I’ve been learning Spanish with a number of courses that I have purchased and downloaded over the internet. These are audio-based courses, which means that I can listen the lessons in the car, at the fitness center, etc., rather than have to sit in front of a computer.
These courses stress the ability to recognize and speak Spanish by listening to and emulating the speech of native (Latin American) speakers. This is how we all learned as children.
The courses vary in quality and content, but if you want to follow some of the paths I’ve taken, here are my recommendations among those I’ve tried and the order in which I take them now.
Synergy Spanish ($67) is the one that I’d start with. Though it’s the least “professional†in audio quality, I like the way that it builds Spanish skills around just 138 words. I was quite surprised at how much I learned in a short time. There is a good handbook that goes with the course.
Rocket Spanish Level 1 ($100) is the best documented course, and the audio quality is excellent. In addition to three written guides (basic grammar, advanced grammar, and conversation), there are also a vocabulary game, printable flash cards and bonus audio lessons.
Rocket Spanish Level 2 ($100) Follow-up course to the Level 1 above.
Learning Spanish Like Crazy (Level 1) ($100) is the one that I’m working through now. Written documentation is limited to the transcripts of the conversations, and some study in external sources is needed to understand what’s being done. But it covers a number of topics the others do not (such as speaking about the past), and there are quite a few extras that can be downloaded. There is also a help forum on the internet.
Shortcut To Spanish ($30) is a short course built around “cognates,†Spanish words that sound a lot like their English equivalents. The thought is that we may already know more Spanish words that we think if we can just recognize the patterns.
Though you can actually buy CD’s of these courses (much more expensive), I opted for the instant download of the MP3 files. I burn the files onto CD’s myself as well as load them onto my MP3 player for portability for maximum flexibility. I also print hard copies of the electronic manuals (PDF files) that can also be downloaded.
Finally, they all offer a few sample lessons as a trial, and you might want to try them out just to be sure. They all offer a money back guarantee, and I exercised that in one case without any trouble. I had ordered through Clickbank (one of the options) and paid with a credit card but doubt if that approach made any difference.
I didn’t find anything objectionable enough to detract from the quality of any of courses.
If you have any questions, you can contact me.
Hasta luego!
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