Learning Spanish?

Are you learning Spanish too?  Cool.  I just wanted to stop by and share some of the resources that I’ve been using so far.  Maybe you’ll find one of them helpful…

First of all, here’s something I really think every Spanish student should own.  I’ve used a few different Spanish/English translators over the past few years, but nothing else even comes close to comparing with the Merriam-Webster Spanish-English Dictionary.  Here are some of the reasons I’ve found it so useful:

It’s got lots of words.

 Millions of translations, which means a lot of words other translators don’t have.

I found a case to put on my belt that fits perfectly (here it is – a Roots case for PDA/Blackberry), so it’s now a part of my body.  Well, I take it off when I shower.

Now most of the time I use the electronic translator instead of the paper dictionary, because it’s faster and usually has all the information I need.  But if I want to check another source I use the excellent Collins Spanish Dictionary Plus Grammar.  Actually, I think there’s a new edition out now, but I haven’t seen it.

There are lots of other resources out there, but those are the ones I’ve used the most so far.  One other one that I’ve used a little, and I’m sure I’ll use more of as time goes by, is the Spanish Verb Manual, by Alfredo González Hermoso.  It’s a small book containing 5000 verbs (yes, that’s right), with conjugations, regional and idiomatic use, and an overview of Spanish grammar.  Thanks to Greg and Shelli for recommending this one (see their site for other recommendations).

What about resources on the net?  I’ve had trouble finding a good dictionary, but I eventually found this Spanish/English dictionary which does the job.  If you want to listen to the language, try a Spanish learning podcast.  I’ve been listening to Finally Learn Spanish, the rss feed is www.edufone.com/rss.xml.  Also, here’s a free sophisticated flash card program you can download.  I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks interesting.  You can enter your own information, or they have a whole page of lessons you can choose from (languages, geography, math, etc). Finally, don’t forget the Spanish words of the day (bookmark the page and check it everyday to expand your vocabulary).

Are you learning Spanish?  What resources have you found helpful?