Hi Nadya,

I took Spanish at the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, CA. I spent 6 months all day speaking/reading nothing but Spanish. A great way to learn but not available to most unless you live with a native Spanish speaker. Following that I lived in some Central American as well as South American countries for a period of time which allowed me to practice and get better. One thing I have learned is that every country speaks a different dialect and some use different verb tenses as a general rule too (Argentina versus the other countries - usted and tu).

I do not recommend books but rather I would recommend taking a college course or even a continued education course at college in Spanish. They typically range from 25.00 to 35.00 and are in the evenings and allow you to speak with a native Spanish speaker. It is a good idea to begin with conversational spanish and then go on from there.

There are some ok courses on tape available in book stores and even some freebies on the web. Look at this one:

http://www.studyspanish.com/sos.htm

I have trouble remembering unless I can 'visualize' it so writing new words and rules down is important to me but hearing it and practicing the grammar is just as important if not more so.

Keep in mind that like every other language, the average speaker does not necessarily follow the correct grammar rules and most speak a form of 'slang' just as we do with English in the U.S. so it can be difficult at first. Reading is sometimes easier because it allows you to translate it as you go and most people pay more attention to their grammar when writing. I am typically behind in all conversations because I have not spoken Spanish in a conversation on a regular basis in awhile so I have to translate as I hear it and that puts me a sentence behind in all conversations. Watch soap operas at night on Univision. That is really a great way to learn. Also the Saturday morning kids programs on Univision are really easy to understand. A good place to start and can be fun too.