Spanish (Latin America) Level 1 & 2 [OLD VERSION]

Develop your skills in four key areas...

Reading. View larger.

Speaking. View larger.

Writing. View larger.

Listening. View larger.

Rosetta Stone is self-contained and intuitive to use. There are no complicated lists to memorize or handbooks to read. With Dynamic Immersion, you can start learning immediately. Join NASA, Fortune 500 executives, U.S. diplomats and millions of learners worldwide in discovering the fastest way to learn Spanish.

And what exactly is Dynamic Immersion? Studies show that learning exclusively in the new language--without translation as a crutch--is crucial if you want to communicate. Grammar drills and rote memorization never develop this skill. Dynamic Immersion helps you think in the new language and quickly develops the language skills and structures you need to for everyday communication. Rosetta Stone teaches Spanish through a step-by-step sequence of carefully structured Dynamic Immersion lessons. New words become associated with familiar objects, actions, and ideas. Words build to phrases and sentences in a systematic progression.

The Dynamic Immersion method reconnects people to the language skills they used successfully to master their first language. With Rosetta Stone, you start from a position of strength--your own strength. First, Rosetta Stone allows you to learn through context. The software presents a carefully chosen selection of four images and asks you to select the image that matches the written text and the voices of native speakers. Building on the knowledge you've already gained and your intuitive grasp of the meaning of each picture, you make a choice. There's absolutely no translation or memorization to hold you back, so you start making progress immediately.

Next, Rosetta Stone offers immediate reinforcement. The very second you complete a task, the software provides feedback. Speak a word and our unique voiceprint technology automatically rates your pronunciation. Connect an image with a phrase and you'll immediately learn if your choice was correct. Complete a set of exercises and you'll instantly know how well you did. With Rosetta Stone, you always know where you stand. Recognizing that dynamic immersion is a continuous process, Rosetta Stone also employs a systematic sequence that gradually incorporates new words, phrases, and more complex grammar as it reinforces existing learning. As a result, your understanding of your new language grows naturally.

Levels 1 and 2 includes more than 8,000 real-life images and phrases in 210 lessons, as well and an average of 450 hours of instruction depending on your learning style. Rosetta Stone also incorporates a balanced curriculum including listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as speech recognition for accent perfection. The program's systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills, and there are previews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials.

Rosetta Stone's lessons will quickly get you up to speed on a wide range of language topics, including directions; affirmative and negative verb forms; food, eating, and drinking; family relationships; direct objects; telling time; shapes, colors and locations; greetings and conversations; travel, transportation, and transactions; shopping and dining; and much, much more.

Why is this product so awesome? It's intuitive, fun (isn't that half the battle in learning a language?), interactive, and comprehensive. I'd describe the method as similar to the Berlitz language school method in that you start the lesson and great looking pictures come up on the screen with the words that match each picture (the obvious difference being that the Rosetta Stone does this with great graphics on your PC versus a Berlitz teacher using a picture book). Then the words are spoken so you intuitively learn by making these connections (you need a good headset).

After you learn the words the lesson goes through the same words, but in 4 different exercises (Listening, Reading, Speaking, & Writing). Over time the words build up to phrases and then to sentences. I really like the creative way the lessons teach each activity while repeating the words/phrases you're learning in a way that's not boring.

The other thing I'd say is these lessons are fun, which means I'm highly motivated to keep learning (I actually look forward to doing my lessons every day!). I wish the Rosetta Stone had a Czech version when I learned that language because it would've changed my experience from being a grind to being enjoyable.

I should mention there are a couple of things that annoy me about the software (in the Writing exercise there's not an Auto-scroll function for 2 of the parts, so you have to click on the next picture to advance; also, there's not an easy way to tell what exercises you've completed in the lesson, so I have to write down what I've finished when I take breaks). Although I'd like to see these improvements made, they are relatively trivial compared to the overall brilliance of this product.

But back to the positives, I've also noticed how mentally exhausted I've been since I started using this program. I had the same feeling the first couple of weeks when I started learning Czech intensively, so this is a good sign my brain is really being stretched by this software.

Lastly, the Rosetta Stone is very interactive because you have to click on the correct pictures/text or type in the correct spelling as you do the exercises. So, it's easy to stay engaged as you're learning, versus feeling being bored by reading some grammar lesson from a textbook or wasting your time making dull flash cards.

Based on the excellent progress I've had so far, I'm going to buy either the Italian or French versions from Rosetta Stone next, since for the first time in my life I'm having a blast learning a language and I'm progressing faster than I thought was possible.


