First and foremost, there still exists the bevy of printed material designed to help you learn basic Spanish. These include dictionaries that translate a word from English into Spanish and vice versa. Most are pocket-sized and can be carried with you to a Spanish speaking country where you use it when necessary. There are also a variety of word books that help you learn fundamentals very easily with the help of pictures and quiz cards.
But the modern day equivalent of these learning tools is of course the CD and DVD. CDs are quite convenient as they can be popped into your CD player while you are in the car, walking the dog, shopping, or doing any variety of activities. Most people find the audio to be quite helpful in their quest to learn basic Spanish, as it is helpful to hear how the word is pronounced.
DVDs offer classroom-like instruction in the comfort of your own home. Lessons are taught to learn basic Spanish through an instructor and a number of tools that would ordinarily be used in the classroom. DVDs are helpful because you can simply watch them over and over again to absorb lessons at your own pace.
But perhaps the greatest technological advancement to learn basic Spanish is the electronic devices that you can now carry that help you translate on the spot. These devices include an audio dictionary. So if you type a word in English it will say it back to you in Spanish. This can be enormously helpful in those situations where you are stuck. Consumers who are not quiet confident in their Spanish speaking abilities find these devices to be their most important tool when visiting Spanish speaking countries.