Time for another post on my How To series of learning foreign languages. This time, we set off to learn Spanish! Spoken as a native language by hundreds of millions of people around the world, second in numbers only to Mandarin Chinese. Today, Spanish is an official language in 21 countries.
After a little research, I have gathered what I think are the best and most comprehensive resources for learning how to speak the Spanish language online. All at absolutely no cost for you. E-books, dictionaries, interactive courses, all at the unbeatable price of ? free!
Enjoy, and good luck!
Wikipedia
When you set out to learn any foreign language, it is a good idea to get some general background information first. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, offers some very informative articles on the Spanish language to get you started.
- Spanish Language
- Spanish grammar
- Spanish phonology
- Spanish orthography
- History of the Spanish Language
- Spanish dialects and varieties
Wikibooks
Wikibooks is a sister project to Wikipedia, where you can find free books. The book on the Spanish Language has been featured for the quality of its contents and is a very nice textbook to get you started in learning the language. You can view online, or download a copy in PDF.
Podcasts - Audio Lessons
Coffee Break Spanish is so great you have to hear it to believe it! There’s more than 60 audio lessons you can listen to online, download on your computer, or store in your portable mp3 player and listen anywhere! You start learning from lesson 1, even you are an absolute beginner. And then pace your learning, listen as often as you can and learn.
Coffee Break Spanish is produced by the Radio Lingua Network and all lessons are well planned out and taught by professionals. You can listen to and download all lessons for free! Also, there is a fee based service through which you can have access to bonus learning material and notes.
BBC Languages
I’ve talked often of the wonderful language learning tools of BBC Languages. The work they’ve done on Spanish is brilliant. Whether a first timer in the Spanish language, or someone who want to brush up on their speaking skills, this place has all you need.
BBC Languages - Spanish
The main page, listing all available tools and lessons for learning Spanish with this BBC website.
Spanish Steps
A series of 24 beginner lessons. Very easy to follow, featuring steps by e-mail, vocabulary, language tips and more.
Learn Spanish - Mi Vida Loca
If I was impressed before with the good job the BBC is doing in language teaching, I am now ecstatic! Mi Vida Loca is an interactive video series for learning the Spanish language. It is so well produced, you’d think you’re watching a TV series, only you can click and interact with the story.
You can have subtitles in both Spanish and English if you wish, listen and watch again, pause, or go to specific parts of each video. This one is so good, I would actually give it a raving review even if it was a pay service. The fact it is available for free - makes it my favorite of all learning resources listed here. If you don’t believe me, try it out.
Online Dictionaries - Translation Tools
Every student of any language must have a good dictionary. Although I would advise you to buy a hard copy of a reputable dictionary you can carry with you at all times, there are some very good Spanish-English-Spanish dictionaries and translation tools, available online for free. Here they are:
Traveler Phrasebook
If you plan to travel and have no time for real learning, Wikitravel has a one page (print and go) phrasebook on the Spanish language. Featuring an array of useful words and phrases for any English speaking tourist in a Spanish speaking country. Everything from “Hello” to “Am I under arrest?”.
