Customer Reviews

Mastering Spanish Level Two: Audio CD Package (Mastering Series/Level 2 Compact Disc Packages)

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

 

 

In general I found this course excellent. I have a few criticisms which in my view reduce it's rating from 4.5/5 to 4 star. They are:

The print size and apparent random font selection. The print is often too small and the font changes are a little irritating.

The quality of the CDs is excellent but it would have been much more convenient to the user if each lesson had a separate CD. This would probably have required only one additional CD.

An "open flat" binding would have made the book easier to use and more durable for frequent and on-going use.

On each page a phonetic rendering of the Spanish text is given which occupies almost 50% of the book. At this level, phonetic support should be unnecessary and by omitting it the size of the book could be much reduced or the freed up space used more productively.

For some reason, only the narrative following lesson 16 is recorded. For little extra CD space all the post-lesson dialogues could have been recorded with considerable benefit to the student.

The quality of the paper could be better to reduce wear and tear.

However, in spite of comments above, a really good course, which motivated me over many months and is excellent value for money, even at the original full price.

GENERAL: This is the continuation of the Level One course. All of the comments to this course apply to level one. The course starts with the introduction of the subjuntive mood via drills.

STRENGTHS: This audio is excellent in terms of verbal drills. The exercises train the mind and body in applying grammatical rules. By replaying sections of the CD, it is possible to train not only the mind, but the tongue and mouth to speak Spanish clearly with minimum English accent.

Being forced to vary sentence structure in the exercises, translate from English to Spanish and build sentences using phrases are exemplary in inculcating Spanish into the subconscious.

The lessons present many nuiances of speaking Spanish, particularly intonation patterns, which are not presented in any other course.

WEAKNESSES: Readers are primarily Mexican and have strong Mexican accents. Voice tones of a couple of the readers are very similar and it is difficult to differentiate which character is speaking. The reading presentations are often stiff; the readers are definately not trained actors. The lack of verbal emotion make contextual understanding a little difficult.

There is no practice in the Vosotros forms. The grammatical explanations of the textbook are weak. This course should be used following or in conjunction with a rigorous grammar training course.

SUMMARY: An essential supplement to rigorous grammar course, but it is not a stand alone course.

My Spanish is pretty good but I got the course to try to increase my fluency. I used just the cassettes while biking. I got both levels.

On the positive side, the quality of the sound is excellent.

On the negative side, the course is committed to endless seemingly mindless boring substitution drills that seems to have the effect of short-term rote learning. This strikes me like mostly a waste of time. Has any scholar verified that the method really works?

The much better approach is Pimsleur's, which consists mostly of back and forth translations (model dialogue, then translation from Spanish to English, then Spanish to English translation of the same dialogue). That seems much, much more useful.

So I say: go with the Pimsleur method.

I finished Level One of this series about two years ago. I think this series is an OK basic CD based Spanish course. I listen to the CDs in my car on the way to work and study the written text at night.

My main problem is that the Spanish speakers seem to be reading the dialogue and putting little or no conversational inflection in their delivery.

I like the basic progression of the series. Each unit is based on a reasonably long "real life" Spanish conversation. The following materials develop the conversation almost line by line.

The text book on my Level Two is terrible. It could not have passed any quality control. The print is far too small for even 20/20 vision.

I have traveled in Spain several times over the last several years and, while I am not close to fluent in Spanish, I can get along just fine everywhere I go - even in Catalonia. The Catalans are trying to move away from Spanish as part of their autonomy, but they all speak Spanish (if reluctantly) and I found that I could communicate with them in Spanish based on my Barron's course.

This is James from James Spanish (the learning Spanish blog). This course really helps you to learn to use Spanish more fluently.

The grammar is taught through drills (although tedious at times) rather than dry rules and tables, which is an interesting and natural way to learn. If you are tired of repeating lists of verb conjugations and memorizing boring rules, then this approach will be a refreshing change.

Although there are still plenty of drills and exercises to help you remember various grammatical concepts, there are also sample conversations and short, concise dialogues about the concepts which present the information in a more informal and accessible way.

The workbook which accompanies the audio contains all of the audio scripts, as well as being packed with lots of other useful information.

