Learning Spanish in Mexico (and other countries too!)

Immersion Programs

• Mexico – Canada – USA – Spain
• IMAC Spanish Language Program in Guadalajara

• Articles on Learning Spanish (and other stuff)

• Choosing a Spanish school in Mexico
• Learning Spanish by immersion: Does it work?
• Telenovelas, my secret obsession: learning and practicing Spanish
• Speaking Spanish Like a Native – Golden Zone Publications and
  available on Amazon.com here
• Carl Franz’s review of books for learning Spanish
• Hints on learning Spanish for Mexico
• Comparing education: US and Mexico

Websites

“Learn Spanish” – A comprehensive on-line Tutorial.

Source of Downloadable Spanish Learning Software

Dave’s ESL Cafe (of interest to ESL Instructors)

Spanish for Travellers by Michael C. Martin. With sound files of key words and phrases for the tourist, and an on-line quiz

Spanish Language Training

Learning the Spanish Language include links on Hispanic culture, literature and media as well as other learning resources

Software

There are many commercial and shareware software programs to help you learn and improve your spanish fluency. Some are good, and some are not. While Mexico Connect does not endorse any particular programs, our viewers have found the following to be particularly useful.

• From Ultimate Software, the Spanish Language version of The Ultimate Language Tutor for Windows
  This is a good Windows based drill program. It comes with a basic data file of nouns, verbs, phrases and verb conjugations. The program is designed to let you build your own data bases -an excellent feature for teachers. You can test yourself on any of the data bases provided or self-built, and establish records for individuals. The cost is reasonable.

Self-Study Books

• 1001 Pitfalls in Spanish 1997 by Marion P. Holt & Julianne Dueber, Barrons Educational Series.
  Available through Amazon Books
  Among the most difficult things to learn about any foreign language are the exceptions to its rules of grammer and vocabulary. This book is designed to help students of Spanish get past such trouble spots as irregular verbs, homonyms and homophones, confusions caused by words and phrases that resemble one another, and specialized vocabularies and technical terms.
• Breaking Out of Beginner’s Spanish, 1994 by Joseph J. Keenan, University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819.
  Available through Amazon Books
  In a style that is both instructive and a delight to read, the author shares hundreds of hard-earned tips on correcting grammatical errors, improving fluency and understanding the subtleties of spoken Spanish.
• Cassell’s Colloquial Spanish, revised 1980 by A. Bryson Gerrard, Collier Books, 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022
  Available through: Amazon Books
  Subtitled “A Handbook Of Idiomatic Usage”, this is one of those rare gems: a language instruction book enjoyable to read. The author explains the pitfalls and difficulties inherent in colloquial, colourful, or idiomatic usage…. a valuable source of reference but also an entertaining and absorbing portrait of the current state of the language.
• Madrigal’s Magic Key to SPANISH, by Margarita Madrigal, Published by Doubleday,
  Available through: Amazon Books
  A Quality self-study book that helps you to learn the language in the way most approximate to how you will use it in day to day life. It uses a “building block approach that is very easy and comfortable to work with.
• Spanish the Easy Way, 2nd. Edition from Barron’s Educational Series.
  Available through: Amazon Books
  A good introductory self-study book with useful exercises. It provides a structured approach, with a gentle emphasis on grammatical development.
• Spanish for Business and Finance, by Ana C. Jarvis and Luis Lebredo. Published by D.C. Heath and Company,.
  Available through: Amazon Books
  Best used as a supplement to other Spanish texts or courses. It will provide a good grounding in the language of business and finance in Spanish. If you have to learn some business Spanish quickly, this will be a good place to start.

• Spanish for Gringos, Level 2 by William C. Harvey,M.S., 1997 Published by Baron’s Educational Series.
  Available through: Amazon Books Anyone interested in sending a review to Contributions? It will be appreciated by all.