Learning Spanish for fun and profit!

Magus`

So I've been thinking about moving to Mexico since it looks like I'll have a better chance of getting a job there and I actually know several natives already. I'll probably be making another thread on how to go about this depending on what I find out, but for now I have another question: What is the easiest way to learn Spanish in my free time? There are no free classes here, and I can't afford paid ones, so I was thinking maybe some personal software.

I've seen the ads for Rosetta Stone and supposedly it's not awful? Is there anything else that's better? I have a lot of free time (yay, no job) so being able to keep up wouldn't be an issue.

Thanks!

adytum

I haven't used Rosetta Stone in a few years but it used to be complete garbage.

Try spanishpod.com for good, free podcasts of short lessons. I've heard "okay" things about livemocha.com but haven't used it myself. I found having a pocket conjugation book immensely helpful in learning to conjugate verbs.

Immersion is the best, so if you know anyone (online or in person) you can chat with, that's a huge bonus. I'd also seek out Spanish-language TV and movies that you can watch with subtitles. Children's books are good too. If you have a used book store nearby, you can pick up used spanish textbooks for cheap- or you could probably get them on amazon or the like.

adytum

It's also worth mentioning that Mexican spanish is notably different from other forms of Spanish in both pronunciation and word usage (aka slang) so it would be worth your time to seek out Mexican sources of media if possible.

Magus`

My best friend is a born and raised Mexican and he offered to help me out as I go, so that should be good.