Software Fluenz Spanish 1+2 Learning Suite Windows, Including DVDs, Audio CDs, Podcasts, and Fluenz Navigator. Next-Generation Spanish Learning Software
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My husband and I have tried to learn Spanish a number of times over the years. We'd start out in a class and end up dropping it partially through the course. We've both stuck with the Fluenz system and learned more in the first few lessons than years of attempting to learn using other methods.
I find the Fluenz method/program actually FUN and look forward to each session. I like to do one a day although they recommend twice a week. (I go back and review lessons too.)
Sitting in a classroom and suffering through listening to several other people reciting and trying to learn Spanish used to drive me CRAZY! Now I have my own personal tutor and I love it!
My husband accidentally messed up one of the disks and it couldn't be played. He emailed the Fluenz folks with our purchase info and problem explanation. We got a replacement disk in the mail 2 days later!
I can't say enough good things about this package. It was money very well spent.
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After working for several months with Rosetta Stone I decided to give Fluenz a try. There seems to be a bit of an argument between these two so I figured I could benefit by standing on solid middle ground. Truth is, there is such middle ground, but also both products are opposed to each other in many respects. By this I mean that I have profited from learning with both, but because they are so different. These are the highlights of my experience:
1. Rosetta Stone will bombard you with words, many of them, one after the other. That's their strength. The idea is that you learn words by matching them to pictures. They have technology to recognize your voice, and it works. But you do feel like a child, because many words are irrelevant and a little childish, because you don't understand what's going on beyond the words thrown at you, and the words and images just keep on coming. That's how you start.
2. Fluenz begins with a teacher, Sonya, who explains the whole program, how it works, whats coming next, etc, etc. Half-way through the introduction I just skipped to the first lesson because I wanted to know what it was all about. And what I found is that right off the bat I was coming up with my own sentences, understanding how they worked, and using the verbs with different nouns. First you hear a conversation for which you can see subtitles, then the teacher Sonya come and gives a really good explanation of how it all works, and then you plunge into exercises that gradually take you up in terms of difficulty. Both the teaching and the exercises make the whole thing exciting because you can see the progress right there.
3. Back to Rosetta, the program falters when it comes to actual sentences and phrases. Truth is the matching of images and words is fun and I can go on forever, but when it comes to full phrases I wanted to understand how they were put together. Also the voice recognition technology is for words, not full phrases. On the positive side I kind of like their open-ended thing where there are no lessons per se, no organization beyond what you make up as you go along.
4. Back to Fluenz. I already knew many of the words from having worked with Rosetta, but I was still pretty unclear on how to use tehm, and that's where Fluenz really shines. They explain how the language works and manage to keep you practicing so that your sentences are solid. And I appreciate the confidence of knowing that I'm saying something right, that I know why it's right.
5. And here I think is where both programs have to be judged. Rosetta helped me learn single words but I just didn't really know how to use them to make actual sentences. I could point, say a word, but not a whole lot more than that. With Fluenz I understood how Spanish worked, and so I was able to actually form sentences on my own.
6. Back to my middle ground. Fact is you do learn a ton of words with Rosetta, and that's good. And the fact is that you can really put them together with Fluenz.
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Fluenz Spanish 1+2 Windows, Next-Generation Spanish Language Learning Software
I loved this product. I looked at Rosetta and although it was a good product, for the price and lessons, Fluenz Rocked! I went to Fluenz web site and did a practice lesson. It wasn't a two second lesson, but really showed me what the learning was like. It fit my learning style and I saw how easy it was to learn. I am sold on their process. I had no problems loading it on Windows Vista and I love the practice Cds. If you want to learn Spanish fast and are serious about putting in the time and effort, I think you will like this product.
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Fluenz Spanish 1+2 Windows, Next-Generation Spanish Language Learning Software
I had high school Spanish more than 50 years ago, but never managed to say anything more complicated than "Where's the bathroom?". I've averaged one lesson per day for the past 19 days since receiving Fluenz and last night ordered, commented on and paid for an entire meal - in Spanish - at a Mexican restaurant.
Fluenz is a little different from other language programs I've read about: There is no formal vocabulary building, no verb conjugation or memorization, no rote anything. Typically, one lesson will concentrate on one scenario: shopping, airports, restaurants, etc. Real world situations. Dialogue will be exchanged between two participants, then your personal tutor, Sonia, will dissect everything. Following Sonia's explanations will be exercises wherein you type responses, match columns of phrases and sentences, and record dialogue (as a conversational participant) into your microphone. It's pretty much effortless if you're willing to put in the time.
Sonia is perfect for the job of tutor; she is personable, accent-free in English and is a native speaker of Spanish.
The screen organization is tasteful and focused; the "beat" music, which I find distracting, can be toggled off.
There are a few mis-cues: Some of the columns of Spanish sentences do not match completely their English equivalents, a minor flaw.
Although a microphone is recommended, its use is of marginal importance and whether or not you have one shouldn't be a deciding consideration for or against this program.
If there is one caveat here, it's the importance of being able to touch type accurately and speedily. Although you can toggle off the requirements for correct Spanish punctuation marks, the program does not allow spelling errors. I'm a reasonably fast typist and am typically able to complete a session in something like an hour and a half. I can easily picture a slower typist requiring two and a half hours to do the same work.
Further notes: The spoken portion of the sessions becomes more and more rapid-fire, just as it is spoken by native speakers. I have a substantial hearing loss, and though I am certain that more acute hearing would make it easier to comprehend, even students with normal hearing will find it a challenge to understand some of what some of the conversationalists say (I have my favorite speakers and also those I wish weren't in the dialogues. That, though, is what the real world offers, also.) I do use a high quality set of earphones for the lessons, and with them I am able to comprehend everything, even if it means sometimes having to have a sentence repeated. This is itself a handy program feature.
An on-screen resource, WORDS, provides a nominal sampling of Spanish-English translations. I purchased a good Spanish-English dictionary to supplement it because the program version has so few words and because it does not contain clues to accenting syllables. A good number of written dictionaries have no accent guides, either, so be careful with your selection. Also, if you buy a dictionary be certain both the accenting and the translations themselves are appropriate for the country/region you are interested in.
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I am a Roman Catholic seminarian and my bishop is sending me to Mexico to learn some Spanish. Since I didn't know any Spanish (I've studied French, Hebrew, and a little Latin), I wanted to buy something to help me learn a little before I arrived in Mexico. Boy was I glad when I got this! The lessons are very managable, and I could even go through a couple lessons a day if I worked hard at it and had enough time. After a brief introduction to each lesson, a dialogue is heard between two people using words and grammatical structures pertinent to that lesson. After the conversation, a full explanation is given of all parts of the dialogue, word by word. Then there are several exercises to work through, including translation, reading, and writing. There are thirty lessons in both Fluenz 1 and 2, for 60 lessons total if you buy both like I did.
There are of course many things I do not know and will learn this summer, but at least I can communicate with my host family now and go to the Mass without playing charades...And I think that's the point of the entire program--not that you can write a dissertation, but that you know some things very well and can have some confidence when you venture into a non-English speaking environment. Thanks, Fluenz, for a great product. I am one grateful customer...
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