Customer Reviews

Rosetta Stone V2: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This program was a dream to use. I admit, I too was very skeptical about paying
So much for any piece of language software, but now after moving through the program, I see just how powerful the technique is. ... ... The Rosetta Stone software is much different, they guarantee your unconditional success, and if you don't achieve it, you return the software. That was enough to sell me. Also, if you need more proof, it's the same software the U.S. State department uses, as well as many other language schools throughout the world, with great customer service.
The most unique and most baffling aspect of the program is the fact that there's no grammar. For most who have tried venturing into a new language, doing so without grammar seems way too good to be true, but I'm living proof, it does work. More times than not, I felt frustrated that no translation was provided, but this forced me to pay attention more to the slight differences, and I think helped me pick up the language quicker. I used to think that was a terrible idea, it was indeed very frustrating, but since there's only four pictures to choose from, it won't take too much time for you to figure things out, repetition it a must, and your new vocabulary will stay with you for a long time. Also a plus, the program is simple to use, and very basic, no reading a long technical manual here. Recommend
As you can see, I strongly believe the program excels on all levels, but now, on to the things that weren't so great. The lack of a grammar book of some sort could be a major set back for those who get frustrated easily. Like I said before, the program is very simple and easy to use. This is also a drawback, yes, I like being able to understand the interface but, where were the sides games, I felt like the program was missing something in that area. Also, I feel the whole issue about the pronunciation meter is a little strange. In this program, you can talk to it through a microphone and it will tell you how fluent you sound. Seems fair enough but, there are many different ways to pronounce Spanish. There's the way they speak in Spain, in Latin America, (Mexico standing out as well) and different in southern America. The differences sometimes might seem subtle, but why not have the program address this with different speakers for different regions? Also, as a male, I found it difficult to pronounce words like the female orator. I don't know why they didn't record a male and a female version from which I could choose for everything.
This program is wonderful, with its minor faults. The most important thing I could say is, it is the best you'll find out there for now. No book, tutor, or [less expensive] software even comes close. I advise you buy the software and dedicate yourself to it for at least 30 minutes for ten days. The more you put into it, the more you will get out. If at that point you feel it's not working, send it back. I promise you'll be glad you tried it. I hope you achieve your language learning goals. ...

The Rosetta Stone product is a wonderful way to learn a language. It uses your intuition to teach you and you can choose whether you want to learn to speak, listen, or read and write. You may advance in one area more quickly than in others and more than one user can keep track of their scores. The ease of the program and the ability to quickly learn the language is wonderful. The only drawback to this program is that it does not start with conversational spanish. It also does not break down the verbs and grammar, etc. The books discuss these things, but you travel through the program and learn the way you would if you were having to hear the language (or read it). I love it and so does my 10 yr old. I am not a natural at languages, but have recommended this program to all of my friends. I also have dealt with the company and found them to be wonderful at tech support and in getting me answers to questions.

Unfortunately this course uses the present progressive tense throughout, where as in real life, the present indicative is usually the tense most commonly used. The present progressive tense indicates that the action is in progress right now, e.g. I am eating (now), He is jumping (now). In Spanish the present progressive tense is quite restricted and is usually limited to what a person is doing RIGHT NOW. The present progressive is formed by conjuagting the appropriate ending of one verb,the verb estar, and adding the gerund of the appropritate verb. Some examples from the course might be: Los muchachos están saltando (The boys are jumping (right now); El niño está corriendo, (The boy is running) etc. It's kind of like the old Dick and Jane stuff. The point is, you get a lot of work with the verb "estar" and a lot of work with the gerund (the "ing" form )of other verbs, but little else. This is a cop out and it is not the way people speak.

The present indicative is much more versatile tense and is the most commonly used tense in the spanish language (The present progressive, on the other hand, is little used). The present indicative can be used just like the present progressive, it can be used to express the future (e.g. Voy mañana, I'm leaving tomorrow), it can be used to express a polite command (e.g. Me trae un cafe, por favor--bring me a coffee, please. In most instances this simple command form is considered much more polite than using the imperative mood (Me trae...is all you'll ever need in a restaurant). The present indicative tense refers to the specific now (as does the present progressive), but it also refers to the general now (these days, this time period, e.g., I live in the U.S.; I'm going to the store, I'm studying Spanish (This is a good example that shows clearly what I'm talking about--I'm studying Spanish now, yesterday and tomorrow--an ongoing "studying" of Spanish--Estudio español (present indicative) as opposed to estoy estudiando español--I've got the book open in front of me and that's what I'm doing at this very moment.

With this program you learn the endings to the verb estar, learn the gerund of a couple hundred verbs and bingo, you're talking spanish. It's easy--no learning all those separate endings for all those verbs, no learning irregular verbs, etc. The problem is, it ain't the way people talk. This is such an egregious error, it's so impractical, that I'm surprised they continue to sell the program without correcting the problem. Technically, I think the program is well done (except this is a windows based program without a minimize button--what's that about?) -- anyway, two stars for technical aspects --sound quality, pictures, etc.

