Learning Spanish

Yes, it is the very best way to learn spanish, there is no other that is better.

Rosseta Stone is quite good but difficult to move around and find what you want. Also it drives you crazy with repetition of things you really don’t want to see again.How many times do you want to see a picture of a kid bouncing a ball and have go over and over again saying the sentence with different color balls? Also, it is VERY EXPENSIVE

Rocket Spanish keeps sending me Emails but I’m not interested It seems to have too many non-usable phrases.

So many of these courses insist on giving useless phrases to learn. Who on earth needs to speak Spanish toa Customs agent at San Jose Airport. “I have nothing to declare.” Look at the signs. Go through the “Nothing to Declare Lane.” That’s all you need to know.

BUT There are two video courses that are absolutely fabulous.

One Step to Spanish is the best language course I have ever seen and I have learned several languages. It uses humor and a cast of lively, intelligent young people engaged in skits and situations that allow them to bring in numbers, greetings, grammar and vocalbulary. The grammar gets more involved as you go through the sets. It is absolutely the best. The only problem is that it comes only on Video Cassettes. I borrowed mine from the local library but you can also find the company on the web.

The second best is Spanish – “The Basics” and “Beyond the Basics” by “The Standard Deviants. Yes – a strange name for a group of very intelligent University people – again with a great sense of humor. This was also available at the library and is to be found on the web. Again, the only problem is that it comes only on Video Cassettes which many of us no longer use. On the other hand I think most people know someone who can copy those cassettes onto DVD, don’t we!

I’ve used the Pimsleur method basic lesson and found it fairly good. I also have one that uses immersion method CDs. I took Spanish for three years in JHS and outside of remembering numbers, a lot of it has been forgotten. When you find youself in a situation, as in living in Costa Rica, where you must use Spanish, I find it easier to recall the language. I plan on taking immersion lessons when we make the move. If we do it now we will not have enough usage of the language to keep it fresh in our minds. The things I have found most useful are watching Spanish programs on TV, trying to read a newspaper or book in Spanish, and listening to Spanish radio. I have a one hour commute to work and have been listening to Spanish speaking radio during the drive for about a year now. It helps you to at least get a feel for the cadence of Spanish, and every now and then you can even get the jokes. Nothing like having a laugh!

On this site go to https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1016.cfm for Spanish lessons