Get Into Spanish Course Pack: CD-ROM, Audio CD and Book

I love this package!!! It is the nearest you'll get to an evening class in Spanish.

It does take a bit of time to work out how the course will best suit you but that is the beauty of it - you do what works for you. A previous reviewer missed the point about the accompanying CD - that is an extra to the course and is just a dialogue which you can follow in the book. It isn't intended as a 'learn as you go along'.

The best thing about this package for me is that you can practise speaking and listening back to yourself speaking spanish. In most courses you can practise phrases but only in your head. It's completely different saying them out loud - when everything you think you know goes completely out of your head. This package allows you to display subtitles so you can read out the phrases at first to learn them and then turn them off and try on your own. You learn scenarios first and practise them and then get an opportunity to do a dialogue on your own - and believe me, its not easy, but it is the nearest you will get to actually being in a spanish market or a train station, without actually being there.

You can progress through varying degrees of difficulty - but the book doesn't seem to tell you which bits are the easy ones and which are the hard ones so you don' t always know where to start. But it doesn't matter really, you can flip back and forth into easy and difficult scenarios and tackle whatever you want to. so if you want to listen to a more difficult dialogue but not speak it, thats OK. There are also varying degrees of help. You can display the dialogue in spanish and english, or in just one or the other language or not at all.... so you can get help if you need it and then turn it off if you want to go cold turkey and try it on your own.

I am really pleased with this system of learning. I can go at my own pace and learn what I want to when I want to. In fact I am so pleased with it that I have also bought the French version.

It isn't difficult to set up the recording and playback - an ordinary webcam will do.

Yes you can learn Spanish... (25/26 people found this helpful)

Always wanted to learn a new language but never had the time? Get into Spanish with this exciting new interactive course for beginners from BBC Languages and Cambridge University Language Centre. Designed for people on the go, the flexible approach of Get into Spanish puts you firmly in control of how, when and where you learn - and you'll have fun too!

The course recreates typical holiday situations in animated locations around a virtual town. Its focus on real language means you'll be communicating in Spanish right from the start. A complete self-study course on CD-ROM, supported by a book, audio CD and website, Get into Spanish is an innovative and enjoyable new way for adult beginners to learn the language.

Take part in fully animated interactive dialogues and pick up the skills and confidence to communicate.

Choose a way of learning that suits you: familiarise yourself with new language in the Learn It First activities, or jump straight in to Have A Go at speaking.

Access instant learning support via the comprehensive built-in Phrase Book, Basics section and concise pop-up grammar notes.

Use this handy ten-unit book whenever you'd like to revise and refresh the language you have met on the CD-ROM. Dip into it at home, on the move or on holiday!

Build on the language you've learned by listening to the adventures of Simon Martin, a young British web designer, as he touches down in Alicante in search of new horizons.

Access games, activities and opportunities to learn about Hispanic culture around the world with your password to our dedicated website. Get handy tips on learning a new language, as well as advice on the most effective methods of self-study.

Above all, enjoy learning a new language with Get Into Spanish. (Source: Back cover)

MY COMMENTS... This is a computer based course and is not really for learning on the go! If I were a complete beginner, I would not throw myself in at the deepend, which is one of the recommended ways of using the disc. I would start with the learn it first activities with the sub-titles for both Spanish and English turned on! and concentrate initially on listening, reading and understanding the conversations. I would do the activities when I felt more comfortable with the language (of course not everyone is the same as me...)This course does require you to read the instructions and learning notes, and I would recommend reading the introductory notes on first use. When doing the activities, you can often make things easier by clicking the check my answers button! (If you get several answers wrong, try correcting them one at a time!). At the very beginning you might like to use the basics section, which covers phrases like 'Hello'. Not all the phrases are spoken in this section, but the majority are. Again, read the notes provided and all will make sense. This is a course you need to experiment a bit with, to find out how it works best for you, and to find out how to turn various features on and off!

I have not tested the microphone and speaking section as I am not a great lover of the facility in general. I don't think the technology as generally available is really up to it yet! I prefer just to read along with the narrator after listening to the dialogues a few times...

As far as the book is concerned, it contains a selection of phrases and then discusses the associated grammer. The words do not have their phonetic equivalents printed, but if you've listened to the dialogues enough, that won't be a problem.

The audio CD is really to be used when you have covered most of the material on the CD-ROM, as extra listening practice.

(My note: this is for Windows PCs only - it says Windows 98, ME and XP on the box, although I have run it on a Windows 2000 machine without any problems (haven't tried 98 or ME) - I had no problems installing the disc, except I did have an initial failure on an XP machine, when I tried to instal it before Windows had finished loading all the start up items - which was a little silly of me! Restarted the machine and waited for Windows to completely finish laoding and there was no problem! Disc one is for installation, disc 2 for running. It does come up with a message on start up that I recommends that I change my display settings, but I have just ignored it, and had no problems. This programme works like many games, in that it takes over the whole screen, so if you want to read your e-mail you may have to close the programme, and come back. It does have some tracking facilities, to show where you have been, and what you have done. This tracking can be set up for up to 5 users at a time, so is ideal if there is more than one of you!)

Learning a language takes time, don't expect to remember everything immediately. The more you listen and read along with a language, the more will sink in. It gets easier with practice and familiarity. If you want everything given to you slowly in a strict linear fashion, don't buy this product. However if you want flexibility, like to experiment and don't mind reading occasionally this would be a very useful tool on your journey...

Spanish for Beginners (67/71 people found this helpful)

I brought this because I wanted to learn Spanish, and as this pack had a CD, CR_ROM and a book I though it would be the easiest way to learn.

The CD starts had lots of Spanish conversation (and no translations). It doesn't start with "hello my name is" or "good morning" - but with a guy losing his luggage in the airport!

The CD-ROM also seems to assume some knowledge of Spanish as the topics covered include checking in at a hotel, ordering a meal in a restaurant. These are things that you will need to know, but still I'd like to learn how to say hello to people first!!

The Book does cover the basics, but without hearing how they are pronounced I wasn't very confident learning from it.

Overall I'd say this is a perfect course if you have a basic knowledge of Spanish already - but not for total beginners

Get Into Spanish Course Pack: CD-ROM, Audio CD and Book

BBC Worldwide

Reader Reviews:

Brilliant!! Once you have worked out how to use it.... (19/19 people found this helpful)

Yes you can learn Spanish... (25/26 people found this helpful)

Spanish for Beginners (67/71 people found this helpful)

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