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Rosetta Stone

For awhile i've been using Rosetta Stone because i want to learn Spanish , it was a really good recommendation from a friend that gave me hope to learn efficiently , i want to know how many people are using it , and what is the best thing you think about it .

Dec 16, 2014 10:35 PM
Comments · 7
3

I agree with kraut9.  When people ask me how they can learn a language fast I tell them "By not using Rosetta Stone."  

 

You need a tripod. Three simultaneous courses of learning which support each other.
1. A static grammatically rich vocabulary based course Duolingo, books etc.
2. An audio based course like Pimsleur or Michel Thomas
3. Face to face lessons or practice sessions where you are uncomfortably forced to speak and listen.

December 19, 2014
3

Soph, I sit 8+ hours a day in front of a PC, I don't want to add more.

 

A PC course is somehow 'static'. But with a book I can go forwards and backwards, flip pages etc. I prefer actually a good book based course, plus a pimsleur course which is excellent while driving in your car.

 

December 17, 2014
1

I'm using it. I have mixed feelings about it. It is systematic and it gives me something specific to do every day. It is immersive and it helps me "speak without thinking." I think it was good value for the money.

 

I don't think anyone can learn a language <em>just</em> by doing Rosetta Stone computer-based lessons. For example, it does <em>not</em> do an adequate job of teaching grammar or verb tenses.

 

One of the best features is that they urge you to sign up for their online services, which includes four "studio sessions," which are online group lessons. You get a month free, and anyone who buys the course should definitely make use of those lessons to see if they like them. They are only 25 minutes long, and the instructor is talking to anywhere from one to four students. But I think they are good value for the $10/month they cost me. A good feature is that they are specifically tied to the Rosetta Stone lessons--the instructor shows you pictures similar to the situations you are learning in Rosetta Stone and guides students through a conversation using the words they are using in the lesson.

 

Last year I bought some of their "private lessons" but they tripled the price (!) and I think lessons from iTalki teachers are much better value for the money.

 

In addition to Rosetta Stone, I am also paying for a subscription to an online service called "The News in Slow Spanish." I love it. It is just at the right level for me to understand, and it is targeted at topics that are interesting to adults. You can listen to one short news story a week at no cost, but I decided to buy the whole package. 

 

I am taking lessons online from an italki teacher, and I am slowly finding italki "language partners." 

 

 

 

December 31, 2014
1

My daughter used it for Farsi, and while she learned a lot of vocabulary, she could not carry on a conversation at all.

December 19, 2014
1

@ Kraut : In your opinion what's wrong with Rosetta Stone ?

 

December 17, 2014
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