Summary

BBC Spanish's new interactive mystery video course Mi Vida Loca sets a new standard for the direction that BBC Languages is taking with their free, online language learning materials and resources (courses, lessons, phrase books, etc).

Mi Vida Loca is an online interactive suspense thriller internet tv series (call it a soap opera - or telenovela - if you prefer!) for total beginners that takes users on an adventure from the UK through Spain. Along the journey, Spanish is acquired by the interactive "viewer" in digestible tidbits. The course is adaptable depending on whether you are male or female, since Spanish language has gender.

To add to the instructional quality of the series, BBC Spanish has provided a User Guide for students as well as a handy Teacher Guide and Syllabus for instructors/educators.

All in all, this is a more interesting approach to totally beginner Spanish than many of the other choices out there. And the fact that you feel like you are moving along the whole time by virtue of the way it is filmed and presented can help to keep those short attention spans interested! The Spanish guitar music also helps recreate the setting.

In the prolific words of the BBC: "Real Spanish, real drama."

From BBC Spanish

Brand new Spanish drama. Get hooked. Learn the language. All episodes now live!

Visit BBC Spanish's "Mi Vida Loca" Interactive Mystery Video Course.

Summary

At last, a study abroad school reservation website that just plain rocks hands down: eurolanguages. Not only is it quick and simple to find Spanish language schools in dozens of European cities, it's also free to use! Naturally the courses aren't free, but you are not charged a euro cent extra than what you'd pay directly to the school. Plus you get to use their slick, user-friendly and eye-candy-rich Web reservation interface that allows you to compare instantly and make the best choice for your particular needs.

Currently for the Spanish language, you can find study abroad programs and language schools in Spain. Regions include Andalusia, the Canary Islands, the Basque Country and Navarre. Cities include Madrid, Valencia, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Granada, Almuñecar and La Laguna.

Depending on the language school you choose, different options for facilities and extra-curricular activities exist. These include such goodies as audio learning labs, computer access, free wifi (wireless internet), eating/dining area, tea/coffee, television room, wheelchair/handicap accessiblity (elevator), cultural trips, pub trips, snack machines, printing and fax services, bookshop/bookstore, study area and library. It is surprisingly quick and easy to see which of these features a given school offers, providing you with a snapshot of what the school has going for it.

Of course, you'll need a place to stay while studying abroad, and eurolanguages makes that quite simple as well. You can either choose to find your own accommodation or select between several options including homestays with half or full board.

Eurolanguages encourages transparency by allowing users to rate and review language schools right on their site. These reviews are accessible while viewing information about a school, and can provide additional insight into what individual learning experiences have been. Currently you can rate on teaching, location, features and fun.

All in all, Eurolanguages is providing an amazing service to anyone interested in studying Spanish in Europe - with no extra fees! They are definitely worth checking out. Thanks to the whole team for this much-needed free Web service.

Of special note is a program to learn Spanish while surfing! Eurolanguages is also available for English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Portuguese, including a program that combines skiing with Italian lessons! Let the fun begin :)

From Website

Finding and confirming a place on an international language course is difficult, and searching online isn’t always helpful. There are 1,000’s of results for every destination, without any indication as to which one is best. So how can anyone decide on which city? which school? and at what price? And who do you contact?, and who can you trust?

You can trust us. We offer you more choice than ever before, with up to date information on all available schools and courses, and the insight and tools to compare them. We even offer fellow student reviews and ratings for reassurance. It’s like asking a friend for advice, except with eurolanguages, you can read the advice of 1,000’s of fellow students just like you. And when you’ve found your favourite, just pay a 20% deposit online to confirm your place.

Even though we think the schools we work with are great, we know you don’t necessarily care what we think. That’s why we don’t give you our opinions on the school; we let other students tell you theirs. And when you’ve finished your course we’ll ask you yours. Simple really.

On top of that, we’ve made it simple to actually book your place. We’ve taken care of the contractual side of things between you and the school so you don’t have to deal with endless paperwork in a language you are trying to learn. We’ve also given schools a management tool, so that when you buy a course with us, it’s guaranteed.

Over the last few decades the majority of language students have chosen to stay with a host family during their time at an international language school. For many, this is a great opportunity to practice the language, experience the culture, and above all an economical way to stay. To book a bed with a local host, which will be organised and confirmed by your school, simply select the available options on the booking screen.

Visit Eurolanguages.com

Summary

The useful Spanish phrases section of the Omniglot website contains all the truly basic phrases you would want to know when traveling in a Spanish-speaking country.

Furthermore, audio versions of these phrases can be downloaded (zip file containing mp3s) from the site for learners to hear these phrases spoken by a native Spanish speaker and practice pronunciation. You can transfer these to your favorite mp3 player (iPod, Creative Zen, Zune, etc.) and learn them while going about your day. And with four ways to ask "Where is the toilet?", you know no matter where you are you will be understood and pointed in the right direction!

From Website

Useful Spanish Phrases

A collection of useful phrases in Spanish. Click on the English phrases to see them in many other languages.

Visit Omniglot Spanish Phrases.

Summary

Spanish News Bites offers quite interesting and varied audio news articles regarding Spain and Latin America. These are free, naturally.

It's a Spanish-speaking-world news source, a podcast and a written lesson all in one.

From Website

Spanish NewsBites is a free language-learning website designed to help you learn Spanish at the same time as you learn about what's happening TODAY throughout Spain and Latin America, whether you're a student or a teacher, or whether you're learning Spanish for fun.

So what's the Spanish NewsBites recipe? If you want to know more, click "Continue Reading" below. If you're returning to Spanish NewsBites and you're already in the know, just scroll down this page a few centimeters to read our latest entry. (You'll find one every couple of days.)

