Customer Reviews

Berlitz Rush Hour Spanish (Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you've ever done a search for Spanish language courses, you know there's SLEW of them out there! They all sound so good. I've tried tape after tape after tape. Rented one after another from the library. Then researched them online. Then read reviews. Then placed orders. And joined an online Spanish course (mentioned by someone in one of their reviews for this program)... and cancelled it shortly thereafter. I even went to bookstores and carried an armload of books to one of their big chairs and looked though about 20 of them. I studied French for 4 years in High School and a semester in college, but never tried Spanish. Here's the bottom line on this Rush Hour Spanish program. 1) It's well produced 2) It's interesting 3) It's catchy 4) It covers a good amount of ground 5) It moves at a nice pace 6) It has you singing the songs all day long. (And for the person who complained that he can't get the songs out of his head... THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT! That's the beauty of the course. You find yourself practicing with no effort... you just start singing! It's fantastic. And the music is upbeat and pleasant. And when you need to use what you learned, you find the words roll off your tongue with ease because you've sang it so many times in your head... and out loud!) So many other programs are amazingly B-O-R-I-N-G. In fact, there was one program (I don't remember the name, but it was God awful. All it did was say a word in English and then in Spanish and then another word in English and then in Spanish... and so on... for 2 full cassettes! How the heck can you learn like that? It was like getting your teeth drilled at the dentist... painful... and you couldn't wait for it to end! Another 2-tape program by Fodors was almost as bad. This Rush Hour "system", on the other hand, is unique... never found anything like it. I'm very hard to please, and I tell you this program was very well done. I'm baffled that a couple people complained about the music. It's great! Sure, the words are corny, but who the heck cares?!?!? IT WORKS! You're not looking for a program that can win an Oscar for performance... you want to learn Spanish! Now, another suggestion is Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish book. So here's what I did. I got this Rush Hour program and play it when I dress... shower... and any time I'm getting ready to go out. It sort of installs the lessons in your head. (And my wife's head too... she's singing it, too! We're going to Mexico in 3 months.) And since I also need something more VISUAL, I also use the VISUAL LINK CD program (Google it). It's amazingly effective. It teaches you how to structure sentences and gets you talking FAST. Their website has a free mini-lesson. Check it out... it's simple and superb. I first ordered the free CD and blazed through it so fast I ordered the whole program. Then I turn to the Magic Key to Spanish book for written exercises because I don't want to simply be able to SPEAK it... I want to be able to WRITE it, too. The only other program I can suggest is: Barron's Learn Spanish, Espanol' the Fast and Fun Way. You can check out the book in the bookstore. I think you'll be impressed. Do yourself a favor and save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Check out the things I've mentioned in this review FIRST. They're among the very best. If you're just a casual learner and want the basic phrases for an upcoming trip, don't even think about it... just order the Rush Hour program. If you want to become fluent like I do, get Rush Hour... Visual Link... and either the Magic Key book or the Barron's book and tapes. Good luck, amigos!

This CD is a great way to start if you are looking for an easy and fun way to be introduced to the basics of Spanish. I agree with the other reviewers that the songs are AWFULLY silly (a lot like a children's CD) but the tunes ARE catchy, and I found this actually helped me remember the material. (This was my first attempt at Spanish.)

Each segment has clear dialog between the characters who sort of introduce the theme of the lesson. Then comes repetition of basic words and phrases, and finally (gulp!) they break into song to reinforce it all. Between song "verses", the listener is asked to repeat key phrases or words to the beat of the music. You follow the main character John, (a kindhearted, slightly goofy fellow) through his day as he experiences getting dressed, having breakfast, strange weather patterns, catching a train, running errands, visiting his family, etc. The subjects covered are a great introduction to basics of the language, including pronunciation.

At first, the lessons had me laughing out loud with their seeming foolishness. I was thinking, "This will NEVER work-and I'll DIE if anyone hears me doing this!" But after a few lessons you get sort of "de-sensitized" to the corniness of it. The lessons don't focus much at all on verb tense or sentence structure, but I can honestly say that after listening to everything 2-3 times, I found I could remember and repeat key phrases and words just by RECALLING THE SONGS IN MY HEAD!

BOTTOM LINE: If you are looking for any sort of in-depth grammatical instruction, (or if you hate musicals/have no sense of humor) don't buy this CD. If you are a fun person willing to try something kind of silly to learn some basic travel/conversational Spanish, this is the one for you!

My husband and I have tried a couple of other Spanish programs that were pretty bad -- we just wanted a small program that would help us learn a few words so we could then take a full-fledged course without feeling lost. Also, my husband is dyslexic and often has trouble with English so we needed something very easy. Well, we are having a ball with this fun little course. Yes, the tunes are sappy, but that's what makes it fun and easy. Recently I dropped off a couple of boxes of clothing at Goodwill, and the attendant greeted me with a thick Spanish accent. I immediately responded in Spanish and was able to exchange a few sentences in Spanish with him. I was thrilled!!! The only suggestion I have for Berlitz might be that they make their little booklet available online in a .pdf format so it could easily be downloaded and enlarged. My aging eyes have a bit of trouble reading the tiny print. Yes, I can scan the pages and reprint them larger, but a .pdf file would be so much easier. I bought this program at Sam's for less than $13. I want to send a couple as gifts to friends who are interested and I will probably order from Amazon because their price is not bad and I don't want to be bothered with shipping.

