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Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One Hour by Mark Frobose
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Mark Frobose Edition: Music CD Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); Spanish (Published) Published: 2002-04-07 ISBN: 1893564428 Number of pages: 207 Publisher: Language Dynamics
Book Reviews of Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One HourBook Review: Treat this product like an aural/verbal quiz. A darn good one. Summary: 5 Stars
I have tried several other similar learn Spanish CDs (see all of my relatively recent reviews) and this product is head and shoulders above the rest. It is the only one you need.
If you don't skip any CDs and you don't cheat yourself by getting ahead of yourself too quickly, after listening to all of the 8 CDs (at least twice each) you WILL have a rudimentary ability to communicate in Spanish. This happens by constructing your own unique phrases -and I think- in the shortest possible time with this language dynamics course. I'm talking about expressing yourself with sentences such as: ¨the key to my heart...¨ or ¨you have the most beautiful lips in the world¨.
I feel confident enough now to speak what I know. I get by without feeling like a complete idiot. Sometimes I even get compliments on my spanish.
In comparison, the Pimsleur method was too slow for me. But don't kid yourself. It is still a slow and sometimes tedious process. Sometimes it can be frustrating and at other times it can be very rewarding. Just be aware that it ain't no where near as easy or as quick as plugging in a new RAM chip in your computer.
HOW IT WORKS:
There is a pause just after the English word or phrase is spoken, and then Louis repeats it twice in Spanish with a slight pause inbetween. The trick is to think of how to say the equivalent English phrase but IN SPANISH and say it aloud before Louis says it the first time. So when you get better at it, you're repeating each phrase three times. The American host occasionally reminds you to stop the tape (although it is the CD version) if necessary, rewind and repeat the sections until you know them thoroughly. After you improve by listening to the CD a few times there is no need to pause the CD at the pause between the English and the Spanish.
WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT- recalling a load of phrases memorised verbatim OR being able to ask questions in Spanish such as: ¨what is that¨ and ¨how do you say `XYZ' in spanish¨, knowing the answer and being able to respond again? One method is a self-correcting learning process and the other is not. This is the sort of program that will teach you the method that takes advantage of the way humans learn new things + interact. It is called communication. The other way (that most other programs seem to go with) is boring & tedious & reminds me of programming a computer... it is for dummies and it doesn't allow you to invisage new situations and construct totally new phrases when the need arises, etc.
LIKES:
There is also some light humour, which is good. The native Spanish speaker, Louis, is VERY good at pronouncing all the words clearly and at the right pace. The enlglish speaker, an American, is also good and I find him pleasing enough to listen to. Now and then he praises YOU the listener + learner. I like that. Encouragement is very important.
What I also liked is that most of the material I came across in everyday situations during my 3 weeks stay in the Canary Islands. Sometimes it was uncanny. I'd learn several new words on the very same day I was exposed to them out on the street. Sometimes within hours of hearing or seeing the words. Furthermore, it has a very good balance of learning new material and reviewing old material in different ways. It doesn't teach you tons and tons of vocabulary, but now I can always point and ask: ¨What is that thing called?¨
Get the idea now?
I think this program provides the most painless introduction to Spanish. It isn't that difficult. But practise and perseverance are of paramount importance. I am currently staying in Tenerife (which is a Spanish-speaking island off the coast of Morocco) with a few relatives. Luckily for me, the dialect here is more like that of South America. I.e. they pronounce ¨z¨ as ¨s¨not ¨th¨. This is the same as what the program teaches. Although they do cover a few words that differ between mainland Spain and South America.
DISLIKES:
The only thing that I was slightly miffed about is that NO ONE seems to use the more polite ¨Usted¨ form of Spanish any more. Apparantly it is like the equivalent of talking like Shakespeare did 400 years ago. It sounds quaint to them and so it seems like a waste of time learning it to me.
There are also some very small mistakes, eg a few times, the Spanish isn't repeated twice (etc) where it should be. Hopefully if they make another version these very minor gripes will be sorted out. It's still 110% worth the money though.
[...]
Muchas Gracias!
Summary of Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One HourAt last a Spanish CD course which requires no reading and which teaches you to actually speak Spanish in a minimum of time and effort. The course also comes complete with a complete 207 page illustrated text with tapescript, same page answer keys and English translations for home review. Designed by the experts at Language Dynamics, 'Behind The Wheel Spanish For Your Car' takes the learner form basic to intermediate level Spanish without the guesswork and pain usually associated with language learning. An expert English speaking instructor talks you through these tapes in English while a trained professional native Latin American Spanish speaker teaches you Spanish the way it is really spoken. Behind The Wheel Spanish For Your Car is the ideal way to learn Spanish while you drive because there is no confusion, no reading, no looking up meanings, and no guessing. It's all on the tapes. Use your commute time to effectively learn Spanish with this delightful course whose method will have you speaking your first words in Spanish within minutes of receiving your course, and enjoying it.
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