I need to learn Spanish FAST?

Do you know how they will "test" you out of this? I'm asking because this will have an impact on the best way to learn. Rosetta Stone, from my understanding, is about $700 for the Spanish course (the most expensive), and while you'll hear a lot of people singing its praises, I've found many more who don't. Why? Because it's not really meant as a full learning tool, as many people think. You're only getting a part of the language learning process. It's basically like learning to spit out some phrases, but you don't learn the grammar structures (how to conjugate verbs according to tenses...irregular, regular, and so on...). The people I know who have tried it say that it's a waste of money if you're not using other methods to teach you grammar.

Try going to the local or campus library to see if you can borrow a copy first. If they don't have that, they might have Pimsleur, which is another highly touted method. That way, you can give it a try and see if you think it will actually work for you rather than wasting time and money if it doesn't. I did this with Pimsleur, and found that it wasn't the method for me...saved myself a lot of money.

There is no real "fast" way to learn Spanish. I've been working at it for nearly a year, and I still often feel like a total beginner. I figured that, since I had little trouble learning French in high school, and I learn things quickly and with little effort (other subjects), Spanish would take me a few months. I was wrong.

Since you're currently in college, ask around to see if anyone has the text books. Maybe a friend, or another student, has taken the course and hasn't sold it. The next best thing would be to check for a used copy at the bookstore, or trying to find one online. The best way to learn is to know how to structure your lessons, and a text book has the structure that most students use to learn. If it's worked all these years, there MUST be something to their method, right? :) Find a text with the workbook and CD/software if at all possible. The workbook gives you a chance to put the lessons to the test.

Immerse yourself...music, movies, television. Look around for Spanish language magazines, newspapers, and books. Sit down with a dictionary and work on translating as you read. It will seem to take forever, but you actually learn better doing this. I will read a sentence and pick out the words I know, then use a dictionary to translate the rest...it will seem odd because the sentences seem to be structured backwards, but once you see it all out in front of you, you can mentally process it into a sentence that makes sense. Avoid online translators. Many times they are not correct...they don't always differentiate gender, and they often use words that might be part of one segment of Spanish, but not in another...sort of like regional slang, I guess.

Having a copy of a Spanish/English dictionary is a must. Again, a former student might loan you or sell you their copy really cheap if you're worried about money.

And, the most important thing is to have a "buddy". Someone that you can practice with, and they can correct your mistakes. If you don't have someone that you know personally, try sites like LiveMocha.com. The fastest way to learn a language is to USE it. This is one of the free sites out there that matches you with native Spanish speakers. You also get free lessons so that you can practice what you're learning...and they can correct you if you're learning something wrong, so that you can avoid making it a permanent mistake in your mind.

Basically, the best way for some to learn won't work for others, but if you're going to test out, you need to remember that immersion will be good to an extent...but you need to make sure you are learning every part (auditory, written, etc.). You need to effectively learn vocabulary, grammar, verb tense, conjugation, etc. So, you need to try to blend different learning methods so that you don't go into this knowing how to write...only to find out that they expect you to carry on a conversation for an oral exam section...or vice versa.

Good luck!

Rosetta Stone. It's really expensive but it works! That's what I'de recommend. :)

Either go to a college or high school and take lessons, or buy rosetta stone

Hello,

Try these websites:

www.babbel.com

www.livemocha.com

www.espagnolfacile.com

www.busuu.com

www.myhappyplanet.com

www.polyglot-learn-language.com

www.abroadlanguages.com

www.mylanguageexchange.com

Good Luck.