Language Learning On The Cheap

nida · 07-07-2011, 07:10 AM

Hello!

Have any of you ever used an e-book to learn a language?

I've been wanting to learn Spanish for a while but unfortunately I am quite low on funds at the moment and language classes cost a bit (for me anyway). I recently took a chance and bought a Spanish "phrase book" for like $2.99 on Amazon.

It's going pretty well so far...I mean, there are phrases like "hello my name is..." and "where is the hotel" so getting a conversation started is pretty easy. Of course in order to be really fluent I'd have to learn actual grammar but I imagine a phrasebook like this would be pretty great if you're going to Spain for 3 days. I believe their iPhone app actually has audio by a native speaker as well. (The company is Eton Institute)

Have you guys ever had a good/bad experience with these apps that claim to teach you an entire language? Or are they a waste of time and money?

apbschmitz · 07-07-2011, 10:51 AM

Not exactly an answer to your question, but I've done Rosetta Stone's Spanish, which was offered free via an online hookup through my public library. Sort of useful.

There are also approximately a bajillion websites that offer a free Spanish tutorials, some with songs and/or poetry that make the learning less painful. An easy Google search.

It's also possible to find some online Spanish translations of books such as Old Man and the Sea, which you can then get up on a screen along with the English version. One thing about Hemingway — the language is simple, so reading along is fairly straightforward. Also (and this is less helpful although it does give you some interesting vocabulary) I found a Gideon bible with Spanish on the left page, English on the right.

Namekuseijin · 07-07-2011, 11:25 AM

haha, I've been recently trying to learn latin from this Gutenberg ebook.

Lots of public domain spanish literature there too, both for beginners and advanced.

JDK1962 · 07-07-2011, 01:40 PM

Although dated, you may want to check out FSI (Foreign Service Institute) at http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php.

Open Culture has a collection of resources for various languages (http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons) that might get you going in the right direction.

I keep requesting access to the Kindle Developer API, so that I can write myself a flashcard app (I'm a programmer by trade), but they keep ignoring me.

07-07-2011, 07:10 AM	#1
nida Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Kindle	Language Learning On The Cheap Hello! Have any of you ever used an e-book to learn a language? I've been wanting to learn Spanish for a while but unfortunately I am quite low on funds at the moment and language classes cost a bit (for me anyway). I recently took a chance and bought a Spanish "phrase book" for like $2.99 on Amazon. It's going pretty well so far...I mean, there are phrases like "hello my name is..." and "where is the hotel" so getting a conversation started is pretty easy. Of course in order to be really fluent I'd have to learn actual grammar but I imagine a phrasebook like this would be pretty great if you're going to Spain for 3 days. I believe their iPhone app actually has audio by a native speaker as well. (The company is Eton Institute) Have you guys ever had a good/bad experience with these apps that claim to teach you an entire language? Or are they a waste of time and money? Last edited by nida; 07-10-2011 at 12:37 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Language learning	Kumabjorn	General Discussions	5	07-28-2010 12:33 PM
Seriously thoughtful cannot afford Rosetta Stone, what do you suggest for language learning ?	Joebill	Lounge	31	07-14-2010 02:59 AM
Seriously thoughtful Learning a new language	GraceKrispy	Lounge	159	11-22-2009 08:38 AM
Word replacement as method for learning foreign language?	eumesmo	Lounge	8	04-06-2008 04:46 PM
language learning with embedded audio	sic	Sony Reader	0	11-21-2006 06:28 PM

07-07-2011, 10:51 AM	#2
apbschmitz Lord of Frogtown Posts: 149 Karma: 1154748 Join Date: May 2011 Location: St. Paul MN Device: Kindle	Not exactly an answer to your question, but I've done Rosetta Stone's Spanish, which was offered free via an online hookup through my public library. Sort of useful. There are also approximately a bajillion websites that offer a free Spanish tutorials, some with songs and/or poetry that make the learning less painful. An easy Google search. It's also possible to find some online Spanish translations of books such as Old Man and the Sea, which you can then get up on a screen along with the English version. One thing about Hemingway — the language is simple, so reading along is fairly straightforward. Also (and this is less helpful although it does give you some interesting vocabulary) I found a Gideon bible with Spanish on the left page, English on the right.

07-07-2011, 11:25 AM	#3
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	haha, I've been recently trying to learn latin from this Gutenberg ebook. Lots of public domain spanish literature there too, both for beginners and advanced.

07-07-2011, 01:40 PM	#4
JDK1962 Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 2054094 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Boulder, CO Device: Kindle Voyage, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (for PDFs)	Although dated, you may want to check out FSI (Foreign Service Institute) at http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php. Open Culture has a collection of resources for various languages (http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons) that might get you going in the right direction. I keep requesting access to the Kindle Developer API, so that I can write myself a flashcard app (I'm a programmer by trade), but they keep ignoring me.

Advert