To start off, an audio course is a very intuitive way to learn a new language. People learn their native tongue as a baby or small child by listening and repeating the words that are spoken to them. This is the same method in a learn Spanish CD or MP3. Although an audio course can never completely replicate the way you learned as a baby, it is a good approximation of this method.

This is opposed to the standard method of learning a second language, where you learn to read, write and understand grammar at the same time as learning to comprehend and speak. This method is not instinctive but I think people want fast results and by jumping in at the deep end they feel that this is the way to go. Some people get the language but many people languish because they are lost in the grammar or overwhelmed by the information they have to take in.

Another advantage of an audio course is that it teaches you correct pronunciation (provided the audio is by a native Spanish speaker). This is important for a student of a new language because practicing your skills is the best way to improve those skills. However, if you can’t pronounce words people will not understand you. This is in contrast to not getting the grammar right. People will understand what you mean even though the grammar is wrong. speaking to people not only improves your skills but gives you confidence, and this is important if you want to get fluent in the language.

Finally, a major advantage of learning Spanish from an audio CD or MP3 is the ease of use. You can listen to it in the car or doing the housework. You can repeat the words as you jog round the block or do the grocery shopping (even though people might think you are mad talking to yourself).

This is largely true. However I would say that when you are first listening to the audio you need to focus all your attention on the course and what is being said. Thus I don’t think you could use it in the car or at the gym initially.

However, if you have listened to the course often then it gets easier to multi task but to begin with it is tough and you would probably save as much time just doing one thing at a time.

So, do learn to speak Spanish CDs work ? I think they can certainly help. They can make it easier for a person to concentrate on two core skills rather than five. However there is a lot to learn before you could be considered fluent and most courses probably don’t go into the sort of depth that is required to get to this level. They do give you confidence to speak to Spanish speaking people, and to me, this is where you really start to learn Spanish. So they are a help and a good solution for many people that are time poor but still want to learn a new language.