Hi all,

I'm planning to learn Spanish (latin) through Rosetta Stone software. The main reason I'm going to study this is because I want to make a two weeks trip to South America in Dec 2009 (a year from now on).

I was wondering if 6 months (assuming I start studying in April) is good enough to learn Spanish intermediately. I don't need to be fluent, just want to be able to speak with locals and understand the signs.

Also Rosetta Stone software (level 1,2,3) is $500 - a heavy investment for me. Are they other possible/cheaper study materials that I could use? If yes, could you specify what book to buy or other audio cds.

Thanks!

Try the Visual Link from the U.S. Institute of Languages. It states that you will be able to converse in Spanish in 30 days. There is an set of CDs and an interactive DVD and mini manual. Well worth the price. Generally, less than $100. Available on-line.
Easy, fast and very good!
Also, purchase Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish - a book available in many book stores. It advertises that you will read, write and speak Spanish in only a few short weeks. Also, very well worth the time! The book is approx. $12.95 and you will be amazed at how easy it is to learn. The author, Margarita Madrigal is quite funny, and makes it easy to learn.
Buena Suerte con esto! (Good Luck with this!)

I can personally recommend "Berlitz Think And Talk." I bought the program
To familiarize myself with French several years ago prior to going to France.
Back then, the program included several 2-sided tapes (probably CDs now),
Two large workbooks, and a two-way dictionary.

Berlitz has several other language courses available, including Spanish, which
I already speak pretty well. Here's a link that I found online with information
About how to order the program which is quite reasonably priced, and the
Berlitz method has been around much longer than some other personal
Language teaching programs. In case you want to check it out:

Amazon.com: Berlitz Think and Talk Spanish: Software