Best way to Learn Spanish at home

This book was referred to us by one of the first Ecuadorian friends we made, the first week we arrived in Ecuador. He actually had a copy in his house and he lent it to us (out of pity, I think). We didn’t even know how or when to say buenas tardes when we arrived.

In the first few chapters, the book covers hundreds of Spanish words that you already know. Highly recommended. Read our full review.
Price: See below
Bottom line: Worth every penny

2. Pimsleur Language Programs: Basic Spanish

This course came recommended to us, but because of the cost – and its lack of flashy marketing (sorry, I’m a sucker) – we waited to buy it. After struggling for a year here in Ecuador we purchased it online with Audible and it helped us the most of all the courses.

Its slogan is: Learn to Speak and Understand Latin American Spanish. It’s best to purchase the whole course and get the pain over with at once. Then settle in and start learning.
Price: Free lesson to $299

Bottom line: If you are serious about learning Spanish, and don’t want to buy 11 different books and courses, buy this one.

3. Standard Deviants: Habla Espanol?

This package includes 2 programs:

1. Learning Spanish: The Basics
2. Beyond the Basics

The actors can be a little over the top, but we found it actually helps us to remember the lessons better. Sometimes they are funny … other times just really corny.
Bottom line: Its a great way to learn the rules. The result of the corny skits is that we remembered the lessons really well.

4.

Verbs are the problem area for all gringos – right after pronunciation. A slightly different emphasis on a word can change the meaning from first-person present-tense to third-person past-tense. Believe me, that can really confuse a conversation!
Bottom line: I’m a fan of the Standard Deviants series. We have 5 of their programs – certainly worth the money.

5. The Standard Deviants Super Spanish (4 pak)

My favorite video Spanish course comes in a 4 dvd pack. A total of 330 minutes on 4 discs. We have all of these and they are worth it, especially if you prefer visual learning to books.
Bottom line: These are some well produced training videos that make it easy to assimilate the Spanish lessons. Highly recommended.