total beginner

Outstanding Language Resource Localized in 20 Languages

Bab.la offers free dictionaries, vocabulary sets, flash cards, quizzes, games, conjugation tables, phrases, travel survival guides, a forum and, yes, even more.

The website is localized in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto (!), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish and Turkish. Wow!

What does "localized" mean?

"Localized" (localised in British English) means that Bab.la's interface is available in all these languages, so speakers can surf the site in their native tongue. This can be useful for intermediate and advanced learners who want the challenge of surfing in their target language.

Learning Resources for 20 Languages

All the above languages also have learning resources available!

Of special note on Bab.la are the free Survival Guides, downloadable PDFs for quick access to phrases and language essential for travel conversation, complaints and computers. Chatting, computing and complaining has never been so simple!

The phrasebooks available are also of special note, as they cover quite a lot of ground that is often not covered in traditional phrasebooks. These are separated into four main categories: Application, Academic, Business and Personal, and are available for all the languages above - quite a boon to anyone needing quick access to phrases used commonly in application processes and academic, business and personal settings.

To give a quick example of this, you can quickly find useful common phrases for email communication, invoicing, reference letters, announcements and invitations, reservations and more.

Dictionaries, Vocabulary Sets, Quizzes, Games and Conjugation Tables

The dictionary area of Bab.la offers quick and easy translation between all the languages above.

The vocabulary section offers vocab sets for job, school & university, travel, self-study, fun & hobbies and official exams.

The quizzes and games are fun for children and can even help keep teens and adults entertained while learning.

The conjugation tables are quite useful for the appropriate languages, which currently include Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Portuguese. Some of these are also offered in sets, such as Polish <> German or French <> Italian, for the polyglots out there who like learning another language via a foreign language they already know :)

Tools: Broswser Plugins, Webmaster Widgets, Mobile Apps

All in all, Bab.la offers an amazing amount of material for free! There's even more that hasn't been covered here which is included in their Tools section. This includes dictionary toolbars and plugins for common browsers, dictionary widgets for websites and mobile dictionary apps (the apps are not free).

Have Fun Learning Spanish Fast

Busuu Spanish offers Spanish learners a dynamic combination of online lessons, language exchange and mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android.

Busuu offers many of their features for free :) This includes picture-based vocabulary training, writing exercises, reading comprehension exercises, video chat, interactive exams and a bustling community for social exchange in Spanish.

The Busuu system allows you to keep a track record of your Spanish studies and mark your progress as you complete each lesson. You can work through your lessons at any time, enabling you to fit your study schedule into your daily life however you choose.

Find Friends and Practice or Exchange

Finding friends is easy in the Busuu community! Quickly search and contact other Spanish learners to practice with as well as exchange partners to share and trade with. Plus, there's a free video chat function for easy access to language exchanges right in the same interface you're using to learn.

Stay Motivated in Style

In order to keep you motivated, Busuu has created a beautiful interface which allows you to grow and visualize your own language garden as you make progress learning Spanish. If you are interested in learning more than one language, you will have a tree for each language that sprouts and shoots to the sky as you progress through the lessons and levels. It's quite a thrill to see this grow and know it's a visual representation of your language skills!

Free Spanish Mobile App for iOS and Android

Busuu offers free mobile apps for learning Spanish on the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android. The free app takes you through the basics for getting around, and is especially useful while traveling.

Popular Free Spanish to English Translator, Dictionary and Spanish Course

SpanishDict.com is a widely-used free Spanish to English dictionary and translator. The website has been around since 1999 and has millions of visitors per month who rely on their fast and accurate translation engine.

In addition to offering a dictionary and translation, the SpanishDict offer loads of useful tools for Spanish learners including a free Spanish course, multimedia flashcards, Q&A, Word of the Day, Spanish grammar guide, links to Spanish newspapers and radio stations worldwide, a phrasebook, conjugation tables, a chat interface and more.

The interface is clean and loads quickly. All in all, this is an excellent all-around resource for Spanish students, and is useful for teachers as well.

Spanish Resources for Learners, Teachers and Children

123TeachMe.com is a great Spanish language website offering free information and tools for learners and teachers alike. Amongst these resources you'll find interactive Spanish games for kids, Spanish courses for adults, a Spanish verb conjugator, a translation engine, a directory of Spanish schools, daily study resources (words, verbs, phrases with RSS) and more.

For learners interested in courses, they offer free access to a conversational Spanish course, a Spanish grammar course, a basic medical Spanish course, Spanish for maids and housekeepers as well as business and occupational courses. All in all, it's quite a lot of material, and well-geared toward multiple niches. This is incredibly useful for quick learning on a specific topic.

Spanish teachers will love the worksheets and printable handouts as a quick way to get material for use in class. Included are games, grammar and vocabulary exercises, videos and more.

The website itself is clearly organized, neatly laid out and very useful. Many sections of the site are supplemented with audio and video. Bravo to the folks at 123TeachMe :)