Learning the Lingo

It's time to start putting some real effort into learning the basic Spanish phrases so I can hold a basic conversation and hopefully get by in restaurants, hotels and shops. Having done 'o' level Spanish 30 years ago, I really am hoping that the little grey cells will have retained some, but I do seem to remember it was a relatively nice language to learn.

The first thing to do is to see what home learning programmes are around. I know that certain learning styles don't appeal to me and so I need to find one that will. I have a Nintendo DS that I do Brain Training & Suduko programs on and is small enough to carry in my handbag and although I thought there was little chance, it was worth doing a search on the internet - lo and behold, they do 2 for the DS, a basic and an intermediate - so I ordered on line and received the basic one within the week.

It's a good little refresher programme but I don't think it would be great for someone with no knowledge. It's a good way to learn the basic words, but the use of verbs and the masculine/feminine issue doesn't seem that clear to me (and I do understand the concept). However, Neil has taken an interest in this program as it's so handy, no computers to set up, no books to read through and if it gives him the basic words then maybe it does have a use for complete beginners.

It gives you groups of 10 words to familiarise yourself with and then a number of games to play to enable you to remember the words, as you progress it keeps bringing words from previous lessons back in. It also has a dictionary, but again is a little restrictive - but it is only a beginners program and is great for using for 5-10minute refresher sessions and really easy to take out and use over a coffee somewhere. I will take it with me to Spain next visit and it will be useful as a quick reference guide if we are struggling to make ourselves understood.

Next, I needed a more in-depth program to run on the laptop, as I spend half my life using my laptop and therefore know it is a medium I will use regularly. Learning from books doesn't interest me. Having looked at a few, I decided on the Berlitz program. They do flashcards, which makes you translate both verbally and written English to Spanish and vice versa. You also have video lessons of scenarios where you can hear the spoken word as it should be and can then opt to play a role in the video so you are actually taking part in the conversation and can check how you sound compared to the computer. Both the DS program and the Berlitz program have the ability to record your voice and then compare it to the program.

I have found both programs suit my manner of learning and I can understand quite a lot of written Spanish already, although it's still quite difficult for me to create sentences. I am looking forward to our trip to Spain in a couple of weeks to try out my knew, if limited skills, and hopefully it will be received positively by the locals - at least I will be trying but I know my first couple of times trying it will be quite nerve wracking! Wish me luck!