I am finding the CD useful. However, the book is necessary to help with certain areas I could not understand on the CD, which is difficult to do while driving. I do wish you could back up to hear a recent passage or phrase without going back to the beginning of the section. This is where a tape would be better.
I thought the music and contents put to song a bit silly at first but it has helped in my recall. I do have one complaint, these little diddies have become ear worms. I find myself unable to get them out of my mind for long periods of time.

What works for one person does not work for another and such is the approach to learning how to speak Spanish. There is no easy way. Some folks might pick up languages quickly: not me. Just for the heck of it (and mindful of N. VA's growing Spanish speaking population) I recently took a Spanish class that was made up of computer software and a one-hour phone conversation with a mentor once a week. It was not enough.

I quickly found a Spanish speaker in my neighborhood who was kind enough to help me through the pronunciations in the written material and get me started with conversation as well.

That's where this program comes in handy. I listen to it while I exercise and on my rather long commute to work (an iPOD is a great investment!!!). It's simple and basic...that's all I wanted. Where many of these programs go wrong is when the manufacturers label and package them with eye-catching phrases that promise how easy it will be, if you buy this particular program (or another), to learn Spanish. In reality, there is no easy way. In my case, I decided I wanted to learn Spanish and put the time into it.

The songs in this course are corny but they play to our instinctive ability to want to learn the words to the songs we hear.

Some of the reviews have been highly critical of the Spanish Express package and Berlitz in particular. Having used this material for the last several months I credit it with helping me build my vocabulary and get a better hold on verbs and conjugations. I find it an excellent SUPPLEMENT to an organized Spanish course. Finally, you need to practice with native speakers. I can follow conversations these days, but live practice is where I hone my speaking skills.

If you don't want to invest in this one just yet, try the Rush Hour Spanish Express. It's only about an hour long but it's the abbreviated version of Rush Hour Spanish. If you like that one, then this one will be to your liking.

Sure, the jingles are a little corny, but the repitition and presentation make it very easy to learn the basic words and phrases to get started with Spanish. I'd highly recommend it for any commuter wanting something more than to just pass the time.

In my opinion this is a good way to get your feet wet in Spanish I drive for a pizza place and try and put that time to good use and this cd was helpful in learning basic phrases, after I was done listening to it several times I could probabably communicate in spanish at the level of a 5 year old native speaker. Colors, numbers, basic nouns and verbs, for something more in depth though I recommend the series with Michel Thomas.

I got this with a little apprehension, suspecting that the music might not be a bit cheesy, but I am really trying to learn Spanish during my commute, so I thought I'd try.
Well the music is so heinously bad that I couldn't put it back in my CD player after having heard it once. I'd try and listen, but the cheap synthesiser sound and plinkety-plonk tunes would start to grate on my nerves so fast, I'd reach straight for the eject button.

I took courses in Spanish and learned more by listening to this langauge program. If you love music - you'll love learning Spanish with the catchy tunes. "Mucho gusto, it's nice to meet you....." Very fun.

Turns out to be great. At first, I rolled my eyes at the little songs, feeling a little like I was listening to a Barney show. But it was in the privacy of my own car, so I just went with it. But then started noticing that the songs DO stick in your mind AND you remember what the spanish phrases/words mean! I am visual, though, so I needed to take a look at the booklet that has the "script" so I could understand what the spelling of the word was that they were saying. That helps a lot. First, I had rented a language DVD from Netflix. I found it grating and couldn't get far, but I did get through the pronunciation piece first. That way, if presented with a phrase like "Quiero aprender a communicarme en enspanol" that a native spanish speaking friend wrote for me, I can at least pronounce it correctly (or close enough to be understood). It is much more motivating to find that while your vocabulary is limited, the parts you DO know can be understood. Next, I start listening to these cds and check the booklet. Finally I went with the suggestion of another reviewer and bought a spanish instruction book (Madrigal's Magic Spanish). I am also considering buying 501 Spanish verbs conjugated. That was great when I used to study French years ago. I add some fun into it by nagging my spanish speaking friend at work to give me a sentence every once in a while. The native speakers at work are willing to discuss it with me now and then, which is nice. I guess people appreciate you TRYING to speak their language (especially since english speaking Americans have a rep for NOT trying). If you just want to dip your toe in to try it out and see if it sustains your interest OR if you just need survival communication for a trip, these tapes along with something that helps you with pronunciation by letter, are a good bet. So those are my recommendations.