I work at a place where most people speak Spanish, and I want to be able to hold conversations with them. I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos, but I haven’t been able to retain the information. I need to write down flashcards and notes. I’m wondering, and I don’t mind if it’s proprietary, what is the best and fastest way to learn Spanish?
A while back I had an hour commute, so I started doing Pimsleur. They’re CDs/audio streams where a native speaker says something, and you repeat it aloud. Each half-hour session covers a conversation, and the sessions build on each other.
They only cover conversations (not writing) so they’re not a full answer, but they’re a great addition to whatever else you’re doing. You can find the CDs in a lot of libraries, and the first session is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O9Rf02Lxnw