Learning foreign languages and other subjects in self-study

Spanish

Spanish is spoken in Spain, Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. It is a Romance language, very similar to Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Latin and somewhat similar to French. A lot of people learn it because of its usefulness (particularly for Americans and travellers to South America), its culture and its sound, which is perceived as beautiful by many.

What to expect when studying Spanish: English speakers will find that Spanish spelling is very phonetic and easy to learn. The grammar is more complicated than e. g. English grammar or the grammar of South-East Asian languages, but easier than German or Slavic grammar, since there are no cases. Noun genders have to be reckoned with however.

Advice for learning Spanish: Always memorise the gender of a noun along with the noun itself. This is best done by associating a male person with every masculine word and a female person with every feminine word. Also be sure to look at word endings, since many of them have a close relation to the word's gender. And as with learning any language, try and refrain from translating everything from one language to another once you've reached an intermediate level. Try to think more of the meaning of the word and you'll be able to use the language better. Get advice valid for learning any language here.

Learn Spanish online and for free:

Online courses:
Course: business Spanish
Course: BBC Spanish course
Course: studyspanish.com
Overview of Spanish grammar and vocabulary
FSI Spanish courses
Learn Spanish as a creative relaxation exercise

Spanish online dictionary

Professional (paid) translations from/to Spanish

Pronunciation

Grammar

Exercises

Vocabulary with audio of Venezuelan pronunciation

Good materials for studying Spanish offline, from Amazon:
Spanish with Michel Thomas
Conversational Spanish in nothing flat
Spanish in 10 minutes a day
Spanish-English-Spanish dictionary
Spanish grammar
More from Amazon...

Misc resources, particularly for intermediate and advanced students of Spanish:
Learn Spanish tongue twisters
Christian literature in Spanish
Spanish literature
Comics in Spanish
Bilingual science fiction (English/Spanish)
The Bible and religious texts
Test your knowledge of Spanish
Learn how to curse in Spanish
Salsa music in Spanish