Advises in learning spanish?
Hola, I'm just a beginning learner in spanish. mucha gracias!!!!!
2 Answers
Hola idril y bienvenidos
Basically, you are going to need to practice four separate yet related aspects of language: Reading, writing, speaking and listening.
This site has quite a few resources you can use to help you get started in learning Spanish. Try starting with the Learn Spanish section to get yourself started and use the Reference section to reinforce what you have learned.
You also might want to invest in a good Spanish-English and a Spanish-Spanish dictionary as well as a/some good grammar books. Daily practice is a good idea, and it is important to remember that you will make mistakes. When this happens just do your best to learn from them, and move on.
Besides this site it is probably a good idea if you start practicing your reading in Spanish right away. Start with books geared towards small children and read them until you can almost recite them yourself (much as small children do). As you progress in your learning gradually choose more challenging books to read. While reading, be sure to pay close attention to the way in which sentences are constructed, verbs are conjugated, etc. Before long you may find that it starts to become second nature and that you are making fewer and fewer errors. Try the library; it may be that your own local library has a dedicated Spanish section of its own.
Besides reading, you should also try writing in Spanish. The forum on this site is a good place to get feedback on your grammar, and answers to some of your questions. Try keeping a daily journal in Spanish. This will be frustrating at first as your vocabulary and knowledge will keep your expressions limited, but with daily patience and practice you will soon find that you can improve almost daily in your abilities.
Speaking and listening are also two key aspects to learning Spanish that should not be overlooked. If you have access to someone who actually speaks Spanish or a Spanish tutor then this would be extremely helpful, but if not then you may have to be a bit more creative. Watch Spanish TV, radio, CDs, movies, etc and practice listening and imitating what you hear. Again, this will be frustrating at first and may even seem incoherent; however, keep at it an you will eventually find that your ear will improve discerning the words that are actually being said.
Besides media outlets you might try to organize a Spanish club at your local community center, school or library; try volunteering to help teach English to Spanish speakers; attend an iglesia (church) and listen to the sermon or to the other attendees, and as you feel more comfortable with the language try talking to the other people there in Spanish. Like I said, get creative.
I wish that I could tell you that there were some magic elixir that could instantly gain you fluency; however, there isn't. The only thing that is going to get you there is your own dedication, hard work and an ever present willingness to learn from the many mistakes that you are bound to make along the way.
If this seems overwhelming to you, just remember that the journey starts with a single step. Just keep on putting one foot in front of the other and you will soon find yourself well on your way. And take comfort in the fact that every single person that speaks Spanish today began without any prior knowledge of the language. And you can to. 
I wish you the best of luck on your long journey.
There is always one thing to remember when you are learning Spanish is to never think of Spanish as a bunch of English equivlients or something like that, always think of Spanish as its own language.
¡Buena suerte con aprender español!
