As an online language teacher, I often get asked "How should I go about studying?". People are often confused because of all the different learning methods out there. While obviously, immersing yourself in a Spanish speaking country will help you more than anything else, this article is aimed at the majority of language learners. Those of you who want to learn a language as more of a hobby, rather than lifestyle.

When people ask me how to study Spanish, I mention two main points. First, you must adopt a multi-prong attack. There are lots of different ways to study and each have pros and cons. Secondly you must be consistent. Find something that works and keep working at it. Changing how you go about learning Spanish will not do you any good at all.

So what is this "multi-prong" attack? I like to use as many useful resources as I can. The first weapon in your arsenal should be an audio/software program. This will be the foundation of your learning and products these days are both of excellent quality and reasonable in price. I've reviewed the top few products at my site JiffySpanish.com. Second, you need a language buddy. In the old days, you would send off for a penpal, but these days, you can logon to somewhere like Myspace and find hundreds of people willing to help you learn their language.

Thirdly, you will need a few handy books. A dictionary to help you identify any words you do not recognise. A phrase book to help you build up phrases for all kinds of scenarios. And last, but not least, some childrens books. These are great because they will help you learn the basics, just as a child would.

Now, just because you have these tools at your disposal, doesn't mean you'll automatically learn the language. It now takes committment. Not a whole lot, but 30 minutes a day, minimum. If you have an audio program with 20 minute lessons, listen to at least one per day. Flick through some of your books, look up any strange words in your dictionary. Continue to chat to your online pen pal. Just keep at it and you'll be amazed at how quickly your skills will increase.