In a perfect world, purchasing any Spanish course in itself would not pose an issue as every Spanish course would teach the exact same material and each course would therefore help the student to achieve their goal of speaking Spanish.

The truth is that each student is different…some are much better at learning languages than others, some are better at learning a language from a grammatical viewpoint as you would learn it at school for example, whereas others have much better results by concentrating on conversational skills.

It is for this reason that many Spanish courses are now available, each one slightly differing in teaching techniques and methods offering the best possible fit for individual students.

The one area of Spanish study that has seen a massive surge in popularity in the last ten years is the use of software for studying instead of the more traditional text books and cassettes.

Because more and more people have become connected online the flexibility that it provided for studying a language became much more apparent and as a result there has been a consistent increase in available courses.

Many of the earlier online courses offered little in the way of improving upon traditional methods other than offering the same material in a new format, but after a while specific techniques were improved upon that improved the speed at which Spanish could be learnt whilst also making learning much more enjoyable as well as improving the practical application.

Whilst some of these software courses are quite expensive, there are a few others available that are as good, if not better, which are much more reasonably priced.

Personally, I always like to use prolonged popularity rather than short term popularity as a benchmark before considering making a purchase and it for this reason that I would recommend checking out the reviews of the following popular courses before making any decision on which is the best course for you:

1.Rocket Spanish Language Course
2.Visual Link

There is one other software program that is worthy of mentioning as it has helped me, and many others, learn Spanish quickly and effectively and is a ‘must have’ if you are serious about speaking Spanish well and that program is called Verbarrator Spanish verb conjugation trainer, just click on the link to read the review.

By the way, if you are located in California, why not check out this list of Spanish classes in Los Angeles

Spanish Past Tense

The Spanish past tense throws up a problem for many students and that is whether they should use the imperfect or preterite?

In Spanish, the two simple past tenses that are predominantly used, are called the Imperfect and the Preterite and it is perfectly understandable for students, who are learning about past tenses for the first time, to be unsure as to which of these two tenses to use and when.

It goes without saying that both tenses are used to describe past actions or states but each is used differently and the following rules will hopefully clear up any confusion.

When to Use the Preterite

The preterite tense is used to express an action that was completed at some time in the past, listed here are some specific uses and examples:

• When referring to a series of actions in the past:
  • Me desayuné, limpié la casa y me fui a la estación – I had breakfast, cleaned the house, and went to the station.

• When referring to the beginning or the end of a past event:
  • La fiesta empezó a las diez – The party began at 10:00

• When referring to things that are seen as being complete:
  • Dejó el trabajo hace un año – You left the job a year ago

When to Use the Imperfect
The imperfect tense expresses an action or state  that was ongoing during the past and if it is uncertain whether it has been completed. Specific uses and examples are listed below:

• To explain an action that a person did in the past habitually:
  • Cuando estábamos en el colegio, jugábamos al fútbol todos los jueves. – When we were at school, we used to play football every Thursday

• To refer to an action without making reference to an end or a beginning:
  • Mi mujer tenía dolores de cabeza frecuentes – My wife had frequent headaches

• When referring to actions that were taking place simultaneously in the past:
  • Mi hijo miraba televisión y mi hija cantaba – My son was watching television and my daughter was singing

• When describing physical, emotional or mental states or conditions:
  • Estaba tan feliz que quería llorar – I was so happy that I wanted to cry

• When referring to a past time:
  • Eran las ocho y media de la tarde – It was 8:30 p.m.
  • Era la una de la mañana – It was 1:00 a.m.

• When describing an action or state that happened at some point in the past and that lasted for a certain amount of time and that happened prior to another past action.
  • Hacía todo el día que esperando cuando mi mujer llegó – I had been waiting all day when my when arrived

Hopefully, these guidelines will provide the clarity you need.

Why not check out my previous post about the benefits of an online conjugator Spanish verb trainer or if you would rather read about a spanish verb conjugator that will help you to learn Spanish verb conjugation better and quicker than any other method check out my Verbarrator Review

Online Conjugator Spanish - The Verbarrator

The Spanish online conjugator is, undeniably, one of the most effective learning tools currently available that is capable of helping students learn Spanish quickly, in particular, the conjugation of Spanish verbs, which is so often the stumbling block for many of them.

