Before getting into the body of this article, here is something to think about before you even begin learning Spanish on your own.

You should picture yourself as a native speaker of your new language. Whenever you learn a foreign language, you will find that there are words, expressions, and ways of saying things, which are subtly different to the same words and expressions in English. Sometimes the differences are not even so subtle, and sometimes there will not even be any equivalents in English. In short, when you learn a new language, you are also putting on a somewhat different personality - you are, in effect, becoming a slightly different person. You need to get into this wholeheartedly. Instead of continually trying to just translate from your own language, you should get into the spirit of what you are learning. It will make the study a lot more fun, and will speed up your learning immeasurably.

To continue with the main topics of this article - What I am really asking here, is whether or not a self study Spanish course can be effective, what the necessary ingredients are to make it so, and what the benefits of self study are compared to a traditional language course with a teacher and other students. I will also explain what it is that makes the Pimsleur language courses so unique and effective.

One of the main requirements for effectively learning a language is comittment and regularity. More specifically, it translates to learning something new every day. It quickly mounts up, and also it keeps you involved with the Spanish language. A self-study Spanish course makes this quite simple. You don't need to leave home to go out to a class, and you don't have to spend time commuting.

Another ingredient for success is portability. If you can take the language course along, you are then able to learn on your way to work, while travelling, on holiday, etc. like this you can make better use of time which would otherwise be wasted, and this helps to support your commitment and consistency to the language study.

Cost is another element to keep in mind if you are planning to study a language. Self study is a lot less expensive than attending regular classes at a good language school. If you investigate the price of 3-5 lessons a week at a serious language school, over a time span of a few months, you will immediately see that even the most costly home study course will be a bargain.

Finally, however, it all boils down to how effective a self-study course really can be - and this is where the Pimsleur Spanish course shines. The procedure developed by Dr. Pimsleur relies on two core principles - the first is the "Principle of Anticipation", which makes you "anticipate" an answer that is correct. This is done by asking you questions to which you can easily anticipate the answers, based on what was previously said. The next principal is that of "Graduated Interval Recall" which is based on asking you questions about previously presented material, at ever increasing intervals. Which all makes the studying almost effortless. And because the course is only audio, it's easy to have with you on an mp3 player and to study while traveling to work or going for a walk.