It is important that you have the right tools to learn Spanish. A good dictionary is one of those tools. You may also need a program to make a list with the new words you learn and to test your learning.

Dictionaries

There are many types of dictionaries and you should have at least one of each type. Online dictionaries are websites and their main advantage is the great number of words and phrases they have, the pronunciation aids and the examples they provide. On the other hand, you must be connected to the Internet to use them. In many cities in Latin America, Internet is only available in cybercafes and most connections are really slow. You are not going to have real broadband speed, if you are not staying outside Buenos Aires, Cordoba and some other big cities.

If you have a notebook, you can also use an offline dictionary. It can be used everywhere -even in the classroom- and you don't need to be connected to the Internet. Some of them have the ability to show the translation of a word in many languages.

Finally, you should always carry a pocket dictionary with you. They are specially useful when you are in a shop, in a restaurant or in the street. They are very cheap and they don't need batteries.

Some good online dictionaries:

• Word Reference
• My Dictionary
• Beolingus Recommended for German native speakers.
• Real Academia Española Spanish only dictionary. Only for advanced students.

Offline Free Dictionary for Windows, Linux and Mac

•  Babiloo It is very easy to use it with many languages. After downloading the application, you must download the dictionaries files.

Grammar Tools

Most of the Spanish language complexity is in the verbs. So it is important that you have a tool to check how they conjugate. This web site generates the verb conjugation for each of the spanish tenses.

• Verbix Spanish Verb Conjugator

Computer Programs

We recommend Interlex, a program which let you compile a list of words and phrases and then test yourself until you have learnt them. Its aim is to help you learn vocabulary in a foreign language quickly and easily. It is free and runs only on Windows.

• Interlex Web Site