Customer Reviews

Just Listen 'N Learn Spanish Plus

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this with the "Just Listen'N Learn" (the beginners level), hoping that it will help me continue the learning process. The first part is not the greatest, but it is a decent introduction (VERY light on grammar, but O'K on useful vocabulary and phrases). The "Plus" though is just plainly hard to use. The is a huge gap between "JLNL" and "JLNL Plus." It may be O'K for someone who already knows Spanish on an intermediate level, but you have to brace yourself for some hurdles:

- again, grammar is reduced to minimum,

- structures, tenses, etc. are used without an explanation,

- a lot of words and phases are never translated,

- dialogues get really boring.

Overall, just (barely) O'K to enhance skills, but you will need to rely very heavily on other sources to get through it.

This was the only advanced Spanish-learning "system" that I could find at the library. Anyway, I brought it home and it was terrific. It is certainly challenging, but it will improve your Spanish quickly. The speakers speak at a rapid pace and use natural-sounding dialogue (they don't use textbook pronunciations--they slur certain sounds together, chop off ends of words, etc), which helps to train your ear and understand native speakers better. In addition to the listening exercises, there are writing and speaking exercises. Overall it is an excellent product.

I did not like speakers that I heard on the first tape (did not listen to the rest). I am into somewhat advanced Spanish but I have other sources I like much better. It's not a program that appeals to me. It must be good for others though because it is a major production. Perhaps I should have given it more time.