For years linguists have been trying new methods and techniques that would aid in the learning of Spanish. Everything from image association and various other memorization techniques to subconscious study (listening to Spanish whilst sleeping!).

Some of these techniques were effective, whilst others were…well let’s just say, a little gimmicky! Many of the effective methods are still used today but they only really improved how Spanish was learnt and not the time taken to do so.

Also, the effective learning techniques were better suited for nouns, adjective and verb infinitives and not for learning the conjugation of verbs (I am referring to image association, by the way!).

Why an online conjugator, Spanish verb practice tool so effective?

Spanish verb conjugation is notoriously difficult to master and, because of this, it is one of the most time consuming areas of Spanish study.

The traditional method of learning Spanish verb conjugations has always been to use a verb conjugation book and recite, recite and recite some more until the necessary information had been completely memorized…hence why it took so long to learn conjugation.

However, the online conjugator has helped substantially and although the earliest offerings were basically online verb conjugation books, that did little, if anything at all, to improve the situation, the most recent additions have completely transformed how Spanish verbs are studied, specifically the ‘Verbarrator’.

Learning verb conjugation has always been tedious and time consuming, some have said it is like riding a bicycle with flat tyres up a hill, sure you’ll get there in the end but boy it’s hard work, and it is for this reason that so many people give up on learning Spanish beyond being able to order a coffee.

Now…imagine what it would be like if you actually started enjoying the study of verb conjugation and mastered them much quicker than you could have ever imagined!

This is what the current crop of online conjugators offer and why they are an invaluable Spanish verb practice and training tool for anyone serious about learning Spanish well and quickly.

For more information about the ‘Verbarrator’ verb conjugation software check out my review of it by clicking Verbarrator Review. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, why not check out my previous post on how to
Conjugate Ser in the preterite tense, it’s concise and very helpful!

The difficulties of learning Spanish are appreciated by many who have attempted to or, who have succeeded in learning the language and there is no aspect more demanding than that of learning Spanish verb conjugation. Most students will gain a certain level of competence whether it is reaching a level good enough to order a meal at a restaurant or be able to hold down a good conversation but the overriding factor in deciding which level of competence is achieved is the level of expertise attained in verb use. A mastery of Spanish verb conjugation will open the floodgates of Spanish fluency and for those wishing to become fluent, it is a no brainer.

We should all know what verbs are and what they are used for (that is, if we were paying any attention in school!) and that they are a vital part of sentence structure as they indicate an action performed by the subject. Without a verb sentences would make very little sense. In English we have it pretty easy where verbs are concerned, they seldom indicate the doer of an action, a service provided by the subject pronoun (I, he, she, you etc) and because of this they change little other than when an s or es is added onto the end of the verb in the 3^rd person singular (he or she). This is where Spanish is very different as subject pronouns are rarely used, other than to avoid ambiguity, as the verb changes to indicate, not only when an action takes place (tense) but also the doer of the action.

Basic Structure of a Spanish Verb

In English, a verb is easy to recognize because all English verbs are preceded by ‘to’ as shown earlier in this sentence (to recognize), this combination of ‘to’and the verb is called the infinitive. The Spanish language does not use an obvious ‘to’instead is recognized by its ending that can be one of either ar, er or, ir. These endings, although joined to what is called the stem of the verb are often said to be the equivalent of the English ‘to’. These endings are important as they are used to group Spanish verbs into three specific groups called, imaginably, the -ar, -er and -ir verb groups. Each group follows a set of specific rules for conjugation as highlighted here.

