I plan on retiring to Central America, maybe Nicaragua. What Spanish program would teach me ...?

Question

... the language?

'Rosetta Stone' advertises a lot, but is it worth $400? Are there any online programs for learning Spanish?

I've tried this before and most programs talk too fast. I need the written word, the spoken word and maybe the phonetic spelling of that word to show up at the same time to really connnect.

I'd like to at least understand the lingo before injecting myself into a strange land.

Answer 1

Pimsleur.

Its audio files that speak to you, and respond. When words are long, it breaks them up for you. Its really easy!

I'm learning a few languages from it.

If you can sign on to elbitz.net and download it as a torrent, you can get it for free.

Answer 2

livemocha.com its modled after rosetta stone and better yet its FREE!!! i love it ive learned so much so enroll asap

Answer 3

Living Language series is better than Rosetta Stone.  8 cd's and a course book.  There is a beginner and an advanced.  Each set is about $70.  

For on line do a google search for coffee break spanish.  You can down load lessons off their site or down load the pod casts off i-tunes.  I think the i-tunes method is more convenient.  And coffee break spanish is free unless you want to become a premium member which would get you pdf transcripts of everything.  Since I already have the living language stuff I have not.  The coffee break spanish is slow, but thorough.  It is about 20 minutes of spanish pronunciation per lesson and right now there are almost 60 of them.  They just won a language proficiency award from the EU.

A great supplement to learning would be the Schaums out line series spanish grammar book.  If you are serious about learning the language by all means get a GOOD spanish english dictionary - I suggest Harraps.  

Start learning.  Start listenin to Spanish music.  Start making your self converse.  You'll get it.  Just don't pressure your self and have fun with it.

Answer 4

Go to www.learnspanish.com it is FREE.  Try it out.

Answer 5

O.K., here's what you need to do.  Buy some cheap English/Spanish dictionary and move on down to Nica.  Find a family that rents a room to a gringo and the plan is to learn Spanish by being around folks talking the language.  If you can't handle that, then just find a language school, (they are all over the place) down there and dive in.  That book and CD stuff only get you part of the way there.  Trust me, I know it all.

Answer 6

ROSETTA STONE IS GOOD BUT A LITTLE EXPENSIVE YOUR RIGHT.