Learning Spanish スペイン語を習おう！

    スペイン語は母国語として使っている人口は３億５千万以上います。かつてかる言語学校のコマーシャルでは、「英語を習って１０億人と会話しよう」というような訴え文句を使っていました。その１０億は恐らく英語が通じるというような人口も入れているでしょう。そういう意味では、スペイン語ができれば、直接会話できる人口をぐんと伸ばせることになります。
    スペイン語の教科書を買って、学生みたいにコツコツと勉強するのもいいですが、今オンライン上にも無料のコンテンツが一杯転がっています。それをうまく利用すれば、結構気軽に勉強できます。
    以下には、とりあえず英語を知っている人なら利用できる情報を少し集めてみました。

  studyspanish.com is a good place to start learning Spanish. It provides in-depth and comprehensive Pronunciation, Grammar, Vocabulary and Verb Drills.

To improve listening abilities, internet radio is a perfect tool. En Dias Como Hoy (Programas y podcasts de RNE; RNE Radio Nacional) is a nice talk show station.

Why study Spanish? Spanish is the second most natively spoken language in the world!

According to wikipedia, "n 1999 there were, according to Ethnologue, 358 million people speaking Spanish as a native language and a total of 417 million speakers worldwide. Currently these figures are up to 400 and 500 million people respectively." In comparison, "Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language", although "when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world" (though possibly second to a combination of the Chinese languages).

Now, below is a list of more interesting links for learning Spanish.

• 100 most frequently used Spanish words is probably a good starting point with vocabulary.
• simplestspanish.com: useful expressions/phrases for all kinds of situations.
• learn Spanish on lingolex.com has more resources on learning Spanish, sorted in many categories. There are not only the common "common" series, but also materials for people from beginner to advanced level.
• Learn Spanish Vocabulary by about.com specializes in vocabulary.
• 1000 Top Used Spanish Words on quizlet.com is a flash card system for learning the 1000 most commonly used Spanish words.