Customer Reviews

Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set with Audio Companion [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

* Important Note at Bottom *

I own the Latin America Spanish version of this software (Levels 1 - 3) and have used it extensively for the last 6 months. I used it while studying abroad in Costa Rica concurrently as I took an intensive language track consisting of 2 years of college level spanish (4 semesters) condensed to 1 semester.

What I found amazing right off the bat is that the levels of this software match exactly to that of each year of college spanish. For example level 1 covers the exact same material you will learn in 2 semester of university level language. This is great for students as they will know which level to start off on depending on their previous language experience.

Having used Rosetta Stone helped me tremendously in my classes and I could see the dramatic difference as I progressed much faster than the other students in my class. My wife, who was also taking the same language classes, was struggling at first but picked up quickly after using the software. The same went for the other students who soon began 'fighting' over using my laptop before and after class.

The software is extremely easy to use and the approach it takes is so intuitive. It replicates the experience of immersion so well but in such a friendly and un-intimidating fashion. The most wonderful feature of this software is the confidence it gives you in speaking and understanding which helps break the ice in initiating actual conversations, which is hands-down the BEST way to improve your language skills (especially at a bar because your shyness is also inhibited after one or two). After three or four days of using this I went from nervously giving directions to taxi drivers and store clerks to having full-on conversations.

Rosetta Stone basically works by starting you off in a completely immersed environment with zero translation. This sounds intimidating but because it starts with such basic concepts it really is not at all. For example, the first thing you will see is two pictures; one with a person approaching you and another with a person in a car leaving and waving. The native speaker will say to you either 'hola' (hello) or 'adios' (goodbye). You then choose the appropriate picture. If you get it wrong, no problem, it will pop up for you again after a few other basic words and you will remember.

The great part about RS is that it slowly gets more and more advanced and does so in such a simple and logical fashion that you soon are flying through entire sentences with no problem. The voice recognition is amazing (most of the time) and does a FANTASTIC job of helping you with proper pronunciation. Again this starts off very forgiving but as you progress gets more and more demanding. Once in a while the voice recognition gets a little weird but re-running the mic setup wizard (very quick and easy) fixes it in a jiff.

RS breaks down the language learning into mini-modules that focus on specific task (speaking, listening, reading, writing, vocabulary, etc) and uses repetition with slight modification to teach new concepts; such as learning different language tenses (such as past, present and future, etc). For example, once you have learned the word for swimming (by seeing a person swimming in a pool), the next go round it will change the picture to a wet person drying off in front of a pool and change the word to the past tense for swimming (english - swam). It helps you (at first) to be successful by showing the other pictures with a man, for example, and then saying SHE 'swam'. You can guess the right one by eliminating the men pictures (because it already taught you man and woman). It uses variations of this concept to teach you new ones.

- Ok I just realized how long this review is getting so I'll sum it up (sorry) -

Bottom line THIS SOFTWARE WORKS. In addition to Spanish, I have used German, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. I tried these to basically compare the effectiveness in learning a language I was not already familiar with. I was so surprised when within an hour or two or was WRITING simple sentences in Arabic and Mandarin, two languages I had zero previous experience with, and have been told are quite difficult. Though my wife looked at me a little funny when I was saying into the mic "The women are drinking coffee" in Arabic after an hour, I was grinning ear-to-ear.

If you are afraid of the price - don't be. The cost is so low in comparison to taking college classes and is quite honestly so much more effective. Unless the choice was between taking an intensive language course in a foreign country and this I would choose Rosetta Stone in ANY other situation. Compared to taking a standard university class (boring, ineffective and WAY too slow) RS is a miracle. You can learn a semester of foreign language in as little as a week or two and have a much better grasp on the language. Even while studying abroad, I was having such a difficult time learning and remembering the advanced tenses of spanish (subjunctive, etc) and it just didn't make sense until I went through them in Rosetta Stone.

I apologize for writing such a LOOOOONG review, but I truly love this software that much. It is absolutely unbelievable and amazing. Before using this I would have never ever consider spending this much money on a piece of software. I'm a college student (read poor) and would sacrifice every luxury for the semester again in a heart beat to make sure I have this software.