Grammar provides a structure for language, and a good solid knowledge of grammatical concepts make speaking and understanding Spanish much easier. While course 40 year old Spanish course not use the most fun method compared to the newer Spanish courses out there, the Mastering Spanish series course takes you through just about everything you need to know in the most painless way possible.

Although most grammar courses focus on teaching you the rules, this course gets you learning by doing drill after drill after drill. Helping to strengthen both your understanding of how the grammar really works and your confidence in using it. By learning a concept and then repeating it in examples, you get a better idea of when and how to it should be applied.

The exercises are varied and interesting, encouraging you to think about which word to use, make independent choices about usage, and gain confidence in translating and speaking. The scenarios are often informal and fun, and provide useful vocabulary.

The audio is mostly in Spanish, and the examples and conversations are all spoken at a natural pace. Although this might take some getting used to, many students complain about native Spanish speaking too quickly to understand, as they are used to hearing Spanish spoken very deliberately and slowly. If you persevere your ear will grow accustomed to recognizing and understanding the Spanish way of speaking, helping you to communicate more easily with native Spanish speakers.

This course is not designed for beginners who are just looking for a stock of tourist phrases to memorize. However, if you already have a basic level of Spanish or have already the first level in this series and are looking to improve and build on your existing knowledge, this is a great purchase. The only reason why I gave it only 3 starts because it is not as fun as the newer Spanish courses which were developed in the 21st Century.

In closing my review of this product, I'd like to share with you the three Amazon products that I have found most helpful in my pursuit to learn Spanish. If you are truly serious about achieving fluency, I'd recommend getting all 3 of them if you can afford it.

1. Lights, Camera, Spanish (Book + DVD): Learn Conversational Spanish by Watching a Romantic Adventure This is actually a 90 minute movie for Spanish-language learners. It gives the option to watch the movie with subtitles but I'd recommend not using them to improve your Spanish. This "movie" also includes a workbook so that you can reinforce the Spanish vocabulary words and phrases from the film. The workbook also has lots of exercises to keep you engaged in the film. But be prepared to hear Chilean accents. Although pleasent to the ear, the accents from Chile are very different from most Latin American accents.

2. Verbarrator Version 1.1 (Windows Version) This software replaces the traditional verb conjugation books and makes learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an interactive and fun activity. This should be a required resource for anyone who wants to improve their ability to conjugate Spanish verbs. Especially anyone who is challenged by the drudgery of learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs and who is looking for a new way to make learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an easy and fun activity

3. Diccionario esencial de la lengua espanola de la Real Academia Espanola (Spanish Edition) If you are really serious about speaking the language fluently, then at some point you will need to replace your Spanish-English dictionary and get a pure Spanish dictionary with both the vocabulary words and the definitions entirely in Spanish. I use this one only because it was highly-recommended by a friend from Spain who teaches Spanish.

it is a smart system that is very helpful, but my eyes strain to read the print. also if your like me you want to be able to carry on conversations in spanish, granted i still have 2 cds left to finish out of the 13, but the fluency isnt there. i read one review after i bought it that seems true saying - theyre biggest sin is they dont tell you the final 2 volumes are not for sale. in other words i cant go any further with this system, and now have to try to start a new one to obtain my spanish goals. in some cases the grammar gets tricky and they say dont worry about that, we'll cover it in level 3, but show me where on the internet or anywhere for that matter to buy level 3 or 4. you cant its impossible. give them credit im smarter than before though.

Book quality is terrible. Font is too small in size. I can't read at all.

I ordered this book online.When I received it and started to examine the book I had to get some magnifying glasses to see the words. I was disappointed that the words were not the same size (large) as my classmates book. Also, I found out that I needed to order Level 1 of this Spanish book. I really would like to return the book and get the Level 1 that I am using for my class, if that is possible. I would not have ordered this book had I known that the words were so small. If you can help me I really would appreciate. I paid at least $54.00 for this book with CDs. Thank you.

Ms. Williams

I was very pleased with the availability of this item that is difficult to find in stores. I was thrilled with the price. The order and delivery was very efficient and rapid. My only complaint was with the quality of the printing in the book. Thank you for your service.

Product looked good. Appeared new. Came in a timely manner. Was sent away as a gift. Haven't heard that person's review, if all is new as advertised but it appeared to be.