Learning Spanish

Its as easy as Pimsleur

Pimsleur has a 3 course set each with 30 lessons. They run about $300/course on CD. Save some money and borrow it from your local library.

Some People Recommend

cobraboy said:

I would appreciate any input from this group on finding a good CD-ROM or DVD based conversational Spanish course.

I'm not looking to teach the "Kings Spanish" , just be able to converse initially until I learn more by actually living with the Dominican people.

TIA

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Something called "Rosetta Stone" and then again some don't (a library might be a good start for both formats to see which is better or worse) .

I suggest checking for learning with some actual humans as well in your home town - CD and tapes are OK but on their own it is not as interactive as a class or private lessons. Not Berlitz (big buckeroos) but community college, or maybe Spanish centres where they have language and cultural stuff and group and private classes.

I think not learning to teach Spanish is a wise goal since you need to learn how to speak it first.

Pimsleur Approach

kronos said:

Pimsleur has a 3 course set each with 30 lessons. They run about $300/course on CD. Save some money and borrow it from your local library.

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Pimsleur also has Quick and Simple (4 CDs) for $19.95, very affordable and quite good! I play them in the car!
www.pimsleurapproach.com

Happy learning! :cheeky:

timelessdreams said:

Quick and Simple

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Just hope your girlfriend doesn't think of you this way.

Word to the wise

Timelessdreams is a woman.

cobraboy said:

I would appreciate any input from this group on finding a good CD-ROM or DVD based conversational Spanish course.

I'm not looking to teach the "Kings Spanish" , just be able to converse initially until I learn more by actually living with the Dominican people.

TIA

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I suppose that you meant to write "learn", not "teach" the "King's Spanish". Anyway, learning "proper" Spanish isn't of too much help in the DR, since their spoken Spanish is quite different from Spanish spoken in other parts. After more than 30 years of studying and learning Spanish, and being married to a Dominican woman for the last 11 of them, I still often have serious problems understanding what people actually are saying to me. That includes my wife, at least whenever she is around her own, and reverts to their way of speaking. Although I have no problems reading, writing and also speaking well enough to be understood. And my hearing is "20/20". Maybe I'm dim, but that's the way it is, as seen from my perspective at least.

cobraboy said:

That was a joke.

I want to converse in Dominican Spanish, slang and all. I don't want to conjugate verbs

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If you don't want to conjugate verbs you won't be able to speak the language other than sounding like a rube talking in infinitives all the time.

learning spanish

I bought Instant Immersion Spanish and pounded through the eight cd's in about ten days, but this was all day long with headphones on. It was like $30 at barnes and nobel. I got the advanced set on amazon for like $20 and am still working on it. Can't wait to try out what I've learned on th 18th! See yins in Cabarete n'at!

My wife and I have been trying both the Rosetta Stone and the Pimsleur.

I really haven't liked the Rosetta Stone, they are helpful for grammer (somewhat), but most of the words I have learned are of little use. I find I can not recall what I have learned well, though I can recognize it. I think this is because of their picture immersion program. I know what words (when said) go with the pictures every time, but often couldn't think of them on my own in another context.

I like the Pimsleur very much. They start you off learning what you will use most, but the going is still slow. If the money is a real issue, look on eBay (assuming you aren't in the DR now?), you can buy each course (there are three) for around $150 and then resell it once you are done for about the same amount.

cobraboy said:

That was a joke.

I want to converse in Dominican Spanish, slang and all. I don't want to conjugate verbs and diagram sentences on a chalkboard. I can order a beer, and do a little flirting, but that won't help much in a business negotiation...unless I'm negotiating with a pretty lady over a beer... :devious:

When I use a web translator on Dominican Spanish, there are many words that don't translate. That is not the case foe Mexican, C.A., or Iberian Spanish.

Thanks for the input, all!

:classic:

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Learn Spanish first, then incorporate local colloquialism later when you gain familiarity with the culture. Be very careful with using slang. Whats funny between two old friends from the culture, can be totally offensive when used by an outsider. Oh yeah, Pimsluer is probably best for you because it teaches conversational and does not bother you with details of grammar. For me, I also need the structure of grammar based teaching.

http://www.bilingualamerica.com/main/index.htm

Bilingual America is by the best. No doubt about it. I have them all, Pimsluer, Berlitz, Rosetta, and who ever else you can think of including years of college courses.. I learned more with Biligual America than all of them put together.

They teach you all the tenses FIRST. It's drilled in your head before you even learn to say Hola. They have four levels, basic, intermediate, advanced and expert.. if you make it to expert you should be near fluent... Well you'll have all the tools to be fluent I should say.. I firmly believe you have to be around spanish speakers to really "get it"

It's expensive, I can't remember how much I paid for the entire program..maybe something like $600 bucks but it's the best investment for anyone trying to learn spanish.

So you learn all the tenses first before you begin.. I walk, I walked, I was walking, I was going to walk, I will walk, I had walked, etc.... Yo camino, camine, estaba caminando, iba a caminar, caminare, he caminado etc...

Then each level has 12 lessons in it. In each lesson you have vocab, reading, writing, and speaking exercises. But it's how they set the lessons up that makes it so much better.

They have tutoring over the phone if you need or want it. But it costs extra.

good luck.

Thank YOU Lambada!

Lambada said:

Timelessdreams is a woman.

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and a 'not so quick', AND complicated one at that!

best be careful we're not redirected to MAFMWAFV!

And....

Lambada said:

Timelessdreams is a woman.

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your point is?

BR, P

pasha said:

your point is?

BR, P

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The point is .......... see post '5' in this thread!! TD has a fellar she relates to & 'SHE' (TD) does NOT have a 'Girlfriend'!! - Grahame.