Suggestions for learning Spanish
Reading... Writing... Listening... Speaking
This is the order in which we acquire a second language. Receiving passively (reading and listening) is easier than producing actively (writing and speaking). But the Spanish that we most need for walking the Camino, and most tasks in the real world, is of the oral variety. If you kick yourself because you can understand more than you can speak, know that this is just the natural progression of language acquisition.
Getting started, a few thoughts about learning to understand spoken Spanish:
1) Part of the challenge is learning vocabulary; the other part is tuning your ear so you can catch that word when it flies by faster than the speed of light.
2) Everything you do should be aloud. Even if you're trying to memorize a word, it should be spoken every time that you read it.
3) The learning curve is steep. In the beginning you might feel that you can't understand anything and might become frustrated. Lots of folks give up in the early stages. Don't do that! With just a bit of patience you'll begin to feel the rewards... and it will be a great feeling!
Online Spanish programs
Starting with the most basic, the online Spanish programs that I recommend are...
Duolingo - popular with lots of folks. You can start at ground zero and the program will adjust to your ability. You'll hear everything that you read. This is a great place to start, but it is Latin American Spanish, which sounds considerably different from what you'll hear in Spain.
https://www.duolingo.com/courses/en
Babbel - also popular. Language is introduced in useful context. Like Duolingo, you'll hear everything you read. It's Latin American Spanish.
https://www.babbel.com/spanish
Yabla - one of my favorites. Language is in context, with Spanish and English scripts, speed controls, and more. You can click on a word for a translation. And a lot of the Spanish is Castilian! If you hear a "th" sound for the letter "c" and "z", you're listening to the Spanish that you'll hear on the Camino.
News in Slow Spanish - my other favorite! It's a website and an app. There are two versions. Don't choose the "Latino" version if you want to hear Castilian Spanish. An episode is released at the end of each week. It's intelligent content, actual national and international news presented by two co-hosts who simply speak a bit more slowly. You can alter the pace. Then they catalog the segments by topic and by language level (see the website). Check out the Camino de Santiago category! Use these episodes to practice the listening activity below.
https://www.newsinslowspanish.com/
All of the above offer a free seven-day trial. You can do a lot of stuff for free but will need a subscription for full access to the sites.
How to tune your ear
1) Choose a 30-second segment of anything in spoken Spanish. Listen to the same segment at least three times. You'll be surprised how much more you'll understand the third time. Increase the time of the segments as you progress.
2) Consider that your objective in the beginning is to just hear and understand single words in a sentence. Celebrate when you catch one word! Don't preoccupy yourself with understanding the whole message in the beginning.
3) When selecting a segment for listening practice, choose something whose topic you are familiar with... the news, a favorite movie, etc. This will aid your comprehension.
Good online Spanish Sites/Blogs
Sooooooo hard to find for beginners...
1) Juan, a Spaniard living in London, does fun videos with the purpose of teaching Castilian Spanish. They might be a bit fast for beginners, but just catch what you can! If you like them, subscribe! There are lots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQGoMH-L1BA
2) A couple of teenagers will convince you why we need to cooperate with COVID restrictions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNfErQ7e1LY&feature=youtu.be
3) How to make a juicy tortilla española. Click here for script.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDI1lVRV8g8&t=30s
Recommendations from others
Here are some ideas that were posted on Ivar's forum (https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/):
A list of resources. Check out the "Listening Practice" section: https://thenette.com/spanish.html
Radio Maria de Madrid
https://www.radiomaria.es/directoM
Carlos Alsina (Spanish radio station Onda Cero) 6h - 12: 30h Mo to Fr. speaks slowly and clear. The program (Mas de Uno) is politics 6- 10 and morning entertainment 10- 12:30.
A free conversation exchange site: https://www.conversationexchange.com/index.php?lg=en
There is an app called "Radio Garden", its like Google Earth of all radio stations around the globe displayed as dots. You hover over the dots and listen to the station.
Podcasts: Nómadas, a travel program from RNE, Espanolistos - with a Colombian teacher, 39 Best Spanish Podcasts (2020).