Customer Reviews

Learning Like Crazy Spoken Spanish, Vol. 2 (Spanish Edition)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It obviously mimics the Pimsleur technique, but it covers more ground and explains most things much better than Pimsleur does. Having done the whole three levels of Pimsleur, I'd say it was better, and given that it's cheaper, there's just no question about which one you should get (this one). There's only one thing that Pimsleur does better and that's keep you off balance. Since Learning Spanish Like Crazy approaches subjects thematically, it's pretty easy for your brain to get into a rhythm on a particular topic (say, for instance, forming commands with AR verbs). Since you just stay on one topic your short-term memory kicks in and you find yourself just zombie-ing it through). I went back to a previous topic a few weeks later and asked myself "did I really learn this?" Pimsleur, on the other hand, is *constantly* reintroducing past learned material and constantly trying to keep you off balance so you always have to reuse things you've learned in the past. In this way, I think Pimsleur may allow you to digest things a bit better. Still, there's more here than in Pimsleur and I think it's more useful for people who want to chit-chat with new friends than who want to learn stuff for a Business setting. Pimsleur is far too business-centric for me and far too formal-occasion oriented because of it. My only other little gripe is tiny and applies only to a small fraction of those wanting to learn Spanish and is a problem with all Spanish learning products. I did this series because I knew that I would be spending a good deal of time in Argentina. The first day I was there someone said "vos sos" to me and I was like "Is this Spanish?" Well, it turns out that in Argentina you don't really use the "tu" form except with small children and cuddly animals. "Vos sos" is the basic equivalent of "tu eres," but if you say that to an adult, they might get offended. But anyway, buy this, it's probably the best product out there.

I've been studying Spanish on my own for the past two years and have found the reviews on Amazon to be ever so helpful in both the quality of learning materials I have purchased here as well as avoiding many pitfalls for courses that don't offer much. And so I felt I needed to contribute also since the reviews have been so helpful to me.

On this particular product: It's exactly what I needed for the stage that I currently am in my learning... I would call the stage 'TRUE intermediate' with the continued desire to continue on into true advanced Spanish. En otras palabras, I understand much more than I can speak but need more conversational audio for the subjunctive mood tenses. As others have already stated here, this course is terrific for continuing on in the subjunctive. I also liked how they did the conditional tense, commands, etc. Oh, before I forget: The audio is crisp and clear!

As an aside: The FSI course has been the main thread for me during these past 2 years, pushing me closer and closer to true fluency... but the FSI audio cds are NOT clear audio. The FSI manuals are indispensable and are terrific. I just wish someone would redo ALL the audio on the FSI CDs because it's such a great course!

Back to the subject at hand: I'm happy to report that the Learning Spanish Like Crazy Vol 2 is exactly what I needed for a little variation on the listening end of things due to the above-stated reasons. This product is terrific but please make a note (as others have already stated)this isn't for the beginner. The only downside to this package is that there were no transcripts. Let me repeat: NO TRANSCRIPTS CAME WITH THE AUDIO COURSE. (Usually, I'd be pretty upset, but, believe it or not, I'm not too disappointed because the audio is just that clear and also because I am not a stranger to the mood tenses, etc.) What it does contain: 14 audio CDs, as well as a bonus lesson package of 4 audio CDs (which I haven't yet listened to since I just received everything 2 days ago); also a really well done video interactive DVD. You get a lot of material with this one, folks.

Hope I may have helped someone up here just a little, because many of you have helped me without ever knowing it by taking the time to post a review. ¡Sigan adelante y que Dios les bendiga!

The creator of this product is quite an aggressive salesman--his marketing tactics actually made me hesitant to buy it! There are obvious shills for his stuff all over Amazon and the rest of the internet--transparently phoney "reviews" for other products that end up being an endorsement for his program. Even on this page there is at least one planted endorsement from a bogus review site. Because of this, it is impossible to tell which reviews are from honest, satisfied customers!

