How to learn mandarin ?

i just mainly want to learn how to speak and understanding mandarin, not so much writing it [cuz it’s wayy too hard] Is it possible for me to learn how to speak and understand mandarin without learning how to write ? and im just a student [16 years old] so …

Can anyone recommend any good (fairly cheap) software for learning chinese mandarin?

I’ve check out amazon, my local libary, book shops, computer stores and a number of different online retailer but I am having a hard time finding good software. I would like to have software that speaks full mandarin sentances/ paragraphs,maybe voice recognition software aswell and writing. can anyone recommend anything? …