RESOURCES FOR LEARNING CASTILIAN SPANISH
Here are the resources I consider essential to learn how to speak Castilian Spanish.
NATIVE
SPEAKERS:
400,000,000
OFFICIAL
LANGUAGE IN:
SPAIN
Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
FAVORITE COURSES AND APPS TO IMPROVE YOUR CASTILIAN SPANISH
SpanishPod101 - Offers an innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system that is designed to get you speaking from the very first lesson. Learn at your own convenience and pace with our short, effective, and fun audio podcast lessons, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Learning Center, and a vibrant user community.
Glossika Spanish (Spain) - Sentences and repetition are used to teach. Glossika teaches you Spain Spanish in context by combining the "mass sentence approach" with an innovative spaced repetition system. This course is ideal for upper-beginner to advanced students.
Assimil Spanish - The Assimil method for teaching foreign languages is through the listening of audio cd's and the reading of an accompanying book, one side native language, one side foreign language. This method is focused on learning whole sentences, for an organic learning of the grammar. It begins with a long passive phase of only reading and listening, and eventually adds active exercises.
Ling - Learn and play with Master Ling, an interactive platform filled with language courses, quizzes, and fun mini-games! Lessons are taught through engaging games, such as picture matching, flashcards, and sentence arrangement to keep you up and going. Plus, it’s got an engaging chatbot you can practice with!
Mondly - Is a great starting point for beginners, but it’s also full of lessons for intermediate and advanced students! Improve your Castilian Spanish pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary with this handy app, as it arranges its lessons into short, digestible units. Complete with games and an achievement leaderboard, it’s the perfect platform to study and practice with! On top of that, you can use Mondly’s hands-free format to record and practice your speech.
Mango Languages - Mango utilizes its proprietary methodology, engaging interface, and easy, intuitive interactive tools to deliver practical conversational skills and valuable cultural insight for new languages. Lessons include strategically placed memory-building exercises to help users remember what they are learning in addition to critical thinking exercises, which help them to intuitively understand the language and adapt it to similar conversations.
Bluebird Languages - Bluebird uses the proven “spaced repetition” learning method to optimize both acquisition and retention. This, combined with instruction in 97% of the world’s most-spoken languages and our special building-block approach, will have you speaking and understanding the language of your choice in record time.
Mimic Method Spanish - Helps you understand the Spanish "sound system," so you can enhance your pronunciation and sound more like a native speaker. We all learn our first language by hearing it, so why not learn Spanish by hearing it as well?
Spring Languages - No grammar drills, no cramming vocabulary! Learn a language the fun way with YouTube videos and with conversation based chunking.
CASTILIAN SPANISH IMMERSION ONLINE
Unlimited Spanish - Is an audio course in which native speaker Òscar mimics conversations and provides clues for you to interact with him. It's one of the finest I've seen at mimicking a real discussion with pre-recorded sounds. You may read along with the audio transcripts if you are a visual learner.
Español en 3000 - Is a premium course that includes real-life conversations filmed on the streets of Medelln, Colombia, as well as ultra-practical micro courses that are precisely tailored to be exactly what you need to achieve conversational fluency quickly! It is appropriate for upper beginner and intermediate students. It's perfect if you're familiar with basic Spanish discussions and wish to improve your conversational proficiency.
CONFIDENT CASTILIAN SPANISH PRONUNCIATION
Forvo - Find out how to pronounce any Castilian Spanish word. Simply put the word you're looking for into the search bar in Castilian Spanish!
CASTILIAN SPANISH TUTORS: PRACTICE WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS
My method to learning a new language is to speak it from the beginning. I recommend the following tool for this:
Italki - On Skype, it links you with native Castilian Spanish speakers for spoken practice. You may pay for (affordable) one-on-one video sessions with Castilian Spanish teachers or discover a free language exchange partner! This link will take you directly to the site's Castilian Spanish instructors.
CASTILIAN SPANISH GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
MOSALingua - From absolute beginner to advanced level, this app uses audio flashcards to teach you Spanish. The MOSA Learning® approach is founded on cognitive science principles, allowing you to learn Spanish more quickly and effectively.
Wordreference - A dictionary with a twist, since each term includes a discussion thread regarding its nuances.
LEARN HOW TO READ AND WRITE IN CASTILIAN SPANISH
Colloquial Spanish - The Complete Course for Beginners has been carefully developed by an experienced teacher to provide a step-by-step course to Castilian Spanish as it is written and spoken today.
Teach Yourself: Complete Spanish Beginner to Intermediate Course - Complete Spanish will equip you with the skills you need to use Spanish in a variety of settings and situations, developing your cultural awareness along the way. By the end of Complete Spanish you will have a solid intermediate-level grounding in the four key skills - reading, writing, speaking and listening - and be able to communicate with confidence and accuracy.
Learn Spanish The Fast And Fun Way - Barron's popular Fast and Fun Way foreign language learning programs are designed primarily for travelers to foreign countries but are also suitable for instruction in classrooms and language labs. Learn Spanish the Fast and Fun Way is filled with cheerful illustrations, word lists, pull-out vocabulary flash cards, and language-learning exercises that take the form of games and puzzles. The book teaches appropriate words and phrases for greetings and introductions, finding one's way in cities, dining, shopping, getting hotel accommodations, telephoning, seeking medical help, reading road signs, and more.
Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners and Short Stories in Spanish (Intermediate) - Short stories has been written especially for students from beginner to intermediate level, designed to give a sense of achievement, and most importantly - enjoyment! Eight captivating stories will entertain you in a variety of exciting genres, from science fiction and crime to history and thriller - making reading fun, while you learn from a wide range of new vocabulary, and give you a feeling of progress when reading.
Living Language - Spanish, Complete Edition is a unique multimedia course in Spanish that takes you from a beginner to an advanced level in one convenient package.
RESOURCES FOR INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED CASTILIAN SPANISH LEARNERS
LingQ - 1000s of hours of Spanish podcasts, audiobooks, interviews, courses, and more immerses you in a world of engaging Spanish material. Then, whenever you come across a word you don't recognize, you may use LingQ's SRS learning features to store it for later review.
Clozemaster - Answers the question: after Duolingo, what's next? Clozemaster aids in the quick expansion of your vocabulary by allowing you to learn Spanish in context. You'll utilize the Cloze technique to fill in the blanks in thousands of Spanish phrases. The sentences you'll learn are far more practical than the ones you'll learn on Duolingo.
START SPEAKING CASTILIAN SPANISH RIGHT NOW
Pimsleur – The Pimsleur method is perfect for you if you want to start speaking right away. Learn anywhere, anytime in just 30 minutes a day. Learn a language while cooking, commuting, exercising and more! Have the flexibility to practice when it’s convenient for you.
BLOG POSTS ON LEARNING CASTILIAN SPANISH FASTER
Why Learn Spanish? The 10 Surprising Reasons To Learn Spanish
Spain Spanish vs Mexican Spanish: How To Choose The Best Dialect For You
What Are The 11 Different Spanish Dialects? How To Choose The Best Spanish Dialect To Learn
How To Determine The 3 Differences Between Catalan vs. Spanish
The Ultimate Guide: 100+ Useful Spanish Phrases For Travel That You Need To Know!