Except for Americans that grow up bilingual, usually because of their parent or another family member who speak another language besides English, it is almost standard for them
NOT to know anything but English.  In the global world of today, this is really not a good thing, although some might argue that English has become the world's language.
But this is just not true every place in the world, and you cannot just ssume that everyone knows English..and sometimes the Engllsh is a pidgin or Creole variant of English that is just not that understandable to people who speak English and nothing else.

And, despite what is said sometimes, the ability to speak another language has NOTHING at all to do with intelligence..when someone needs or is forced to use another foreign language to communicate--a person just learns it.  As Americans, we just are not forced to do that

So what is the best way to learn a foreign language.  NOT by going to a once or twice a week class  where people have minimal practice in speaking and understanding the language. 

Instead the best way is self-study, memorization techniques,and using the Pimsleur language system followed by the system put out by the foreign language department of the United States (which has no copyright ), usually known as the FSI Programmatic Spanish or whatever the language is.  .  After I wrote this, my oldest sister told me she finds the Pimsleur system impossible for her.

Finally to learn to speak and understand I would suggest first the Pimsleur courses available in many languages..a saying in English is followed by the same thing said in the foreign language.

This is as far as some people go..but to get even more fluent, I would suggest that you then follow this with the courses put out by our own government.

Both of these course methods now come on CDS.  In my opinion, the best way to learn these is to convert the CDs to MP3 file or WMA files, which take half the space of WM3 files  There are some other methods, such as the one known as Byki from Transparent Language that also sells computer courses.  It is sort of personal as to how you might learn.  . The FSI Programmatic course, which has been used in the U. S.  government is really not a great way to learn a language since you really are not sure what part is grammar and what part is vocabulary. The Italian FSI Programmatic course is one of the worst courses the government ever put out.

 I find the Berlitz courses the worst of all, as you memorize long sentences without any understanding of all at what the long sentences mean.  You need a dictionary and a grammar for this.  The Byki courses use flash cards and have MP3s.  And that is what I am trying to sell you anyway.  There is an Ebay seller who sells most of the FSI programmatic courses on a white-sleeve CD for less than 10 dollars for levels one and two, as there is no patent on these, yet people will buy the same courses at chain bookstores for 79.95 for the packaging and the book included.  You can freely copy this course at the library.  There was another seller on Ebay who was selling illegally copied MP3s of the Pimsleur language courses.  There is yet another seller on Ebay who legally sells the Pimsleur courses and included a chip and an overpriced MP3 player.  I suggest you might find it used or at a better price new on Ebay
or elsewhere on the internet.

Finally, there are some really good courses for specific languages, but you have to do a Google Search to see what is available.  I am not going to link to any specific commerical courses here because I think that is not allowed here. 
 
The best way to start out is to buy a good basic grammar text of the foreign language you are interested in..and get a good basic text with a lot of vocabulary.or simply a text of vocabulary.
The best way to memorize words is to use associative memory techniques..visualize something silly that helps you remember a specific foreign word translated into English.

Of course, there is also the "Superlearning" method of learning..which some people swear by..learning languages subsconsciously.  Either way, one has to have both a functioning memory and an understanding of grammar..but these do not necessarily correlate to having a high I.Q.  You can combine the methods and listen to Mozart while you play the CDS on your computer, or record both together to install on your MP3 players.


A fils on an MP3 player..these are small players like an iPOD but much cheaper..and then you do not have to worry about dealing with all the CDs or scratching thev

I have 3 brands of these currently available in my Ebay store--Dolphin's Treasure Trove, accessible with the username Dolphin1959.
Sandisk, Sony, and Samsung are what I  ave available, and what I recommend as they are name brands.

I have only a limited quantity available, as I am not a dealer of any of these brands..I am just passing on a great deal, and I am not only a great music enthusiast
but a language buff, so MP3 players hold a fascination for me.  .

Also, although you MIGHT find a better price, I actually know how to use every product that I sell, and you are welcome to email me any time with questions.

Finally, besides actually living in a foreign country, the last thing you should  do is find a group of people who speak the language in which you are interested..or even find yourself a boyfriend or girlfriend who speaks that language.

Well, some of us cannot do the latter, but we can do anything else.

People wonder how I can speak Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish without any accent, and it is because of listening to these MP3 files while I take my twice a day daily walks.


Next I think I will tackle Italian or Macedonian, although I am not sure yet.

I hope you have found this helpful.

Alex Maas
a.maas@cox.net
Dolphin1959 on Ebay since 1998
Dolphin's Treasure Trove
Feel free to contact me anytime I am online at
DolphinM1959 on Skype (chat only for now--have to hook up the phone)
or DolphinM1959 on Windows Live Messenger (the "improved version" of MSN Messenger)