learn a new language

directed me to Livemocha a while ago… I tried it and liked it, but got busy again with other things and didn’t stick with it.

I think I need to set a schedule to do this regularly. It might not be the best way to master a language, but it seems to be good for getting familiar with a new language… and that’s what I’m interested in right now.

(and repeated!) the Pimsleur Spanish short course CDs. Nothing too advanced, but I think it does help to feel more at ease (knowing the basic greetings and such). At least now I can say “No entiendo Catellano” (I still remember that a Greek lady got really mad at me when in response to what she asked, I tried all the (other) languages I knew trying to say I don’t speak Greek :)).

The other weird thing is that questions in Spanish sound to me somehow similar to Turkish (and I don’t know Turkish!)... something about the way they stress somewhere in the middle of the sentence.

the trial versions on Mango and Rocket. Both of them work for a true beginner like myself… I kind of liked Mango better (probably because of its consistent repetitions and better visual aid), but I suspect Rocket Spanish is closer to everyday conversations (though I don’t really have enough reason to support this claim :)).

I also watched some of the Olympics in Spanish, from which I got the impression that pronunciations in Spanish are probably easier for me to learn compared to English…

I put this on hold hoping that I’d get more spare time later on… guess what? I didn’t, and there is no prospect of ever getting more free time in future either! :) What I see now, however, is that I could have used the little time that I had here and there to learn something instead of abandoning it altogether.

I’m picking up one of the self-teaching Spanish softwares to give it a shot. I’m just not sure which one would be the best for me.

this one on hold until I get some extra time… I have to spend some time deciding what language I’d prefer to learn too (I’m not sure if just picking one randomly would give me enough motivation to pursue it consistently later on).