12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Refresher, or for those who already know the basics!, April 5, 2010
This review is from: Behind the Wheel - Spanish 2 (Audio CD)
I am visiting Spain in 4 days, to attend a friend's wedding. I had 4 years of Spanish in High School, and did an exchange program when I was in High School, where a girl (whose wedding I'm now attending!) came and spent a summer w/ my family, and my sister and I spent a summer with hers, in Northern Spain. I'm 32 now, and the last time I was in Spain I had just turned 17, so it's been a while! I first purchased "Spanish For Dummies" - the 3 disc set, and if you have absolutely no previous experience, I would recommend that set, but I found myself blitzing through it, and very quickly ordered this one, instead. The host of the program, whose name I don't know (or just can't recall), is great, he's very conversational, and even occasionally pokes fun at some of the programs ie: "it's not this, it's that"- "No es una paraguas, es una casa!" (It's not an umbrella, it's a house!). There are short stories, and also word and pronunciation reviews. There are 2 native speakers, and I prefer the male. As someone who travels to Spain, but not South America, I also really appreciate that they talk about how certain words are used in Spain, while other words are used in the Americas. For example, "conducir and manejar" both mean "to drive"- the former used in Spain, the latter used in the Americas- they also make a note of certain words used in just Mexico, when applicable.
The word or phrase is spoken in English, and then spoken twice in Spanish, for you to repeat. If you already know/remember the basics, like how to say your name, ask for the bathroom, etc, but want to recall or learn some better words/phrases, I would definitely suggest this program.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best way to learn Spanish, April 14, 2009
This review is from: Behind the Wheel - Spanish 2 (Audio CD)
I finished Behind the Wheel Spanish 1 and had to get the next level. It seems so effortless to listen to these CDs in the car and really be able to learn enough to make your own sentences very quickly using the tables given in the book. Vocabulary is often introduced in sentences which is much less boring that listening to a list of words. You get practice making sentences plus get added vocab in context. I do miss Luis (the speaker on Spanish 1) who spoke so slowly and clearly, but I quickly got used to the new native speakers (there are several) and I appreciate that listening to them speak at a normal speed will help with understanding Spanish speakers out in the real world. Can't wait to get through to Spanish 3!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product, February 3, 2009
This review is from: Behind the Wheel - Spanish 2 (Audio CD)
I have had beginning Spanish classes and have been studying on my own for about a year. I ordered Behind the Wheel Spanish 2 and it is at just the right level for me. Whenever I am in my car I pop one of the discs in and have found my fluency increasing almost effortlessly.
The only drawback that I can think of is for people who have had absolutely no previous spanish exposure, it sould be hard to relate the spoken words to the way they are written. I think having some grammar rules, understanding of pronunciation, verb forms, etc. is very helpful. Maybe this is covered in Behind the Wheel Spanish 1?
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