* Important Note * While I'm writing this review the price listed for Spanish Levels 1 - 5 is at $599. Even though this is worth every penny at this price - I have noticed that a couple of times this year (for example last fathers day) they have had this on sale for $399. If you can afford to (or can't afford at this price for that matter) maybe wait and see if this sale hits again.

Seriously - if you have ever dreamed of speaking a foreign language and can't afford to live in that country for 6 months to a year while taking language classes... GET ROSETTA STONE!

PS: No I don't work for Rosetta Stone or know anybody who does. Buen suerte!

Rosetta Stone is a great product, especially for those who have had formal spanish education - it can help you go from knowing the rules to speaking fluently. However, for folks who know nothing of spanish - it is a poor choice to start out using by itself. In conjunction with formal spanish class or text book, it is a great program. I would suggest buying a spanish work book like the Schaum series to use in conjunction with this program if you have no knowledge of spanish. The homeschool version has very little excercises and drills. You still have to supplement your children's class with another spanish source. Even if you printed up the worksheets and test, I think it is woeful inadequate to teach conjugation or the irregular verbs well. Or consider a didactic program like Fluenz. Once you have mastered Fluenz (which is as boring as sitting in a class), you can switch to RS or a fun program like Bueno Entonces. If you have a choice between buying RS personal edition vs. RS homeschool edition, the homeschool edition gives you more bang for your bucks. You can chose to print up the included worksheets, tests, and quizzes from the extra material enclosed. The set is identical, except the installation disc is different. Once installed, the homeschool edition works just like the personal edition, except it tracks your progress.

Beware of pirated softwares. They are packed, boxed, and look identical to the real RS. The only thing different is their price and they will not run without installation of a "crack". Trying to update these programs will cause your software to lock up. They do not match the "going rate" [...]. The going rate is the contracted rate which ALL authorized retailers must sell at. If you find advertisement on Amazon.com or Ebay for an "authentic" rosetta stone set for hundreds of dollars less than the "going rate", you are buying pirated softwares. Pirated softwares can be downloaded for free (at a risk for a fine or lawsuit), purchased directly from China, or downloaded from "OEM softwares" sites for less than $50. But you get what you pay for, just don't pay $200 or $300 for pirated softwares. They can not be installed without a "crack", and can not ever be updated. Many folks have be scammed, and they blame it on Amazon.com. No, it is the dealers on Amazon.com that are illegitimate. Look at their ratings before you buy.

TIPS FOR USING ROSETTA STONE SPANISH:

1. For beginners, who know squat about spanish, curl up with a beginning grammar book and do it along with RS level 1. You should repeat each word, and each sentence as the native speaker say them. This is a must for the imprinting process. It is not enough to click on the right answer and score 100%. It is much more important to repeat, repeat, and repeat. RS works because by the time you finish level I, you would have repeated each noun, adjective, and verbs at least 60 times. Especially if you chose NOT to do all the required reviews. While if you took a college class - you cram before each quiz and test - then pass with an A, yet know nothing of pronunciation and the word will disappear quickly from your mind. The hard-wiring only takes place with repeated exposure. Beginners must do level I at least twice, or to do repeated written drills in grammar workbooks to be FULLY familiar with the infinitive form of the -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. Only once you can recognize a verb by its native form, can you advance to level II. Level II will introduce you to the past tense, and a few command forms. Without knowing the original stem of the verb - getting into the past and subjunctive of level II and III will totally mess you up. Scoring 100% doesn't mean squat in your learning process with RS. Make sure you focus on the accents of the endings. Hablo - means I speak (without accent on o), or he/she spoke (with the accent on o), Hable means I spoke (with accent on e), and also means !Speak! - a command, or may be someone speaks (subjunctive) when used without the accent on e. Speaking spanish is like singing a song, and the same sentence has a different meaning depending on how you sing it. Spanish is a very screwy language with multiple meaning for the same words (ve - means see, and also means go, a command), past tense (preterit) rules are funky - and if you don't have the basics down, you will get lost later. So a good grammar book or formal spanish course is very important beyond RS level I. Don't expect learning spanish to be as easy as the commercials tell you. A child will also have alot of adults telling them how to use their verbs!! You will need a book to be your parent.

