| I've been learning Spanish for about 2 years now, | | | | had completed all 4 levels of Pimsleur Spanish. |
| entirely self-taught (although I just met a nice Mexican | | | | Learning Spanish Like Crazy has 2 levels and each |
| girl who says she'll be glad to sit down and help me | | | | level takes approximately one month to complete, at a |
| with my Spanish, and she's cute and single to boot :), | | | | rate of one lesson per day (they're just the right length: |
| and I've used a number of learning-Spanish programs | | | | 25-30 minutes each). It's available as an audio MP3 |
| and products. | | | | download that is entirely digital and comes with written |
| I've tried Pimsleur, which uses native Spanish speakers | | | | transcripts of all dialogue in pdf format, so that you can |
| who are actually from SPAIN, therefore the Spanish is | | | | download it immediately and start learning, or it's |
| very different than what you would hear in Latin | | | | available on CDs that you can purchase and have |
| America where I'm interested in traveling to and living | | | | mailed to you at an additional cost. |
| at. I've tried Michel Thomas, who's voice and accent I | | | | Additionally, purchase of Learning Spanish Like Crazy |
| simply cannot stand, and I've also used FSI (Foreign | | | | includes access to a private forum on the LSLC |
| Service Institute) which I personally like although it's not | | | | website where you can ask instructors questions |
| the best choice for a beginner as it takes 2 hours a | | | | about Spanish and get help from and interact with |
| day of practice for 6-8 months to complete, as well as | | | | other customers who have purchased LSLC and are |
| a program called Learning Spanish Like Crazy (I know, | | | | themselves learning Spanish, probably at about the |
| they should've picked a shorter name). | | | | same level or higher than you are. |
| Out of all of those, it's very difficult to choose one | | | | The few things I don't like about LSLC are as follows: |
| 'best' one and I actually recommend you get more | | | | it's almost entirely audio, so you're not going to get |
| than one because the 'overlap' is VERY beneficial to | | | | much reading/writing practice, but it does bill itself out |
| your learning--I started Learning Spanish Like Crazy | | | | as a course to help you SPEAK Spanish, which is |
| while I was on Level 3 of Pimsleur Spanish. However, I | | | | what most people are far more interested in than |
| personally found that Learning Spanish Like Crazy not | | | | reading/writing, and they also include written transcripts |
| only used the 'Pimsleur Method' of learning a foreign | | | | of everything actually spoken in the lessons, so you |
| language, which I love, but it had a LOT more material | | | | can always feel free to use that to follow along, check |
| in it than Pimsleur did--I felt like I was much farther | | | | a word you didn't understand, or to improve your |
| along after completing level 1 of LSLC than I did after I | | | | Spanish reading skills. |