Before you begin actually learning Esperanto, you'll need to sign up for 2 key websites that you'll be using throughout your Esperanto-learning journey: lernu.net and memrise.com (these two links will take you to the sign-up pages for each site). When you've registered, come back to this post.
Now that you've registered for Lernu, you may want to take some time to look around. On the top navigation bar, there is a "Courses" tab, and under "Basic" you will find Ana Pana, the course you will begin with. Under "Learning", you can find word lists, as well as a page that describes each of Esperanto's few grammar rules. You can also find some games to play, but you probably won't be doing this until you begin to learn. Under "Community", you can find other users and message them, as well as post in the Lernu forums if you need help with anything.
On the left side of the page, you will see a dictionary that translates between Esperanto and English (or many other languages if you want). If you want to translate something to or from Esperanto, this is probably the best translator you will find, so try it before you turn to Google Translate. In the same column near the bottom is the "Tujmesaĝilo", the instant messenger. As you learn, you can visit that chat room in order to get some practice.
While Lernu is used for more general learning, Memrise is used for learning vocabulary, and it isn't exclusive to Esperanto - you can use it to memorize just about anything. Memrise's interface is a little more streamlined than Lernu's. On the very top, the "Browse" button will allow you to search for courses (though there will be links in this guide to any courses used) and the "Create" button lets you make your own.
Memrise uses the metaphor of gardening when helping you remember things. "Planting" is learning new vocabulary, while "watering" is reviewing. Memrise uses spaced repetition and knows when you need to review, so it's best to water your vocabulary as soon as Memrise tells you to. It's also good not to "overwater", which messes with the algorithm that figures out when you need to review.
Both of these websites will be helpful as you learn, and you will learn more about these sites as you use them more and more.
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