2. For folks with prior spanish like at least a good 1st year spanish course - starting at level II will review your past tense and future tense. Repeat each sentence and words as said by the speaker - even if it is not required for the lesson. This imprints the grammar and structure in your brain. Level III will review some subjuntive, some conditional, and some advanced tenses. Level IV and V will do more of the same as level III, with more complex sentence structures, indirect and direct pronoun usage, and alot more subjunctive and contrast and comparison of the preterit and the english equivalent of past progressive tenses. Level III, IV, and V is the equivalent of a good second year college spanish class. A good spanish verb tense book is handy (I use "teach yourself spanish verbs" - a concise to the point verb book), or a program called Lexibase express - a free dictionary that came free with a cheap Spanish CD on amazon - which let me look up a conjugated verb to find its infinitive form.)

3. For folks with advanced spanish and just need a review - going through level 3 through 5 will give you a quick brush up on spanish without having to review boring grammar texts. There are enough irregular verbs drilled to make you speak fairly fluently. I see a spanish speaking patients about once a week, and they note that my spanish is fine. One could do one or two of these levels before a trip, and it will refresh your brain very quickly. Something that reading a book, watching spanish TV, or watching spanish dubbed films can not do. RS really does make your brain work.

4. Tips for all users: Before you let the program jump to the next exercise, click on the "answer" button on the left lower hand corner. This will allow you to reread all the sentences, analyze the spelling, grammar, and endings of adjectives and nouns. This will also allow you to practice more pronunciation CORRECTLY before moving on. It is too tempting for children to simply earn a proud "100%" and move on thinking he/she is best in the class. It is better to repeat and review each lessons carefully, than to move on with a "perfect" score. There are alot of straight A highschool and college students who can not speak Spanish because they equate a 4.0 with having learned a language. Yes, you can minimize RS so you can go on the internet. There are several free spanish conjugation sites that allows you to reverse lookup a conjugated form of a verb (which are not found in most dictionaries) to its original infinitive form. This is helpful if you can not recognize a verb (look up "ve" in your dictionary to test if it is adequate - it should stem from 2 different verbs - ir and ver). Learning to speak a language takes alot of work, and that means about 4 times the effort one will need to earn an A in a college class. You can go through RS once and earn a perfect 100% without speaking much spanish, but if you repeat every word that RS said, you will learn 10 times as much without getting that perfect 100%.

5. Tips on using RS in noisy environment: like the TV, dishwasher, and the barking dog. Use a headset with microphone - this will pick up your voice better than the laptop built in mic. Built in mic are fine for quiet environment - barely - as some RS voice files are not very good, and you might not be able to activate the "correct" green sign with it. If you are using the newer 3.4.5 RS engine, make sure you set up the microphone in a NOISY environment, so that it will self set itself to a "gentler" voice recognition mode to make up for the dirty noise in the background. If you set up RS in a quiet environment, and the noise kicks in - the voice recognition will be too sensitive and will not let you move on. Earlier RS engines have manual voice recognition setting, and you set it for low sensitivity for noisy environment and high for quiet area (expert vs beginner - beginner for noisy, and expert for quiet).

6. Voice recognition will not work well in a noisy environment with the older RS engines and weak computer processor speed or an overutilized processor. The older engines will not run voice recognition well if default computer maintenance activities are running in the back ground (click ctrl alt delete to see how much processor power is being utitilized and what maintenace programs are running). If your antivirus, anti-spyware, windows update, spyware update, and all other mundane maintenance and upgrade activities are running - RS will not run well. Therefore, a desktop computer with low processing power can run well when no background activity is going on, but even a fast high speed computer with tonnes of RAM might not do well at all - if you just turned it on - and it default to automatic update (windows update, adobe update, viral scan update, and viral scanning) - you might not have enough processing power to run voice recognition. You might have to leave your computer running for at least 1 hour to finish its tasks (windows upgrade, etc) before doing RS. Or if you are computer literate enough, hit CTRL ALT DeL all at once, and shut down noisy background programs. That is why folks who brings their laptop out only once a week can not use RS. Once they turn it on, the default program settings will all kick in at once - and you think you've got a virus on it. You will have to go into the power setting of your laptop, set it on high power, no hibernation, etc and treat it as constantly on desktop. Leave it running for a few hours - then do your RS. RS will run best on a computer that is left on all the time at maximum power consumtion, with no background activities going on (schedule all the maintenance activity (viral scanning and updates) when you are asleep). For some reason, the newer engines (v3.4.5) seems to be more resistance to problem with processor overutilization.

