If you have just been assigned a no-notice trip to a Spanish speaking country, you might not have time to learn anything more than simple Spanish phrases. You will not have the luxury of getting out the theory books and learning how to put together words and sentences. You will have to learn the most you can in the shortest amount of time possible.

In order to learn quickly, you must decide what method you will use. Some people prefer to get a phrasebook. The problem with this is that they do not know the correct way to pronounce the words. They may not be able to get their meaning across at all, or worse yet, they may say something they did not intend.

Another reason people buy these phrasebooks is that they figure that if all else fails they can point to the simple Spanish phrases they want to express. The person they are speaking to can read it and point them in the right direction. This only works as long as you have your book with you. If you ever lose that book, you will be completely lost.

The best way to learn is to hear them from a Spanish speaking person and repeat them until you can say them from memory. That way, assuming you do not lose your memory, you will always be ready with the phrases you want.

Furthermore, you will be saying the simple Spanish phrases the way they were meant to be spoken. The demonstration of how to pronounce the words will leave you no doubts about whether you can get your point across. Hearing is always the precursor to speaking.

Yet, what do you do if no Spanish speaking person is available to you? The best thing you can do in that situation is to get some kind of audio course that features the voice of a Spanish speaking person repeating the sentences for you.

Take the audio presentations with you on CDs or mp3s so that you can practice any time you have a chance. Since you have had little notice before your trip, you will want to take advantage of every opportunity to listen to the recordings of the simple Spanish phrases.

You can learn quite a few simple Spanish phrases in just a short time if you focus on the process. Learning is much better than relying on written material that you carry with you. It gives you the freedom to go anywhere and do anything without having to remember your phrasebook.