings of native speakers. Check it out, and contribute localisms in your native language.

Use software in Spanish

Set your computer's interface, your web mail, your cell phone, your television's menu to Spanish. It's an easy way to improve vocabulary.

Improve your writing with Google

When writing Spanish, you can use Google to figure out correct grammar. Just search for a short phrase in quotations and look at the total number of results.

For example, which is correct: "tengo ganas a", "tengo ganes en", or "tengo ganas de"?

Try each in Google, and note the total results (in the upper right corner):

It's not foolproof, but in this case it's clear which is correct, no?

Practice reading and writing in Spanish Chat Rooms

Conversations on Instant Messenger and Internet Chat (IRC) are easier than live conversations. They are usually slower, you get to read instead of listen, and you can use a dictionary without boring the other person to death.

As a bonus, you can keep a log of everything said and review it later.

One site for finding chat partners is espanglishchat.com.

Spanish Podcasts

Spanish Courses on CD

Spanish Courses on CD can't hurt, but they are overpriced and won't make you conversational. The best I've heard is Michel Thomas.

Tips for Talking

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