7. You might gain more by not doing the "review exercises". But rather, simply repeat the whole level again. I would rather go through a level twice, than to waste time doing the "recommended reviews". Since you get repeated emphasis on the writing exercises, which are not required in the reviews.

8. Accept the corrupt sound files, and lesson files. There will be a few sound files that are corrupted, and you just click on the move forward arrow, and skip the file. There is one chapter of a level that you can simply never complete because of a corrupt record file. Just ignore it and move on. You don't need a "perfect" report card to learn spanish. Reinstalling RS might or might not fix it (likely not) - and will cause you to lose all your records.

MY REVIEWS OF THE 5 LEVELS:

I had left reviews for levels 1, 2 and 3 sets, and I will clip and paste it for the combo set 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Here is my review for levels 1, 2, and 3:

"Having had 2 years of college Spanish, and having been in an immersion program in Ecuador for 10 weeks and Guatemala for 4 weeks - the value of this software is tremendous. As a stand alone course with out any other Spanish training, I would find it mentally challenging to master. But to complement a high school or college class, it is very good.

My complaint is that running on my AMD64 computer with XP and 1GB RAM, it is a little slow. On my ASUS eee little laptop with 1GB RAM, it runs at the same rate, perhaps a little slower. It is even slower when your antivirus is scanning, or if your windows or antivirus is updating in the background. This might not be a problem if your computer has maximum RAM and a faster processor. I've read and seen problems with people trying to install RS on Vista, and especially Vista or Windows 7 with 64 bit OS. Apparently you might have to tweak it and set it to run on 32 bit simulation, which requires a bit of technical support.

Version 3 is a big improvement over V2, with less emphasis on the present progressive tense (He is walking) and more emphasis on the present, future, and past tense. The future and past tense are introduced earlier, and is very helpful in the early language development. Advanced tenses and sentence structure is barely touched on Level 3. You will find more of these in Level 4 and 5.

I wish there was a little more of a pause at the end of some lessons for you to review the spelling, the sentence structures, vocabulary, and grammar. Instead, the answer are flashed quickly, and the next question is presented. You can freeze the action and make the sentences show, by clicking on the left lower corner for the "answers", but this would have to be done before you finish the lesson - and it will jump to the next frame.

I know that to be a true "immersion" program, a dictionary was not allowed. But a few words are hard to comprehend, even with repeated exposure. You can minimize the program on windows to go on the net to look up a word on many free spanish conjugation websites. Having a spanish dictionary nearby AND a spanish verb book (try "teach yourself spanish verbs", it is smaller than "501 spanish verbs") is very helpful to look up conjugated verb forms that can not be found in many small dictionaries. The university of chicago dictionary is great - at least in the past - and cheap. But 98% of the vocaburaries are easily comprehended from the photos (except for the conjugated verbs where a knowledge of spanish grammar is necessary).

Of the language programs I have used in the past, this has been the best. But again, it is best to use this program in conjunction with a formal Spanish course. Or after you have mastered some basic Spanish instruction."

Now, here is my review of level 4 and 5 - which I gave only a 3 star to. But for the combined package, I would still give the combined group a 4 star.

Levels 4 & 5 set: They seem to have inserted "improvements" in the newer levels 4 and 5. Weird color coding that does not make sense. Trying to match the gender of the noun to the gender of the adjective. Rather than to keep it simple, they color code the endings and stems DIFFERENT colors. Then they even color coded the verb - of the SAME color as the ending of the adjective. All in the same exercise. Was the programmer on drug?? Rather than in Bueno Entonces (a very cute program made for iphones, ipods and pcs), where the color signify something (verb, noun, feminine, masculine), apparently, in copying this, Rosetta Stone can not figure what color to use. So they mix them all up. If they simply kept the same color, and use it for both the ending of the adjective and the nouns - it would be easy to follow. If they want to make it even more useful, use pink for fem, and blue for masc. But to screw it up and mix coloring in of the verbs - what the heck are they trying to teach??