All that being said, I actually bought this thing (downloaded, much cheaper, from the website), mostly because of the sample lessons I heard. I've only had it a couple of days, but from what I've heard so far the sound is nicely recorded (although 96 kbps is a bit thin in quality), and I can usually hear subtle nuances of speech and mouth movement. The actors are expressive in their delivery, which holds my attention much better than the droning voices in the FSI recordings. People actually laugh and flirt in their conversations, which involve everyday topics rather than finding the right office at the American Embassy. The narrator/teacher has a very odd accent, almost spanish/british (?), but he explains and breaks down the grammar very well and has a friendly, encouraging manner. The speed of speech seems about right--it's challenging, and I have to replay sections in order to hear how words are clustered together. That has been the most difficult part of learning for me--the transition from what I know about the language to hearing the way it sounds in real conversation. It has made me conscious of how we English-speakers do the same thing with our language-- we naturally garble syllables and link words together, which makes comprehension excruciating for new learners!

There is a slang section in the package, which is great. However, most of it is from Mexican and South American Spanish; as a New Yorker, I would have preferred to hear a lot more Dominican and Puerto Rican Spanish, which I have been told is quite different.

There's tons of material in this package, plenty to listen to. The video lessons also seem useful, although the image quality is mediocre (at least in the downloaded version). I've made pretty good progress in reading Spanish over the last couple of years, but still can't understand a word of the spoken language--I think this will be great for me to sink my teeth (or ears) into. I just wish the owner of the company was a little less of a huckster, because he's distracting attention from the integrity of his product!

Just a side note for other Spanish learners--I have found that Spanish comic books are a GREAT tool for learning to read. In New York, there is a Chilean comic about a character named "Condorito" available all over the city. It's howlingly funny-- the humor is very dark and politically incorrect, a great relief from the bland material one usually finds in textbooks. The artwork is excellent, and it features cast of engagingly bizarre characters such as "huevoduro", whose head appears to be a hard-boiled egg. The jokes are usually one page, often involving puns, misunderstandings, insults or sexual inuendos that give great insight into the language. There are visual clues to help, but I often need to consult the dictionary (which results in building vocabulary). The idioms can be difficult to decipher--sometimes it takes 20 minutes to get through a page--but psychologically, there is a great "payoff" incentive to get to the hilarious punchline at the end. So far I've found it to be the best resource yet for improving my comprehension!

In terms of content, I'd rate this product a 4. It does a good job of covering all the key grammatical points. Between LSLC 1 and 2 (total of about 35 cds), it covers about the same amount of material as LIYCS (11 cd's) and more material than BTWS 1. Key difference is that w/ the greater number of hours, it'll go into greater details through drills than LIYCS or BTWS and it seems more interactive helping u to remember stuff more. That said, for every hour of lessons, it covers much less vocab than the other two products. I've finished studying LIYCS and BTWS and this course is better. However, it provides no background on grammar so once it starts conjugating verbs, u don't really know why it was conjugated and stuff so can be confusing for total novice. The transcripts don't have any info on grammar either, unlike the other two products. The online grammar page is pretty thin and incomplete.

Though can get a great deal on publisher's site with LSLC 1 and 2 plus 5 hrs of bonus lessons and FSI 3 and 4 for about $170, the product that u'll download is kinda crippled. They'll bait u w/ mp3 samples that are 192 kbps. When you actually order, the files for LSLC1 and 2 and bonuses range from 96 kbps at 22 kHz for entire LSLC 2, to some 112 kbps and a few 128 kbps at 22 kHz for LSLC 1. People here on amazon say the audio quality sounds great. To me, audio quality in BTWS and LIYCS sounded much clearer than LSLC. LSLC sounds like clear AM radio...with that hollow hissing sound when u turn up the volume...kinda hard to explain. BTWS and LIYCSsound like professionally recorded CD's. The free FSI 3 and 4 are 128 kbps at 44 kHz. The bonus video lessons downloads look like the 1.5x2" boxes u'd see w/ video quality worse than youtube. PDF of dialogs are about 10-12 pages per lesson, making them around 350-400 pages in total. They could have easily single spaced the pdf of transcripts to save us some paper from printing.

