Hi All -

I am an English speaking American, planning a trip to Spain this summer. Can anyone recommend a book or tape for learning the Spanish that I'll need for my trip? There are so many for sale, all promising the moon. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch! (Mucho Gracias?)....Jake

I recommend Michel Thomas's CDs. He is incredible - no book, no drill, no homework, no writing - but you'll be speaking the language faster than you thought possible. It's mind boggling. His system is different from any other I've come across. Amazing. You can get the 2 CD introductory set, which is cheaper, or the full set. You can also check your local library - they may have it and you can check it out that way before buying it. He has sets for Spanish, Italian, French and German - I'm working on French and Italian with his program. The drawback is that it doesn't help you read the language, but if speaking and listening is what you're most interested in, I'd give him a try.

Thanks, Diana! I've seen those tapes at the bookstore, and they looked intriguing. I'll give them a shot....Jake

Before I went on my first trip to Spain I took a beginning conversation class at my local community college. However, what helped me most was Spanish Steps on the BBC website. It is geared towards visitors to Spain and has videos and sound clips. So you can get a pretty good idea of what you might hear from waiters, hotel staff, taxi drivers, etc. in Spain and not South America.
BBC Language Site

...Syd

I like the Pimsleur tapes, available at Barnes and Noble. A little dorky but they really helped me.

And, since you are "Chicago Jake", you can take the little classes at the Latin School's live and learn program if you live or work downtown - I am taking my second one right now!

good luck

Sara

Thanks all. And Sara - I live about half a mile from the Latin school. I'll have to check that out!....Jake

Hi Jake,

I didn't do their Spanish series, but "Living Language Complete Course" worked wonders for me in German and Portuguese. I think the styles are all similar: a coursebook, dictionary, and CD set. The book has excellent sections on grammar at the beginning. The company guarantees speaking a foreign language "with confidence in just 6 weeks"--personally I noticed my ability increasing, but I can't say if it was six weeks.

But another recommendation would be to listen to Spanish radio. I have found that it is always best to hear it being spoken by natives as much as possible, and not get too accustomed to the pronunciation on whichever CDs or tapes you are using since those are usually done by people speaking as slowly and clearly as possible.

Best of luck!
Mike

Just to add to Diana's advice. I have been studying German for a couple of years, and found the hardest part was actually forming sentences. Michel Thomas's tapes are excellent in getting you to practise common expressions and adapt them to new situations. He tends to concentrate on around the 200 most common words and expressions you will need to form basic sentences. So for speaking the language and gaining fluency his tapes are superb. This is particularly important in German where word-order has very strict rules. I'm sure the method would work for Spanish as well. However if you need to study grammar or need to gain vocabulary, other materials or classes are required. Perhaps after using these tapes you could take a part-time class in Madrid on your vacation? Good luck ! (and put the hours in - it's worth it!)