Next really stupid exercise is "fill in the blank". Would have been a good exercise if the few blanks were to drill on conjugation, adjective endings, or proper use of pronouns, right? No, no. Some drunken idiots decided that they are going to make you fill in ALL the words in the sentence. They give you like only 3 words in a sentence consisting of about 10 words, and you have to guess what the heck is each one of ALL these words. IMPOSSIBLE, and totally illogical. What idiots dream of these crazy torturous unproductive exercises?

Then they came up with new mix and match options, this time with matching the phrases with the picture. It is not necessary, as it does not improve the thinking process. And I can see how one user rating the product could not figure how to decode the prompts. It was not necessary. What worked in levels 1, 2, and 3 can work here to.

Poor lesson plannings and editing are seen throughout both level 4 and 5. A beginner exercise was inserted into Level 5 with drills on the meaning of pronouns (yo, tu, usted, nosotros, etc) which really belonged in level 1. The highlighting were rather useless, and the lessons is laughable as the focus was on subjunctive tense, yet a kindergarden level drill was heavily emphasized. Poor editing causing wrong captions to be inserted into photos (first person photo with third person caption) in at least 2 lessons. Repetition of the same poorly planned exercise throughtout the whole lesson (where a user is prompted to repeat simple sentences (salud, or gracias) where the rest of the "meat" of the lessons are not drilled. The same poorly planned exercise is then repeated throughout the entire level.

Level 4 and 5 are still useful despite idiotic "improvements". There are more complex sentence structure, more use of the command forms and the subjunctive. Actually, subjunctive tense is heavily drilled in level 5. More frequent use of the preterit and the future is noted. Levels 3, 4, and 5 is a perfect complement to second year college spanish. Whereas levels 1 and 2 are perfect complement to first year college spanish.

Rating it as a 3 is my way of telling RS that in improving a product, you can make it worse. You have got a good product ... don't screw it up!! Listen to the users and correct these mistakes, and you will absolutely have a 5 star product.

I am also an army officer. We get Rosetta Stone for free. I just moved to Miami so I thought I'd try it.

I've been using it about 30-60 minutes a day nearly every day for about 5 weeks. I just finished the first of the five levels. I want to be fair because it seems that people like to leave criticism of the criticism. That's a crock!

I have learned some espanol from RS but not without pain. At times I want to pick up my laptop and throw it across the room. The milestone sessions in particular are extremely difficult. You watch a slide show of an exchange between a few people involved in some sort of transaction, then... You're supposed to guess what the next slide is intended to say. It might be something like "Hola" followed by (in English so you get my point) "Yes, I would like to buy some flowers". I would look at the pictures and have no idea what question or statement (even in my own language) that I'm supposed to come up with. I just sat and stared and eventually I said (in english for clarity of this criticism) "I would like to buy some flowers." But no, Rosetta Stone just gave me the bell of failure. I was supposed to say "I want some flowers. Do you sell flowers?" I made that up just now, but that's the sort of thing that has me ticked off at my laptop and it's not my laptop; It's Rosetta Stone. I can't even get to the next level until I get past the Milestone event. In order to do that, I have to memorize the answers. This is not a lerarning event, but rather a memorization event.

Any of the speaking parts, where I'm supposed to come up with the words all on my own are way too difficult. If I miss even one word, the software starts beeping at me. It doesn't even give me a chance. Sometimes I want to study the scenario a bit before I speak. But no, it starts beeping at me. Then because it beeped at me, I get an "x".

RS introduces words and sometimes the explanation is not even clear. Examples are "cumplo" and "queda". I finally figured them out via other methods, but it shouldn't be a chore on my part. Sometimes, a word cannot even be found in a spanish dictionary because of the word form. Why can't I just pause the lesson, click on the word and get a definition and a usage?

Speaking of pause - you better be damned quick on the pause button at the end of a slide or you don't even get to pause. And why do we have to wait till the end of a slide to pause? Why can't the pause be available at all times?

Another issue I have with Rosetta Stone is continuation of lessons. Some lessons are pretty long. A core lesson is about 30 minutes, but longer if you're like me. I take time outs to look up definitions and usage of words, so we're talking 45-60 minutes for a lesson. Then something happens like the neighbors come over or something. So I have to stop 3/4 of the way through the lesson. Then the next day when I decide to resume, there is no resume. I have to start over at the beginning of the lesson. What's that all about? Why doesn't RS have a progress tracker that starts you out where you left off? On a 5 or 10 minute lesson, fine. But, on the big lessons this is unacceptable.

