Although you may think you either have to actually attend school or move to a Spanish speaking country, you can learn Spanish free right from your home. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection to take full advantage of the many free courses offered online. These courses give you all the instruction you need to become fluent in speaking, writing and reading the language. The key is to remember that you will not become fluent in Spanish overnight. You do need to practice what you learn and you may have to review a lesson several times before you fully understand the concept.

Start off by learning the Spanish alphabet and the pronunciation for each of the letters. While you can read the way the letters are pronounced on the screen, you really do need a course in which you can hear the pronunciation by a native Spanish speaker. Some of the letters, such as the sound mean you have to make the sound farther back in your throat and this will take some practice because it is different from the English pronunciation of letters. The same applies to the difference between the sound of and the sound of?

Spanish grammar is not hard to learn. In a free online course, you receive tutorials on all aspects of the grammar. Each lesson will deal with an individual concept and consists of the instruction you need as well as practice exercises so that you can learn how to use this concept in sentence construction. A typical first grammar lesson will also deal with the alphabet and explain various differences that exist between English and Spanish. You will also learn very basic vocabulary words such as Hola (Hello), Gracias (thank you), Por favour (please), and the greetings Buenos dias (good morning), Buenos tardes (good afternoon) and Buenos noches (good night). You can click on the words and phrases to hear how they are pronounced in Spanish.

Following the instruction, you will see a reading passage that you can listen to as you read the words on your computer screen. This will give you an in depth look at the language and the pronunciation. Listen to it several times and then try reading it aloud on your own to see how well you do in pronouncing the words. Along with being able to speak the words properly, you must also be able to read and understand what you read.

This is why you should be able to translate the passage into your native language as you read when you first start. As you get more accustomed to the lessons and using the language, you will find that you do not need to translate the passages into your native language as you start to think in Spanish.

Make sure you take full advantage of the practice exercises and listening exercises available in the course you choose. This will certainly help you learn the language much faster. Along with using the materials available in the course, there are many online sites where you can read books in Spanish and if you have TV programs in the Spanish language from your provider, you should watch them, especially the programs for children.