[guatparents2be]

I have Rosetta Stone and really enjoy it but it is a bit boring for me to tell you the truth. i also have the Pimsleur cds which have been great, but with this I feel like I'm missing basics.

I tried a local community Spanish class that was an advanced level I and even though it was dead on with the material level it was sooooo slow it was torture. I stopped going after 3 weeks.

I'd love to go somewhere to do an immersion but I can't take that much time from work.

So my recent thought is a structured distance learning class for Spanish that I can do at my own pace. I need to get verb conjugation, past tense, some basic grammar.

I think this with the Pimsleur tapes will be a good combo.

Feedback, ideas??? I know one of you guys has the answer to this one. (in advance)

[kzwief]

I have been taking Spanish lessons through Speakshop.com. Their tutors are in Guatemala and you video conference with them for 50 minute sessions. It is wonderful! Completely immersion, even with homework. I have taken Spanish classes with Milvia (one of the tutors) and she is marvelous! Best thing about their program is it is free trade. So Milvia charges $8 USD/session. You pay speakshop 9.99/month to use their video conferencing. I haven't found Spanish classes any cheaper than that anywhere. PM me if you want more info.

[robandjulie]

It's still rather dry, but this is a nice free resource to mix in:

Learn Spanish: Free Online Resources

You can play matching and word search games and review your conjugations, listen to some readings and such. DH and I have been working through it--some of it very fast and others a bit slow (why do verb tenses seem so confusing!?) and we're both so much stronger in the last few weeks. Now we speak Spanish around each other when we want to discuss something we don't want DD to understand--she'll catch on fast, but until then it's faster than spelling out "Should we have some i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m?"

[giovanni7460]

This is my advice. Watch Spanish TV. At night watch the news. If your home in the day watch the novellas. Keep Spanish music on the radio stations in the car, shower, kitchen. Go places and order in spanish as much as you can. Learn the words for help me and ask someone in a store help finding something. Go to a SPanish restaurant and ask them to take your order in Spanish. Try ordering a soda at a drive thru in Spanish if you know the place and they are Hispanics. I do everything in Spanish where ever I see a Spanish person. I talk to the kids in Spanish. Simple words to start. Shoes, Hair, Soap, Food, Car, Toys. Then put it together as a sentence. Like give me your shoes. To me the best way to learn is is by speaking it.
Yep people thought I was nuts at first. But now they see me and talk Spanish to me. If I dont get it they say it until I do.
Patty

[ProspectiveSingleMom]

Are there any volunteer opportunities in your area that would allow you to work with the hispanic community? Or even a good Mexican restaurant where the owners/staff speak Spanish? I know lots of people who have picked up on a fair amount of Spanish just from spending time with Spanish speaking immigrants. I agree that Spanish-language tv is also a good option, especially if you want to improve your listening skills.

[greytpaws]

Yes, I tried to create my own "spanish immersion" by doing what the other posters mentioned (CNN in Espanol on the satellite radio or other spanish stations alternated with Learn Spanish CDs to boost vocab and tenses) watch Spanish TV and also did the restaurant thing--which was also cool cause when we finally brought Kaiden in (2 days after we got home it was like he was a rock star! LOL I do think keeping your brain flooded with it helps sooo much. I am also taking a class thru Grupo Latinoamericano a local group that assists people in the hispanic community. The classes are very reasonable and small in size! Plus I figure it will help to build relationships for when Kaiden is older and we do things with the group. Just look for an find a variety of resources and keep at it. I'm nowhere near fluent but survived quite well in Guatemala this time! It was encouraging!