RS is free to me so I'll continue to use it, but I'm going to look around for proper language training.

Rosetta Stone Spanish Review Level 1-5

I have gone through all 5 levels of Spanish. I am an adult who had no knowledge at the beginning. Overall, it is a great product and worth the price. It has a high upfront expense and requires a lot of your personal time to learn. It is not actually expensive if you spend the amount of time on it as you should as it costs $2-3 per hour of study when you buy multiple levels at once. I have spent 15 months of study about 4-5 hours per week with Rosetta Stone plus additional time for other studies. Many others reviewers have discussed how it works etc. As you probably know, there is no English and it is all immersion with pictures. It is fun and entertaining which is key to keep learning and probably the most important aspect of the program. The program forces you to do something with each picture and sound and this interactivity is what maintains your interest. You have to choose the correct word in a sentence, repeat what was said with and without text as a prompt, speak out a sentence based on the prior sentences, write, read, read out loud into the microphone, listen to sentences without text and match appropriate pictures as well as grammar work.

I do not believe you can become fluent even after the 5 levels but you can hold conversations at some length when the speaker slows down and speaks clearly and you will know about 1200 -1500 words from Rosetta Stone and hopefully many more from other studies. You can only get better if you speak it with other people and keep conversing. As I use Spanish with my patients, it was quite encouraging to see that my understanding and conversational skills improved with each level and the patients had noticed it also.

Key points:

You need to do each level 2 or 3 times. The score does not matter. Make sure you repeat each sentence and understand every word and not just quickly get the right answer. Learning the language is the only correct answer. I clicked the audio button numerous times to re-listen to the sentences and carefully examine the words. The lesson might be teaching a simple grammatical point but to me understanding the entire sentence is what really mattered. You can click the answer button or the pause button to prevent the program from moving to the next exercise so that you can further study all of the answers. I have read that it should take 24 hours per level. I do not believe a novice can really learn each level that quickly because you are either not repeating them or racing through the exercises. The repeated review lessons are of marginal benefit. The accompanying audio lessons for the car or mp3 player are helpful after you have mastered the lessons.

You must use other resources to help you with regard to verb conjugation. You need to learn to conjugate the verbs and you need to know which are AR, ER, IR verbs (the infinitive forms) and the program does not explain it formally. Knowing the original stem or infinitive greatly helps when past and subjunctive tenses are introduced. All of these resources are free and plentiful on the internet. There are numerous books on this also. Study these while you are on level 1. Tutors and computer programs should spend their time with phrases, sentences and conversation. You can easily learn the grammar on your own and I believe that teaching the grammar would make the program boring. Actually, the program does teach the grammar, once you understand some of it, you will pick up why something is used a certain way.

Some people do not like immersion as they feel that may not understand exactly what is being said. You will understand over 95% without difficulty. There are PDF files of the Spanish and almost exact corresponding version in English on the Rosetta Stone website so you can easily get all the translations of every single sentence. Remember after you have looked up the phrase, the next 15-20 times you use it (write, speak, listen, match, use grammar with it) you will understand it. There are excellent online dictionaries and translators to help you.

Level 1 is basic and only teaches the present tense with emphasis on pronunciation of syllables. Skip it if you already had 2 years of high school Spanish. Level 2 gives you past tenses (both) and the future with direct and indirect objects. Level 3 is the best of the 5 levels and gives much longer sentences and introduces the subjunctive and other tenses but only briefly. Passive voice is introduced here also. Level 4 and Level 5 pretty much go over the advanced tenses in greater detail and continue with more complex sentence structure. However, each full lesson is a little shorter and there are some other minor issues with these newer levels but it is the additional time spent with Spanish that matters. By the fifth level, sometimes you will have to repeat 15-word sentences without the text which is quite challenging but what you soon realize is that you actually understand much of it but repeating it will require you to re-listen to the sentence many times.

I strongly advise that you supplement Rosetta Stone with any of the following: Watch TV or listen to the radio in Spanish, go to Meetup groups, take a college course, hire a tutor or simply find people and talk to them. Do not worry; even though you will sound like a gringo and you will make tons of mistakes, almost everybody is appreciative that you are trying. Go on online internet chat sites and you can communicate with Spanish speakers.