Price wise, this product too expensive. It'd be more fair if both LSLC 1 and 2 w/ cd's were $200 total. Also, the website does itself a disservice w/ all that propoganda which makes it look like an informercial. For all the people whose pictures appears raving about it, it would seem as if their online forum would be vibrant and active. In reality, it's pretty empty with a few posters here and there. The reviews on amazing are waaay too glowing for this product, making me doubt their authenticity. However, the Free FSI 3 and 4 make LSLC worth it.

5/24 addendum:

In terms of equivalence:

For FSI Spanish series, there is the Programmatic series and the Basic series.

-FSI programmatic 1 and 2 by LSLC is a distinct course.

-FSI basic (barrons and platiquemos) are a distinct course. Platiquemous divides the Basic in half so there's a total of 8 lessons from the original 4 lessons. Barrons has the first two lessons, which equals platiquemous' first 4 lessons.

FSI Programmatic 1 + 2 = FSI Basic 1+2+3+4

LSLC's bonus FSI 3 and 4 download are different from FSI programmatic...and don't follow their programattic 1 and 2 series..

In terms of order of courses with increasing difficulty:

Barron's FSI Basic 1 = plaquetimos 1/2 --> Barron's FSI 2 = plaquetimos 3/4 --> plaquetimos 5/6 = LSLC's FSI 3--> plaquetimos 7/8 = LSLC's FSI 4

Because barron's only provides the first basic 1 and 2, that's why some posters have mentioned that u'd need to get the programattic II from LSLC to get the free FSI 3 and 4, or you could by plaquetimos.

LSLC Spoken Spanish 1 and 2 are distinct from FSI but use same approach to teaching. LSLC's SS 2 covers up to subjunctive, which is in FSI 3. I haven't personally seen the programattic series.

I liked Level I, and now own Level II. I felt like I should review this because as others have observed there are obviously a lot of fake reviews touting the amazing things it will do. The fact is, this product has HUGELY helped my spanish fluency. I went through Pimsleur from the local library, and that is a great program as well. I will probably do Rosetta Stone after. I have done level 1 and am finishing level 2 and also went through Barrons' Learning Medical Spanish program. This is great on verb tenses. It is a bit, but not overly predictable. Pimsleur has more inherent review, so the stuff you learn is maybe better stuck in your head. However, that can be overcome by listening to the CDs more times. Pimsleur I went through once, these CDs I listen to three times a piece (as the difficulty has increased) and then review later. The amount of material in this far exceeds Pimsleur, and I have learned lots of verb tenses and structures. I can now speak and be understood fairly well. I have seen claims that you will be fluent and understand rapid speaking natives, and while this definitely gets you closer, I don't know when I will be able to understand rapid speakers (even with listening to TV for practice)... I think that just takes time. Fluency just takes practice and time. So, it's a great product, but its not going to make you beautiful, intelligent, or anything else magical despite some of its claims. I did email the company and they are coming out with a Level III this fall, and I plan to get that as well. The only thing that would stop me would be if I already have much of it-- the free lesson they give with Level One is the first lesson of level II, and this one has a bunch of bonus lessons (A-H I think) which I haven't reached yet. Anyway, definitely a good pick for someone who is motivated and has time and money to invest in learning Spanish!

Later: I am updating this review, just to say I have decided not to do Rosetta Stone. I am sure it is a fine product... but I don't feel I need to spend the money on it with where I am at now. I am working my way through the LSLC FSI Programmatic Spanish programs which are an awesome addition to this, if somewhat painful. I have learned a lot through iTunes Latino (and I am sure you could find Spanish mp3's here on amazon too)... get the songs, find a translation on line or translate it myself, and listen to it when I run. Kudos to Learning Spanish Like Crazy for providing a great program!

There is way too much propoganda out there for this product. I think the course suffers from trying to cover too much without going into depth with anything. Sometimes way too much time is spent on a really simple sentence, while a more difficult one is breazed through. Also as another reviewer has pointed out, each lesson does not incorporate stuff learned from the previous ones, so you don't feel like your building a base of knowledge. Some lessons I felt like there was very little method at all, just introducing a word, repeating it several times, then onto another. Not saying it's a complete waste of time, and it's a step up from most stuff you can find at the bookstore, but it is presented as this miracle product which it's not. I have found the original fsi spanish (level's one through four) which can be found at "[...]" to be a much, much more effective method--there's really no comparison. And no I don't work for them, just trying to help fellow spanish learners.