Present tense conjugation of hablar: regular -ar verb meaning to speak

• yo hablo – I speak
• tú hablas – you speak
• él, ella habla – he, she, it or speaks
• usted habla – you (polite) speak
• nosotros/as hablamos – we speak
• vosotros/as hablaís – you (all) speak
• ellos, ellas hablan – they speak
• ustedes hablan – you (all) speak (polite)

Present tense conjugation of comer: regular -er verb meaning to eat

• yo como – I eat
• tú comes – you eat
• él, ella come – he, she, it or eats
• usted come – you (polite) eat
• nosotros/as comemos – we eat
• vosotros/as comeís – you (all) eat
• ellos, ellas comen – they eat
• ustedes comen – you (all) eat(polite)

Present tense conjugation of vivir: regular -ir verb meaning to live

• yo vivo – I eat
• tú vives – you eat
• él, ella vive – he, she, it or eats
• usted vive – you (polite) eat
• nosotros/as vivimos – we eat
• vosotros/as vivís – you (all) eat
• ellos, ellas viven – they eat
• ustedes viven – you (all) eat(polite)

There are some things that should be noted about the three verb groups above:

• they all have the same ending for the first person singular, I.
• the er and ir verb groups have very similar endings.
• ambiguity can be avoided when using the third person singular and plural, and the polite version of you by using the subject pronoun to precede the verb.(The subject pronoun is often dropped in European Spanish although it is still used frequently in Latin American Spanish)

Spanish Irregular Verbs

Spanish verbs would be relatively easy to master if only all verbs followed the rules of regular verb conjugation. As you may have guessed, this just is not the case.

There are quite a number of verbs that have irregularities in how they are conjugated and unfortunately many of these verbs are also amongst the most commonly used verbs in Spanish. Ser and estar (both meaning to be), haber and tener (both meaning to have), ir (to go), hacer (to make or, to do), dar (to give), coger (to take), poner (to put), poder (to be able to (can)), querer (to want), ver (to see), decir (to say), and venir (to come) are the core of irregular verbs most often used, but there are a great deal more.

The irregularities in these verbs can vary greatly from being highly irregular to a singular variation and the only way to learn them properly is to study each one individually, and the best way of doing this is to use verb training program specifically designed to improve the speed and the enjoyment level at which conjugations are learnt.

Conclusion:

The importance of understanding and using correct verb conjugation cannot be understated. Using verbs correctly is a fundamental part of successfully making the transition from beginner to fluent Spanish speaker, and although difficult should be approached with positive mental preparation.

Are you having problems remembering the correct conjugations of Spanish verbs? Check out the internet’s newest and best Spanish Verb Conjugator that is designed to help you train and memorize Spanish verbs better than ever before! Click Here for more information.

However, for the vast majority of people, the excitement and eagerness to learn Spanish is quickly cast aside as the sudden realization of the challenge confronting them soon hits home, and this is why it is extremely important to think ahead and plan how and when to study and how to set realistic goals.

Learning Spanish takes time and effort and there is no escaping that fact. Some people are more adept at learning languages than others and will pick things up quicker, but even for those who fall into that bracket it will still take a considerable amount of time.

There are two main reasons why people fail when trying to learn Spanish, the first is that they do not put aside enough time to study and, the second is that they thought that it would be a lot easier than they actually found it to be.

Eliminating the first of the two reasons above is pretty easy and can be done so by simply working out a timetable and sticking to it, devoting as much time as you are able to towards your studies. Though the key to a successful timetable is to be realistic…do not set your schedule too tight or you will struggle!

The second reason is a little more difficult to brush aside! Unfortunately there is no 100% proven method of how to learn Spanish that will work for everyone. No one person is the same and because of that, each will learn at a different pace. Also, a specific method of learning a language, or a certain course, will suit one person but not somebody else.

With that in mind you may well be thinking how is it possible to prepare when there are so many variables? How can you prepare yourself for the challenge ahead when you don’t know what challenges you will face?

The reality is that there is no ‘best way to learn Spanish’ that can be used as a road map to success, and until you actually start learning you won’t know for sure how difficult or how easy you will find it. So the best way to prepare is to do so mentally.

You should never underestimate how difficult and frustrating learning Spanish can be and prepare to be patient. Patience is the key! By setting a realistic timetable and preparing yourself mentally for the challenge that is ahead of you, you will be giving yourself the best start possible.

———————————————————————————

Do you want to know what the best online Spanish language courses. Or…Do you want to know which Spanish language tool will improve the speed at which you learn Spanish more than any other? Check out verbarrator review for the answer.