Customer Reviews

Teach Yourself Spanish Conversation (3CDs + Guide) (Teach Yourself Language)

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

 

 

The quality of the English speaker was terrible. The combination of terrible, non-clear enunciation was further hampered by distracting background noise. I know some Spanish from high school. I was hoping to improve on my skill with this CD but I was disappointed.

Unlike the other reviewer, the audio quality on my CDs is fine. Played on my laptop speakers, the audio isn't the clearest, but when I played them on my stereo, I couldn't find any fault with the quality of the recording. The background noises are minimal. The only thing I really didn't like were the bits of Spanish-sounding music at the start of every track - and since the average track is about a minute long, you'll hear the same guitar lick over and over in a single session. That, however, isn't a fault just with this set - the other TY Conversations sets I own also have annoying music.

I enjoy working with these CDs, but I wouldn't use them alone. The course doesn't promise much - just the ability to converse in and understand very basic situations - but used in conjunction with other materials, it's a great addition to the learning process. Each unit has two conversations, and you can get through a unit in about ten minutes.

The only other fault I can find is that I don't like the English in the Over to You sections - the parts when you partake in the conversation. Instead of allowing the conversation to flow, every sentence you are expected to say is prompted in English. If the next edition eliminated the music and the English prompts, I'd probably give it five stars.

FYI: There are new editions of TY Conversation available now. They're called Teach Yourself Speak (Language) With Confidence. I own the French set but have yet to try it.