Software for learning Spanish
Name of software:
Rosetta Stone Latin-American Spanish Vols. 1-5Date of purchase:
Fall 2009What age range is this most suitable for?
8-10 years old and up
How much Spanish should you know before using this?
No knowledge neededIs this software a good value?
It's too expensive.Which operating system did you use this with?
MacWhat did you like most about this software?
It stepped you through a leaning progression. You learn right away.
What did you dislike most about this software?
Too few accents (8 or so), the program glitches, some errors.
My Review
This program is good for someone who has no background in Spanish. It is easy to follow and there are feedback mechanisms to help you pronounce the words correctly. That said, it's very expensive and it's virtually impossible to move to another computer once you've installed it. Big plus: You get to associate an image with a printed word and a sound, and there are review sessions built into the program.
Gripes: I don't like the way it resets itself once you go back to review something -- you find yourself going through the same material again, and maybe you desired to move on.
There are too few accents -- the biggest problem for new Spanish speakers is that native speakers sound like machine guns and sound very different from the folks on the program. The rate of speech seemed slow to me and many of the accents didn't seem native.
There is no grammar, which leaves you high and dry when it comes to making yourself fluently understood. I can understand not drilling on por vs. para or ser vs. estar, but for the price there should be something to help you with use of the reflexive, with the pronouns and object "a", stuff like that. Maybe a grammar help section with each course, with exercises? There should also be something that lets you check the grammar point on each question.
Although pricey, I think this is the best course on the market (and I've seen lots of them) but if you want to be fluent, spending 80-160 hrs. with this course cannot accomplish what the US Department of State and U.S. military says takes 770 hours. You will have to go somewhere the language is spoken, make lots of mistakes through use and learn in the streets.