I agree with the comments above that say you learn conversational spanish that you will actually hear and use. My only disagreement is that if you travel outside the US, or live in the US, you will certainly hear more than a Mexican accent, and it is very important to learn different accents since, as the person who went to Argentina pointed out, native speakers speak spanish differently from one another. You don't want to get stuck. I live in NYC, but grew up in a small town in NJ - even in the small town, I knew people from Spain, who obviously speak very different from Mexicans. I now know Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Colombians, Argentineans, Venezuelans, and Ecuadorians. I am so glad I can not only understand their accents but also I usually have a sense of where someone is from by their manner of speaking. So, I actually appreciated the different accents.

I also purchased their FSI spanish which was a bit more archaic and the print-outs they provide are difficult to use. This product seems better.

I though level one (Lessons 1 through 30) was great. Level two continues the original format, with the addition of new verb tenses and vocabulary. If you liked level one, get level two. Obviously, work with level one first.

I was unclear on the availability of transcripts, but they are available online, and the instructions are clear.

Learning Spanish Like Crazy is the best language audio CD set on the market. I own most of the other high-quality language learning systems: books, audio, and software. I studied Spanish for years in school and found occasions to speak it regularly in my communities, growing up in NY and living in TX and CA.

I speak Spanish reasonably well now. Whenever I travel to a Spanish-speaking country on vacation or business, I still spend a few weeks reviewing my Pimsleur and LSLC CDs to brush up, listening as I commute to work.

Patrick Jackson's method stands on the shoulders of the Pimsleur method. He has crafted a language training series that is modern, lively, and fun to use. The conversational method pioneered by Pimsleur is a much more entertaining and effective method than the rote drill methods used in systems like the Foreign Service Institute (FSI).

Even if you are proficient in basic conversation, you will find the first level series useful. The early lessons are basic, but the later lessons in this level ramp up quickly, mixing tenses and vocabulary in a mode similar to natural conversation. Like the Pimsleur method, which scientifically measures the human ability to remember, language patterns and vocabulary are constantly reinforced throughout the course. You don't forget what you learned in the beginning of the course. You use the skills and vocabulary throughout the course.

I was a little wary of the cartoon cover art and marketing style of the website. Given the expense of the series, I was concerned about quality, but the reviews and endorsements sounded credible. LSLC offers a money-back guarantee, personally guaranteed by Patrick Jackson in my correspondence with him. When I discovered a defective CD in my pack, he replaced the entire set immediately.

If you choose to get on the email list, you will receive regular bonus packs of interesting language resources and entertaining, highly informative letters from Patrick as he travels abroad, featuring subtle aspects of the Spanish language, particularly as it is spoken in Central and South America.

I own level one and two. I wish LSLC would produce a level three. The current, two LSLC levels span all the concepts and material in the three-level Pimsleur set, so you get very good value purchasing LSLC.

I found the LSLC series to be qualitatively better than the Pimsleur series, which is getting a bit out-of-date. LSLC is more systematic and thorough than Pimsleur in presenting concepts and reinforcing learning.

LSLC is particularly strong in teaching verb tenses and building proficiency in using mixed verb tenses in conversation. The lessons on subjunctive tenses are the best I have found in any language learning system of this type. Those lessons were very helpful to me in developing more proficiency in using this subtle aspect of the Spanish language.

This is an excellent spanish course that will help you be more fluent. Not truly FLUENT, but further along the path to fluency. I didn't buy Level 2 when it first came out because the publisher (Patrick Jackson) did such a sleazy opening sales pitch that I was turned off. So when I saw this for sale at the local flea market (bootleg copy) for 10 bucks, I snapped it up. You can save money by buying the course on the Learning Spanish Like Crazy website, but, of course, you have to download the files.