I am thinking about trying Rosetta Stone for learning Spanish...is this method any good?

Question

If you have tried using ths approach, let me know if you liked it and if not is there a better online method of learning Spanish?

Answer 1

I tried Rosetta Stone for Spanish. It was effective to learn basic words and sentences. It does not have any translation, grammar or conjugation instructions though so it will be very hard to go beyond the basics with it. There is no way to be fluent with it

My college uses a software called TeLL me More, by Auralog. It covers not only the basics, but also intermediate or advanced level. It is also a lot less repetitive. My goal was to become fluent so it was perfect for me. It has a lot of different activities: picture/word association, videos, dialogues,..., includes also grammar and conjugation. It has also more content than any other language software. Their speech recognition is great so you can have a dialogue with the computer. You can check out their website at http://www.auralog.com for a free demo and compare too. You can check out independent reviews on the web too http://www.toptenreviews.com or about.com websites.

The best way to learn a language would be through immersion, visiting these countries. Learning a language will require some time. In addition to software, you can have books which are useful as well. Audio CDs like Pimsleur for instance might help you out but you cannot get any feedback on your pronunciation so I did not like it so much

Answer 2

The immersion in a foreign culture by consuming the language passively (reading & listening) helps to get a feel for the use of this language. Increasing the confidence in your skills can only be achieved by actively using the second language more often (writing & speaking), but the most important thing is to have a qualified person who corrects your mistakes and approves your ideas. The program aims to teach you by giving examples (+ audio) without literal translations (just pictorial hints towards the meaning) and asking you to inherently understand it and then to use this "knowledge" in exercises. So you are not thought in a classical way which means you do not learn theory or rules of grammar, but the use of words in a certain context. As there are usually a multitude of ways to express your thoughts in any language but only 1 is presented as THE solution of each exercises. You cannot find out if your idea would have been right too or not - not sure if this instills enough confidence ... You already know the language to some extend so you might not need those levels. Not sure if it is the optimal product for you anyway - you are not a beginner and given the price in relation to the effect for you.

Answer 3

It's impossible to really learn a language using the media alone. Programs like this give you a start, but it's absolutely necessary to be in a group environment. If, after you learn the basics, you can't travel to a country where Spanish is spoken, consider taking a "total immersion" summer course. Many schools and colleges offer such courses, and you can be any age to take them.

Answer 4

The best place to learn Spanish is at a school or with a Spanish speaking teacher.

Spanish isn't that easy, the acentos and stuff....I hate writing in spanish but knowing how to can be very beneficial.
Adios y buena suerte!
(it means goodbye and goodluck)

Answer 5

it worked for me to learn italian. it should be very easy for class A languages like spanish, french, & italian.