Language learning

A little over one year ago I was speaking with a colleague about language learning, and I mentioned that I was a very good beginner, but always got stuck when I had to make the leap to conjugating verbs and expanding my vocabulary.  He didn't bother with talking about the various ways to learn a language. He just jumped right to the best way of learning a language, which is to live in a country where that language is spoken.

Living in a Spanish-speaking country is not the only way to learn Spanish, just one of the best ways.  I have a decent background in Spanish, and have taken formal Spanish classes throughout my life.  But when I wanted to speak Spanish in my work at a public library in South Minneapolis I got more serious about listening and speaking.

Before this trip came up I began to work on improving my Spanish again in order to talk with patrons.

Active vocabulary
Brainscape Spanish uses confidence-based repetition (you rate your confidence as you plug through the flashcards, which means that flashcards are repeated at a great rate for learning). It does not include a recording option, which I actually prefer since I'm trying to build my vocabulary with this app - not my fluency.

DuoLingo uses more techniques to engage different learning styles. You answer questions using multiple choice, construct sentences, record your voice, and translate between languages. It's really easy to use (and free) but requires a bit more accuracy than I'm interested in right now.

CatAcademy is simply brilliant. It's a British app to learn Castilian Spanish, but you learn language. From cats.

Passive Vocabulary
News in Slow Spanish Latino is a fantastic service. The presenters speak slowly, so I have a chance to hear the language and make out the words.  I can listen for a long enough (and short enough) period of time to get the gist of what is being said without having to know the meaning of every single word.

Español Interactivo. Each lesson includes beginner, intermediate, and advanced - which is great for both building active vocabulary and recognition.

There are many other options for language learning, including books, finding a language swap partner or taking a class in the community. So far, I have learned (and remembered!) the most when I have conversations with friends or library patrons in Spanish. Much as computer programs have improved, nothing beats human interaction.