It could be a few things.
1 There could be air or water in the braking system.
2 The brake master cylinder could be worn out and need replacing.
3 You could have a leak in the brake lines.
To me it sounds like the master cylinder is worn as i had this happen with my clutch master cylinder recently which i replaced myself.
However, if you`re not able to diagnose which of the things it is then i would say phone a garage or someone with more mechanical knowledge with cars than you and ask can someone come check it out.You do not want to be driving a car without brakes to a garage as you could potentiallly kill someone on your way there.
You may have to get a recovery vehicle to take the car to be fixed.Yes it`s expense that nobody wants but is better than wrecking the car or injuring someone.
John, March 2010