I rated this program five stars, and that rating is based solely on the quality of the product. Rosetta Stone is really fun, and it's wayyyyyyy more useful than most of the Spanish classes you'll come across. As far as helping you remember words and pronounce them correctly, Rosetta Stone is awesome. I am currently taking a Spanish class at my college, because I figured if I doubled up I'd have the best chance at learning how to speak (and write, ug ug ug) Spanish. The class is a good time, and my professor is a riot, but I must admit that the computer program is more effective. My feeble brain doesn't want to deal with verb tenses and formal and informal usage of words, and all that stuff that makes my attention wander away until I'm gazing out the window and not paying attention at all and writing really long run on sentences that end in ellipses... You see my point. The Stone is also cool because it makes me think of Sesame Street, which makes me feel sort of nostalgic and happy. Clicking on the brightly colored pictures takes me back to simpler times, sigh. And yeah, it is an expensive product, but pay for a college course and a Spanish book and guess what- you end up spending even more money, and maybe you'll get stuck with an unattractive professor who rants, and waves his arms around, and throws pieces of chalk at your head when you are gazing out of the window, and not paying attention. There are cheaper computer programs for learning Spanish, and you guessed it, they totally blow. I ought to know because I wasted upwards of forty-five dollars on such junky products. I would like to know how Rosetta compares to that other popular language program... Pilsner or Plodner or Pimsleur or whatever.
Rosetta Stone is also known for having crappy customer service, and apparently if you try to resell one of their programs they will hunt you down like a dog and there will be a public stoning. Sometimes greed is so shameful that it becomes hilarious. This is the case with Rosetta Stone, and I guess that's too bad, but it gives people a chance to one-up the greedy buggers! Share the product with as many people as possible and then it will be as cheap as free! After all, it seems that many folks are just in a tiff because they can't get any money for a used product. For shame, you are being just as greedy. Give your copy of Rosetta Stone to some poor, sick kid who has always wanted to learn a bit of Spanish but never had the means.

I purchased this product on 11/28/2009. Before buying this software I called Rosetta Stone Tech Support to ask if it would work on a Windows 7 machine. The Tech Support person answered right away that yes, this product will work with Windows 7.
When I received the software and tried to load it on my Windows 7 laptop I got a program error. Lucky for me I also have a Windows Vista computer. I loaded it on my Windows Vista computer and it works fine. The lessons for me are that if an operating system is not listed in the system requirements the software probably will not work with that operating system and that Tech Support does not always tell the truth.

I have just completed level 1 for Rosetta in about 2 weeks...but I was dedicated into learning the language (on average 5 hours a day) anyway, I am just a redneck from Kentucky that works as a security officer for a plant with a large Hispanic employees, so I thought it would benefit me to learn Spanish for better communication (we usually have to call for a translator) I heard a couple of bad reviews of this program, but let me tell you I have been able to form sentence and at a basic level communicate with the employees..yes it may take me a little bit of time to form my thought but they understand what I am saying, which has saved me alot of time and effort.
SO LET ME GIVE YOU SOME TIPS IF YOU BUY THIS PROGRAM:
1. Do not let anyone on this forum fool you, you DO NOT need any formal spanish to get through this program HOWEVER you do need to look up words that you are not completely sure what they are or me (esp verbs)
2. Keep a notebook with notes, I write out the sentence and also write out the words and there english saying next to it (EX: arroz-rice) However this is for review so when you have free time and do not have a computer (DO NOT CHEAT by constantly looking at the notes.
3. What has help me the most is learning how to pronounce the word. I mean REALLY learning how each syllable sounds (El sounds like L and "me" sounds like "may") It is not enough to just click on the right answer (which is really easy all you have to do is find the noun (El nino) and click on the corresponding picture (find the picture with El nino (a boy). Anyway REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
In conclusion, do not get this if you plan on doing it once in a "while" stick with it..Rosetta is a very FAST learning technique and you will learn so much, but you got to stick with it!

Skeptical of software language programs, I was pleasantly surprised to see such an effective approach to learning.

They truly are inventive and the technique works well. After each lesson, you find yourself amazed at what you remember, sometimes even awed, blowing away you expectations or fears of failure.

