Recommendations needed to train reading/listening at low level

Question

I'd like to improve my feeling for Spanish by starting to read some easy books. By now I have a very basic vocabulary (~1000 words) and can recognize a few tenses (present progressive, preterite, imperfect, the perfect tenses, conditional, future, present subjunctive), but am still struggling a lot when trying to read a Spanish news or sports site.

Does anybody know some easier stuff to help me get the hang of it?

Same problem with listening. I can receive TV España here, which is mainly a news channel, but they're talking way too fast for me to understand.

Or is it perhaps just too early and should I buff my vocabulary and grammar some more before I will be able to understand things?

Thanks

Answer 1

I like Spanish Proficiency Exercises for this sort of thing, so useful.

Answer 2

I've gotten Charlotte's Web in English and Spanish and read them side by side. Also all of the Harry Potter books. Works great!!

Answer 3

This site has some great Spanish/English parallel texts that you might enjoy Parallel Texts

P A R A L L E L texts - what a good idea ! ! Now where have I heard that idea before? :) Have a vote - ian-hill, Oct 17, 2010

Answer 4

Read some kids' books!

Answer 5

Best bet..... go rent Pimsleur Spanish from the library. It's a great builder.

Rent Pimsleur - you must be joking Jeeze - can buy it for 50 pence in the Cancha here. - ian-hill, Oct 17, 2010

Answer 6

And don't miss our chats, on skype, have a look at this thread, it started of with a couple of members, now I must have like 70 contacts

Answer 7

Go to www.lingq.com at this link LingQand sign up for a free account. They have lots of lessons for beginners that are written in Spanish and read aloud by native Spanish speakers. You can also click on the words to see what they mean. It's a great place to listen and learn!