So just what is the Spanish NewsBites recipe?

• Three to four times a week, we choose a news story from Spain or Latin America and adapt it for language learners. Often, it's the kind of story you won't easily find anywhere in English.
• Then we add mouse rollover translation into English of key vocabulary. To see how this works, just roll your mouse over these words in bold.
• Then we prepare an audio transcript of the text for you to follow. This can be done straight from your browser, or it can be downloaded as an MP3 file.
• Then we add a PDF file of the text and glossary, so you can print it out and take it away with you.
• Then we add links which we think will give a little further context and generally enhance your reading.
• Then we add an online self-correction exercise.
• The news stories are classified into categories by theme or by Spanish level - beginner, intermediate or advanced. So you can choose what you read according to your interests or your level.

Visit Spanish News Bites.

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Subscribe to Spanish NewsBites.

Summary

spanish.about.com is an excellent resources for beginner to intermediate Spanish learners as well as teachers of those levels. In fact, there is so much content there that listing it here would take too much time! Instead, this article will highlight some of the things you can find on the site, and leave the rest for you to find on the site.

Of special note are the start learning section, continue learning section, culture section, teacher resources, tips for learning, grammar section, travel section, vocabulary section, pronuniation and language schools.

There is a lot more there, and it's all accessible for free. :)

From Website

Spanish is a natural choice for a second language in part because of the numbers: With 400 million native speakers, it's the fourth most common language in the world. But the numbers tell only part of the story.

Who's learning Spanish these days? For starters, residents of the United States, a bunch not known for conquering monoligualism, are studying Spanish in record numbers. Spanish, too, is becoming of greater importance in Europe, where it often the foreign language of choice after English. And it's no wonder that Spanish is a popular second or third language: with some 400 million speakers, it's the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world (after English, Chinese and Hindustani), and according to some counts it has more native speakers than English does. It is an official language on four continents and is of historical importance elsewhere.'

The numbers alone makes Spanish a good choice for those wanting to learn another tongue. But there are plenty of other reasons to learn Spanish. Here are a few:

Better understanding of English: Much of the vocabulary of English has Latin origins, much of which came to English by way of French. Since Spanish is also a Latin language, you will find as you study Spanish that you have a better understanding of your native vocabulary. Similarly, both Spanish and English share Indo-European roots, so their grammars are similar. There is perhaps no more effective way to learn English grammar than by studying the grammar of another language, for the study forces you to think about how your language is structured. It's not unusual, for example, to gain an understanding of English verbs' tenses and moods by learning how those verbs are used in Spanish.

Knowing your neighbors: Not all that many years ago, the Spanish-speaking population of the United States was confined to the Mexican border states, Florida and New York City. But no more. Even where I live, less than 100 kilometers from the Canadian border, there are Spanish-speaking people living on the same street as I do. Knowing Spanish has proven invaluable in speaking with other residents of my town who don't know English.

Travel: Yes, it is perfectly possible to visit Mexico, Spain and even Ecuatorial Guinea without speaking a word of Spanish. But it isn't nearly half as much fun. I remember about two decades ago — when my Spanish was much less adequate than it is today — when I met some mariachis on top of one of the pyramids near Mexico City. Because I spoke (albeit limited) Spanish, they wrote down the words for me so I could sing along. It turned out to be one of my most memorable travel experiences, and one unlike what most tourists have the opportunity to enjoy. Time and time again while traveling in Mexico, Central America and South America I have had doors opened to me simply because I speak Spanish, allowing me to see and do things that many other visitors do not.

Cultural understanding: While most of us can't hope to learn the languages of more than one or two cultures other than that of our own, those that we can learn help us to learn how other people learn and think. When I read Latin American or Spanish newspapers, for example, I often find that I gain a sense of how other people think and feel, a way that is different than my own. Spanish also offers a wealth of literature, both modern and traditional.

Learning other languages: If you can learn Spanish, you'll have a head start in learning the other Latin-based languages such as French and Italian. And it will even help you learn Russian and German, since they too have Indo-European roots and have some characteristics (such as gender and extensive conjugation) that are present in Spanish but not English. And I wouldn't be surprised if learning Spanish might even help you learn Japanese or any other non-Indo-European language, since intensive learning the structure of a language can give you a reference point for learning others.

It's easy: Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. Much of its vocabulary is similar to English's, and written Spanish is almost completely phonetic: Look at almost any Spanish word and you can tell how it is pronounced. And while mastering the grammar of Spanish can be a challenge, basic grammar is straightforward enough that you can have meaningful communication after only a few lessons.

Employment opportunities: If you're in the United States and work in one of the helping professions including medicine and education, you'll find your opportunities expand by knowing Spanish. And wherever you live, if you're in any occupation that involves international trade, communications or tourism, you'll similarly find opportunities to use your new language skills.

It's fun: Whether you enjoy talking, reading, or mastering challenges, you'll find all of them in learning Spanish. For many people, there's something inherently enjoyable about successfully speaking in another tongue. Perhaps that's one reason children sometimes speak in Pig Latin or device secret codes of their own. Although learning a language can be work, the efforts pay off quickly when you finally get to use your skills.

For many people, Spanish offers the most rewards with the least effort of any foreign language. It's never too late to begin learning.

Spanish is one of the most-used languages in the world, and it's one that is relatively easy for English speakers to master. Whether you are studying Spanish at school, learning the language on your own or just wanting to pick enough Spanish to make your travels more enjoyable, this collection of lessons and articles is designed to help you gain a fuller understanding of the language.

Visit spanish.about.com