Rosetta Stone - worth it?

Indie_Kid

Am looking at learning Spanish. I've had a look at Rosetta Stone, which seems to be very expensive. But is it really worth the price? And if not, can someone please recommend different software?

paddyrg

Also have a look at the Michel Thomas courses, they are excellent, and you can get the set quite cheaply. I've used them for French, my wife for Arabic, and they get you to a confident state quickly, no writing notes allowed, just 'do' the CDs. The 8 disc set is enough to get you able to communicate.

Gillor

My experience, for what it's worth, as I have been trying to learn Spanish (not very successfully) for a couple of years to use on holiday in Spain.

Not being a natural linguist, if there is any such thing, and not having had any language training since leaving school many years ago, I have found it really hard going.

Initially I was taken in by the " Learn Spanish in a Week/The Easy Way to Learn Spanish" brigade and accumulated a load of useless and sometime expensive courses looking for the one that held the key to maximum fluency, in the shortest possible time with the least amount of effort.

Forget it. For me there is no such thing - as there is no " Beginners Guide Becoming a Concert Pianist in Five Easy Lessons". The magic bullet doesn't exist despite all the extravagant advertising claims to the contrary. Like most things in life there are no short cuts, just a matter of hard slog.

We all have different ways of learning but if I was starting from scratch I would suggest the following (at a fraction of Rosettta Stone's price):

For a general introduction to the language - BBC Talk Spanish DVD

For sentence/verb construction - Michel Thomas Intermediate Spanish CDs

For conversation - Teach Yourself Spanish Conversation

For memorising vocabulary, useful phrases etc. - Anki flashcard programme (free)

And read, read, read Spanish and listen, listen, listen to Spanish if you want to understand and speak it.

If you try and incorporate some of each of the above into your daily learning routine you will become far more proficient in Spanish than relying on an expensive "one-trick-pony" like Rosetta Stone.

donny-gal

You must do some every day! You can have all the courses in the world but using them is the key!

Another free on line one for both pad and PC is duo lingo! which I find very good. DG

Gillor

donny-gal wrote: »

You must do some every day! DG

Er, no. I am saying what should be done , not what I actually do.

donny-gal wrote: »

You can have all the courses in the world but using them is the key! DG

Absolutely.

DigForVictory

Go to your local library & borrow any of several courses. Try before you buy!

Have a look at spanish websites & newspapers on library internet. (Try http://elpais.com/ & http://elpais.com/elpais/inenglish.html for when you just can't fathom something!)

Ask the librarians! - they may know of Spanish taster sessions, cafes, dance classes.

This is the decade of the podcast. May be worth a try although quality varies wildly. Again, if the librarians commend something, listen!

If all you grasp is "yes, no, please, thank you & excuse me", plus the ability to sort numbers, you're 'way ahead of 98% of tourists at the bar, and once you're out there, immersion will do most of the rest.

The purists want you to be able to read the classics in the mother tongue - which is no bad aim but let's start with the courtesies, then the practicalities (where's the loo? the museum? the Significant Other? [& of course "alas, too expensive" !]) and then the serious culture.

Enjoy the learning the language - have a wonderful time!

Gillor

If you are going down to the library see if you can get hold of a copy of "The Way of the Linguist" by Steve Kaufman which offers some really useful guidance on how best to study a new language.

elektra

see if your local library offers 'Transparent Language Online'

e.g http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/community_and_leisure/libraries/onlineresources/transparentlanguageonline.htm

PlymouthMaid

Google Coffee Break Spanish. It was free to download as podcasts and pretty good. I used it in conjunction with an evening class but I think it would still be useful.

tony6403

If you have an Apple device the free Duolingo app is getting good reviews.
It featured on BBC's Click programme recently and they thought that it was excellent.

dipsomaniac

tony6403 wrote: »

If you have an Apple device the free Duolingo app is getting good reviews.
It featured on BBC's Click programme recently and they thought that it was excellent.

available free on android also