Travel, live, and retire in Mexico!

with
Rosana Hart

Choosing and Using CDs, Tapes, or MP3s to Help You Learn Spanish

If you want to learn Spanish, whether it's as a total beginner or brushing up on what you once learned, there are many tools to help you. There are books, in-person classes at local colleges and universities, and audio courses of various kinds... not to mention a vacation in a Spanish-speaking locale!

A Spanish learning CD can be a terrific tool if you want to study on your own, or as part of a class. You can use it as you do chores around the house or in other situations where your full attention isn't needed. (If you use it while driving, pick your times and places!)

CDs, MP3s, and the rapidly-becoming-obsolete cassette tapes offer you a lot of benefits.

They are easy to use:

• You can play at least one format in your car, most likely.
• You can carry a portable player with you for those times of waiting that our lives always seem to have...
• or to use when you are out for a walk or other exercise.
• You can work them into your daily schedule.

They can help your Spanish a lot:

• By hearing and repeating phrases, you learn pronunciation.
• By the well-designed method of introducing a usage and then giving you variations on it, you learn it more naturally and likely more effectively than if you tried to memorize rules.

On this website, I review different programs that sell audio format tools to help you learn Spanish. My favorites are Rocket Spanish and Platiquemos Español.

I also review Pimsleur's.

Most of these programs come as CD sets or cassette tapes that you can order to come through the mail. Some of these (and probably others I haven't come across) offer MP3 files which have the added advantage of direct downloads if you wish. If you haven't used MP3 files, don't worry, they are easily played on your computer with free software or on an iPod or other handy MP3 player. These players are widely available.

So consider making Spanish-learning CDs or MP3s part of your study!