One of the best and simplest things you can do is tune into the Spanish speaking TV channels at least once every day. Do it at news time in the evenings, or mornings. News programs are a great way to begin the process of being able to teach yourself Spanish.

With TV news you can see the story being reported and you can hear the reporter's voice. You won't understand much of it at first, but as time goes one you will begin to understand more and more. At first the words will all be jumbled together, but after a few weeks they will start to jump out at you.

Of course, you will need a Spanish course as well to teach yourself Spanish properly. The Internet is littered with excellent sites all vying with each other to sell you a course on Spanish. Some of them are really excellent and some are perhaps not so excellent.

Seek out several of the review sites on Spanish language courses. They will try to influence your choice of course, but they can be useful too. They will show you the most popular of what's available. If several of the review sites all pinpoint one particular course as being the best, take a look. It may not be for you, but it may well be too.

You need to get into a routine if you ever hope to teach yourself Spanish successfully. It's no use picking it up occasionally and forgetting about it again for several weeks. You need to study at least for 30 minutes a day. That's not long. Cut out a TV program (but not the Spanish news!), or cut out reading the morning newspaper. Make a simple vow to yourself that you will do it, and then just do it!

Aim to make definite progress in your efforts to teach yourself Spanish. Set yourself realistic goals and reach them. If you cannot reach a goal in a reasonable time, change the goal to something you can reach. Review what you have learned on a regular basis. It's very easy to forget.

If at all possible, try to find a way to speak to other people who can speak Spanish. Don't choose someone who is learning like you; they won't be of any help to you, and may possibly hinder you. You need someone who has the patience to listen to your struggling attempts to say simple things. They need to be able to gently correct you, though not so much that it will put you off trying. You need to be encouraged and nurtured through the process.

If you decide to teach yourself Spanish you won't find it easy, but you will find it satisfying. Whenever you feel that your efforts are going nowhere, stop for a moment and think back to when you started. Think back and remember when you couldn't pick out a single word from the jumble of sound that is the Spanish language. Then fast forward to where you are at and realize that your attempts to teach yourself Spanish is working, and working well too!

Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill