Good point.
The zombie sucked me in.
Yes, but obviously just about all of this applies to most people who want to learn Spanish, whenever.
No, having to get a new job twice in that time period sort of derailed my efforts. And the whole bit about dad’s last few months of existence. Really, been very busy.
Still interested in Spanish, but earning a living takes precedence. Did pick up a few words and phrases, maybe I’ll get back to it soon.
Thanks to everyone who contributed useful suggestions, and I hope other folks can make use of them as well.
I took four semesters of Spanish at the local community college, and they used Destinos as the basis for the 201 and 202 classes. We’d watch an episode in class every week and have vocabulary quizzes on the content.
I learned a lot working part time at a restaurant with mostly native-born Spanish speakers. This was before studying any Spanish, and I was better able to communicate in Spanish than I ever could in German after studying it for four years in high school or Italian after taking four semesters in college.
Having a Spanish-speaking girlfriend helped a lot too.
Here are a few books that I used while learning Spanish:
Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish
Berlitz Self-Teacher: Spanish
Another thing you can do is search Meetup for any conversational Spanish groups in your area.
Check out Duolingo - desktop and mobile app. I use it to keep up my Spanish skills and also to learn Italian. Lessons start off really simple, and get progressively more complex. You can choose how much time you want to devote daily. It has some drawbacks, but for a beginner, it is a great resource.
I second Duolingo. I use it to practice my French, while I’m also taking French lessons. It’s a good complement to the class, sort of like homework and drills.
Watch Spanish TV with the closed captioning on, that is helpful in my experience. However start with children’s shows, then move up to game shows and soap operas.
I’m unsure what is happening with translational software. I have heard it isn’t far off, but they say that about various techs, just around the corner.