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Thanks eveyone for the suggestions. I talked to my wife about the girlfriend and she said no to that one. The Berlitz courses sound good but they are really expensive.


Actually, getting a <whatever language you want to learn> speaking girlfriend is one of the worst ways to learn a language. You don't learn appropriate speech for a male. A friend of mine constantly slips up and gets pegged as gay because his Japanese is skewed because of his Japanese girlfriend.

Berlitz is expensive, but for good reason. They are, in many ways, the gold standard. But that doesn't help when you're strapped for cash.

One option that I've seen VERY good results with would be the Rosetta Stone products. They're not cheap, but if your trying to learn a language naturally in the least amount of time possible, they're the business.

Try their online demo. I can bet if you do, you'll realize you've found your solution.

The other suggestions, though, such as reading Spanish papers, visiting Spanish markets, movies, etc. are dead on. You need all the contact and variety possible in your new language.

Good luck!
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Dave