The Rosetta Stone, Spanish Edition is fantastic! I am extremely happy with the results so far, and believe me, I am not at all gifted when it comes to learning foreign language. I took one year of high school Spanish and felt like I learned nothing by the end of the year. I've had this software for less than a month, but already I feel that I've learned so much. Most important of all, it's fun to use. The program uses colorful photos to help the learner associate these images with the words written and spoken on the screen. Some of the pictures are really funny too, which helps keep the interest level up. For example, today in chapter 3, I came across a photo of a midget clown putting on a pair of pants.
If you're looking for Spanish software, Rosetta Stone is the only way to go. But be advised, a Spanish dictionary alongside you is crucial since actual vocabulary definitions are not provided on the program. I use "Harper Collins Pocket Spanish Dictionary" which has thus far, provided me with every definition I've been looking for.

This course is completely useless as a standalone course. It is supposed to take you from beginner to intermediate level, but you will learn very little that you can use in the real world.

At the end of the course you will learn how to ask for directions, but nowhere in the course are you even taught how to say basic conversational words such as hello, goodbye, please, thankyou etc. For a course costing almost $200, that's pretty bad!

Even worse, almost all of the verbs taught in the course are in the present progressive tense - a tense that is almost never used in Spanish. Worse still, there are no present tense examples of any of these verbs, so you will not be able to use them in the real world!

I have looked at nearly a dozen different Spanish programs, but this program really mimicks the way a native tongue is learned. Any program that says that you can become fluent in a language in 2 months is lying to you. How did you learn your native language? Did your parents give you an English grammar book when you were a baby and have you conjugate verbs? Of course not! You heard your parents, their friends, and relatives speak it to you over and over and over again. Through that, you began to pick up words and phrases and were able to associate them with their meaning. But it took you quite a while didn't it? You weren't speaking your native language 4 months after you were born, were you? But over time you became fluent.

People who live in other countries usually become fluent in that language in about 6 months to a year, depending on the language. And that's with hearing it 24/7, speaking it, reading it, and having no choice but to understand it. They are immersed in the language. That is what Rosetta Stone is trying to do. It is immersion. You see the picture, see the words, and hear the phrase or words associated with them. And this way, you never forget it. It's much easier to remember that caballo is horse when you have seen a picture of a horse with the word superimposed on that picture while a native speaker is saying it.

It is going to take a while. There is no such thing as fast-food language. You have to be patient and you have to be dilligent. Repetition in the program is excellent, but the dilligence of the learner is the key to seeing results!

The program is a very effective teaching tool. The combination of visual and audio cues make the lessons easy to remember. But I am puzzled by their choice of the things they teach first. If you're thinking of actually using some of the stuff you learn in the first several units on a trip to Mexico, forget it. Most of it is really impractical, unlike the Pimsleur CDs which I really like. For example, Rosetta will teach you early on "The boy is running. The horse is eating a carrot" while Pimsleur prefers things like "I want to drink a beer. How much is it?" for early lessons. As you can see, the practicality of the latter far exceeds that of the former. Proably because Pimsleur focuses on statements involving "I" and "You" instead of the 3rd person. You learn vocabulary faster with Rosetta. But ignoring the possibility that you will be called upon to describe horses eating carrots, if you want to use what you learn any time soon, try Pimsleur.

Too much money for too little results. There is no grounding done up front so you have no idea how to string together the words you are learning. I had to refer to a translation service to understand what the often repeated articles were. If there were a key you could hit to get a english translation it would allow you to get a better idea of how all the Spanish words work together.
It gets boring really fast too!
Don't waste your money, try Destinos off the internet for FREE.

With Rosetta stone learning is a bit joyless, first because the interface is not overwhelmingly convincing, one wonders why people create anything like that when they could do better. There are too many exercises with annoyingly repetitive phrases which block rapid progress, self-tests are not scored nor stored nor compared to previous performance, and therefore not very useful. The words chosen for learning are not very stimulating either. There is also writing control, but also here the score is not being stored to monitor improvement. All in all I have problems moving on because the experience is so boring. There would be better Spanish learning CDs, but they usually are for PC and much cheaper than the Rosetta stone products (see online comparison reviews). Pronunciation control is available, but does the visual control really help me to get better or could it be a bit confusing if the graphs do not really overlap? Maybe I will learn Spanish by simply travelling to South America and being forced to deal with it, or by watching Spanish TV....

This program is a very good at thrusting you into a spanish speaking environment, but I think some supplemental materials are necessary. There is no documentation with this program, no vocabulary references - nothing. After a few weeks using this program I finally went out to buy a few books to help me out.