I have tried 'Living Language' and it can't even compare to RosettaStone.

Definitely worth the price!

I've been hearing people rave about Rosetta Stone for years, so I decided to give it a try. I took 3.5 semesters of Spanish in college, but it has gone rusty, and I encounter Spanish speakers often in my line of work. Because I learned a lot about grammar and not much about conversation, I decided to give Rosetta Stone a try. I bought all 5 levels because I did not know where I stood.

I like the intuitiveness of it - it starts out very simply, "girl," "boy," etc. I found a couple of lessons on Level 1 were too easy, so I went up to Level 2, where I am being challenged a bit, without it being too overwhelming.

My only pet peeve is with the voice recognition software. I Tweeted about it to Rosetta Stone, and they suggested I dumb down the "speech recognition level." But sometimes, I still have problems with it recognizing what I'm saying, though I'm pretty sure I'm mimicking the voices in the program, even with their overemphasized "rr" sounds and the "da" that turns into a "tha." Part of it may have to do with the numerous variations in Latin American Spanish (it's hard to fit the accents of so many countries into one voice). Other than that, I can see it's a useful tool for people who want to supplement their Spanish courses, or want to refresh their knowledge.

Edited 7/9/10: I finally found out the issue with the sound recognition. It has nothing to do with Rosetta Stone, as I was also having problems with Skype. It has to do with my Mac Mini having a line-level input. A $2 USB-based audio adapter solved my microphone issues. Because the issue was no fault of the program, I have to upgrade my review to 5 stars.

Adding on to my review now that I've completed all five levels or Rosetta Stone as well as one semester at the local university. Without explanations in the Rosetta Stone software I started to struggle in level 4 and struggled even more to complete Level 5. It took me about 6 weeks to finish level 4 and 8 weeks to finish level 5 (the other levels only took me about 4 weeks each with 1 to 2 hours a night). I grew more frustrated when I was unable to understand the logic behind sentence construction in lessons 4 and 5 and didn't know where to turn for explanations. Halfway through level 4 I started to take a night semester of 101 Spanish at the local university and learned more there than in all five levels of Rosetta Stone. The time I had spent with Rosette Stone definitely gave me a head start in pronunciation, listening, and spelling; but the class at the university helped me understand how to construct, speak, and write complete sentences in Spanish. I had a rating of 4 stars for Rosetta Stone, but now have to lower it to 3 stars after seeing how much more one class (for about the same money as Rosetta Stone) at the university was able to do for me.

A friend recommended Barron's "501 Spanish Verbs with CD-ROM and Audio CD (501 Verb Series)" to improve my ability to conjugate Spanish verbs. I bought it here on Amazon for about 10 bucks. It is a good book to use as a reference to help with conjugating verbs and definitely worth the money. I will now be buying the other Barron's Spanish supplement books to refine my Spanish learning as I take more Spanish classes at the local university.

Adding on to my review now that I've completed level three (It is taking me about 4 weeks for each level: 1 to 2 hours a night). I still think Rosette Stone is a great program. I won't be fluent when I finish the Rosette Stone courses, but my capacity is expanding. I like the reading/listening/writing/picture association format Rosette Stone uses. The more I'm learning the more I look forward to the college Spanish course I've signed up for this fall. Now that I understand more and recognize more of the language I have more questions as to why and when to properly apply things. Rosette Stone doesn't explain this, but then I wouldn't know enough to ask the questions without using Rosette Stone. Rosette Stone has sparked my interest in Spanish so it is now interesting to me, instead of a constant headache trying to learn.

Rosetta Stone Version 3 is a great program. Just finished level two and started level three. At the end of level two and the start of level three I've noticed three gender misrepresentations (ex: picture of father and daughter and it says "madre" or mother instead of "padre"). I am using a Franklin electronic dictionary when I don't understand the material (without it I would be struggling). I'm spending one to two hours a night with the software and will spend about five months total using the software before I finish all five Levels. In level one I struggled to understand when they spoke and had to play it again and again. Towards the end of level two I noticed that I am getting most of the spoken parts the first time.

I also recommend "Spanish for Dummies" (the software, not the book) $1.99 for the ITouch/IPhone (simple, but fun) and a Franklin electronic dictionary.