Hello PaulaBlanch
I am learning Spanish with Pimsleur guide that I purchased from Amazon, com, for about $23. I plan to move to Chile ASAP. I am on the beginners series 1-10. then I will order the next series. the lessons are only 30 minutes each and you can listen on the computer, or your disc player,in your car. Hope this helps.

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Thank you! I can see that listening to a CD in the car would be very helpful while I am commuting to work! I did find an app that I am using right now. It is called Speaktribe. It seems to work pretty well, but I'm sure I will have to start paying for it as I advance. Best of luck to you!

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Remember that Chilean "castellano" is a very different dialect to Spanish as spoken in Spain or many other Spanish-speaking countries. Best idea is an intensive course in Chile after you come--knowing some Spanish from another source. There are courses in a number of cities--Santiago, of course and Pucon in the South. Look online for courses in Chile. I lived in Chile for 12 years and learned "castellano" from a friend with whom I exchanged English "lessons".

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Shinann,
All Spanish speaking countries have differences and variations, much like the differences in English between the UK and the US. But, in most of the Spanish speaking countries I've visited, and lived in, nearly everyone understands the "standard" Spanish of Spain, also called Castillian, or Castellano. I agree that learning the particular variant in the country you will be living in can only be done after one arrives, but to put off learning Spanish just because the language taught in the US is not the Chilean variant will leave the new expat with no language skills on arrival. Better to have some "standard' Spanish than none at all. And with 5 years before moving, Ms. Blanch has time to become quite comfortable with the language before she arrives in Chile. Then it will be quite easy for her to pick up the few different vocabulary words used in Chile.

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Hey Shinann I hate to tell you but........I don't think you know what you're talking about.. The way I see it, the terms chileans use to speak are no different than any other latin country except for their accent which is no diiferent than the way colombians or mexicans talk.. In fact the real different spanish is the way spaniards in most regions of spain talk, which sometimes except for places like the canary islands or Madrid sounds more like the spanish used in most latin countries. One thing is true though, chileans tend to talk fast just like cubans which even if you are a native spanish speaker it's not always easy to understand what they're saying. But IMO that's just a matter of getting your ear used to. When I was in the service I was stationed in several latin countries for more than one year with my family. And now that I've been retired for many years once a year I spend time in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But I've also travelled to mexico, centraal and south america. And now I am considering spending maybve 3 months of the year in Chile because I was able to find fully furnished apartments at reasonable rates for 3 months. . And thus, my interest on watching videos on Youtube to stay on top of what's going on in chile.

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AlPavarotti - have you ever lived in Chile? This is my personal experience with Chilean Spanish.

First - They freely use a very large amount of slang that doesn't always translate how you think it should.

Second - They speak EXTREMELY fast which makes it very difficult to follow conversations unless your Spanish is very, very proficient.

Third - They drop 's and d' off the end of words. Couple this with their rapid speech pattern and it is again difficult to understand their 'brand' of Spanish.

Fourth - Even Chileans admit they speak a very poor version of Spanish.

However, once you comprehend the idiosyncrasies of how they speak and learn to speak it you will fit in and discover a truly wonderful country.

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When people tell you that they speak different than people in any other country, they tell you that as a matter of national pride. They're trying to tell you that they have their own identity, which makes them different than anybody else, specially chileans that don't want to be compared with bolivians or peruvians because of historic reasons. But at the same time they're telling you that out of ignorance. Because they've probably never been to other latin countries in order to compare the way they talk with people in other in other spanish speaking countries. And of course just like in any part of the world people with low levels of education express themselves poorly. And it's obvious you're still in the process of learning spanish and it's idiosyncrasies . And that's why you still don't see things the way a native speaker would. I want you to watch a videoon Youtube called" Comidas callejeras en Chile" about street food vendors. First of all notice the anchor woman speaks a clear spanish. Secondly the people interviewed expresss themselves using terms easy to follow if you speak spanish regardless of which country you're from. In every country regardless, the use of slang its part of the language. I guarantee you that english speakers use more slang than spanish speakers regardless of the country. Which is why english it's even harder to learn than spanish. Spanish it's a piece of cake to learn (just to give you an example) . And yes I've been to Santiago more than once. And I have also met chileans in Frankfurt when I was stationed in Germany back in 1973, after the overthrown of Allende. They left by the thousands to Venezuela, Norway, Germany. and other latin countries. Keep in mind during Francisco Franco spanish was the only language allowed in Spain. And now the way I see it they're following the foot steps of the old Yugoslavia, every region speaks their own language/dialect. And want to separate from Spain, just like the catalanes. But in the case of Chile just like any other latin country, spanish is the official language. And the slang the way I see it it's no different than the slang used in other latin countries. Now if you want to buy their BS well then that's a different story.

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Never had Spanish before
Took three semesters at local community college
Progressed through the online Duolingo program (still keep up to date on it even though I completed it)
I go to a Saturday Spanish conversation class at the local Hispanic Center
I would say I am about half way there to fluency
I can read at about 75%
Listen at about 50%
and speak at about 30%

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Savannahsavana,
Thank you for your reply! I checked that out on Amazon and in reading the reviews someone mentioned that they were using Youtube videos (free), so I have actually been listening to some that I like. This is one I have been using the past 2 nights as I fall asleep. "Sleep Learning ? Spoken Spanish ? Learn Spanish With The Power Of Binaural Beats." I already know the vocabulary, but I like listening to the rhythm of the speaker. I decided to listen to each audio for one solid week as I fall asleep (they are 3 hours long!) and then move on to the next audio. I actually find myself thinking of the Spanish phrases the next day. I'll let you know the outcome after a few weeks!
Paula

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Thank you Shinann! I actually lived for 3 years in Panama and noticed that there was a difference in the spoken dialect from the Mexican/Texas Spanish I was more familiar with. Even though there were differences, nobody had problems understanding me - although they did laugh at some of my mistakes! I do not look like a native, so I am not so worried about sounding like I grew up there.

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LovetheBeach, thank you for your reply! I remember it took me a long time (about 1 year) to get over my shyness of speaking Spanish in public in Panama. I want to arrive much more prepared this time!

I also LOVE the beach and so very much miss the sounds of the ocean lulling me to sleep at night and siesta. I wish I could move there tomorrow!

Los mejores deseos!

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