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Grammar is very important. It shows respect for the language you are learning. Grammar is as important as vocabulary. However, when you are first getting started I think people appreciate that you are trying to speak their language, even if there are lots of mistakes.

I am not sure I would call in arrogance. For the most part it is not built into our educational system and for the most part it is not necessary. When you live in Europe, each country is like a state in the US with regard to size and geography. I live in North Carolina and if traveling to South Carolina or Virginia meant speaking another language I would have a much greater motivation to learn a second language. In many countries, as it has been mentioned, their is a local language and a national language taught in all schools. In the US we have a different culture.

Thanks for the link. I had never heard of this blog before. This is a great resource for learning I language. I like his techniques.

When I was taking Spanish in high school we did this. This was a great opportunity to work on sentence structure and build vocabulary. The best part was then I took a trip to Mexico and was able to meet my pen pals. That was a lot of fun. They took us around and showed us Mexico City from the perspective of a local. That was a great experience.

I think music helps with pronunciation. I also think it helps build vocabulary. I enjoy listening to music so it is easier for me to listen to music than say listen to Spanish TV, where everyone is speaking Spanish. Sometimes I think it is easier to remember things through music. It puts the words in a context that is familiar.

I took a class for TEFL and I have taught before in the US. I am hoping to teach English overseas. Any ideas on doing that would be welcome.

I have tried Rosetta Stone and was not very successful. I know it gets rave reviews but I am not sure by who. I am working on Livemocha right now and like it better. It is interactive so when you write responses you get others who will give you feedback. I really like that part.

Immersion is the fastest way to learn a language. The more you use it the faster you will learn it. Just memorizing vocabulary is boring and it does not give you the context in how sentences are formed and used.

In the US Spanish is widely spoken. Spanish is also one of the most widely spoken languages in the World. Especially in terms of the number of countries using it. It is a shame that learning a second language is not promoted more. We have had European exchange students and they do a much better job of promoting language. Most of the students speak three languages.

There are a lot of similarities but each language is different. I went to Italy, knowing no Italian, but knowing some Spanish. When in doubt I tried Spanish and had zero success. My husband who speaks Spanish says he does not understand Italian or Portuguese (another close language). We have friends who speak Portuguese and they say they struggle with Spanish. So even though the languages are close, they are not interchangeable. Once we had an exchange student from Australia and we had a real hard time understanding him and it is the same language. Accent and terms used was the biggest reason.

I have always been interested in other cultures and have a strong desire to live overseas. Then I married a man who is fluent in Spanish so I am really motivated to learn Spanish. Now I have someone to practice with. I do find I understand him a lot better than most Spanish speakers. I think it's because I understand his accent.

Portuguese is probably high on the list because of Brazil. That's a very large country with millions of citizens. Most of the list was along the lines of what I was thinking. I too was surprised about French. I thought there were several countries in Africa where French was the official language?

I have hosted several exchange students (high school) from Europe and nearly all of them come over speaking three languages. We had a girl from Germany who spoke German, French and English, all fluently. Another German, Spanish and English. They come here and take a foreign language, while they are building their English. It seems like once you learn a second language the third is even easier. I had a friend who spoke English and Spanish and picked up Portuguese in less than a year. Now he speaks three languages well. The key to retention is practice. If you never use all three, you won't retain them.

I am so glad to hear all of the encouraging comments. I have wanted to learn Spanish for years. Now I married a man who speaks fluent Spanish so I can practice everyday. But it is still a struggle for me to stay focused. I certainly don't pick up and retain things like I did when I was younger. Right now I am building my vocabulary a few words each day and its progressing, but it is very slow.

When using google translate using short phrases have the best chance of correct translation. Sentence structure is often not correct. But I have had luck translating a few words at a time. So for a short conversation it is helpful. For a long paragraph I find it is not very accurate.