Present Progressive Tense   October 3, 2004
J. Alfred Prufrock
423 out of 487 found this review helpful

The present progressive tense indicates that the action is in progress, e.g. I am eating (now). In Spanish the present progressive tense is quite restricted and is usually limited to what a person is doing RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, this course uses the progressive tense throughout, where as in real life, the present indicative is usually the tense most commonly used. Some examples from the course might be: Los muchachos estan saltando; La muchacha esta comiendo; El nino esta corriendo, etc. The point is, you get a lot of work with the verb "estar" and a lot of work with the gerund (the "ing" form )of other verbs, but little else. The pictures are great, the vocabulary work is great and the voice quality is great,I would just prefer more work with the verb forms of the present indicative which is the most commonly used and which is a much more versatile tense. Another complaint: this is a windows based program without a minimize button--that's inconvenient.


Though Not the Most Fun Software But Still Rather Helpful   July 31, 2006
Gilbert Pemberton (Virginia Beach, VA)
170 out of 177 found this review helpful

I am using this software now after developing a pretty good grasp of the language using Barrons Spanish, Learning Spanish Like Crazy, FSI Programmatic Spanish, Behind the Wheel Spanish, and Pimsleur Spanish. With Rosetta Stone Spanish, I was only looking to increase my vocabulary and learn some more words and phrases. As I had heard before, Rosetta Stone Spanish can be useful for that purpose. And I don't think that the software let me down in that aspect.

The most difficult thing about this software is that is hard to maintain motivation with it. It gets a little boring after a while. I understand NASA uses this software. I guess in space there isn't much to do to begin with, so with limited options this software may not be the most boring thing in the entire universe.

I am going to show a little mercy and not give this product just one star as so many reviewers have done. I was actually somewhat pleased with the new vocabulary that I learned.
I learned a lot of prepositions that I probably would not have learned in another Spanish course. Such as "por encima" and "por debajo" (above and below) and "afuera" and "adentro" (outside and inside). But if I didn't already have a solid grasp of the language I don't think that I would have been too happy with this software. I find it difficult understanding how someone can really learn to actually speak Spanish with this method, especially a complete beginner. I guess the reason that NASA uses it is because it is highly unlikely that an astronaut is going to meet a Spanish-speaking extra-terrestrial.

My advise . . . if you are a complete beginner start with Learning Spanish Like Crazy (if you can afford the $200 plus price tag). And if you cannot afford it, a very reasonably priced alternative is Behind the Wheel Spanish.

After you have really developed a solid grasp of the language, then you may want to try this software just to learn some more Spanish words and phrases.





Rosetta Stome Spanish compared to other Spanish courses, NOT from the opinion of a Gringa, but a Latina   March 23, 2007
L. Martinez (Springfield, IL)
157 out of 159 found this review helpful

Rosetta Stone Spanish is the third major Spanish course that I am buying.
I have comtpleted all of the Spanish lessons in the Pimsleur series, and have also completed Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level One and Two.
I am one of those rare Latinas that did not learn Spanish from my parents. My Mexican parents felt that it would be easier to "assimilate" if I only spoke English. After going to my grandparents' home for holidays and being the only one there that did not speak Spanish, and after having Latino strangers speak to me in Spanish and then look at me in astonishment when I struggled just to say "no, hablo espanol," I felt that it was time for me to learn how to speak my language.

The first course that I used was Pimsleur Spanish. Compared to Rosetta Stone I must say that I learned much more vocabulary with the Rosetta Stone software. But I recommend Pimsleur over Rosetta Stone, especially for the complete beginner. Because of its easy teaching method, in my opinion Pimsleur is even better than LSLC for someone that has no experience whatsoever speaking Spanish. Pimsluer goes at a very slow pace. But if you have already learned some Spanish on your own or in high school or college, then you can probably skip Pismleur and go straight to LSLC. Or if you are the type of person that believes learning a foreign language should be more like a hurdle than a marathon you'll probably want to go with Learning Spanish Like Crazy. LSLC covers a lot more Spanish words and grammar than Pimsleur and moves at a quicker pace.

So where does Rosetta Stone fit in?

I would say use Rosetta Stone after you have completed the above courses. It is difficult to really learn how to speak Spanish with this software alone because you are only looking at pictures and repeating the phrases that you hear. You never really learn how to think in Spanish and create your own sentences. So why am I still giving it 4 stars?

Because if you already know how to speak some Spanish from another course and you are on an intermediate level then you can add plenty more Spanish words to your vocabulary by using the Rosetta Stone software. One negative about this course is that the method is tedious because the software's interface is "antiquated" with photos from the 1980s. And the sound quality is not as clear as Pimsleur or Learning Spanish Like Crazy. But if you stick it out through the drudgery, you will be surprised with how many Spanish words you learned with this software.

But I think Pimsleur did a better job of teaching me concepts than this software is doing. And by teaching me concepts, I have really retained the material and by understanding concepts, I am able to take my own thoughts and form sentences. Something that I would not have been able to do if I had used this course alone.

Another negative about this course, is that unlike the other two courses that I mentioned, you have to use Rosetta Stone while sitting in a computer. That is difficult for me because I am very busy with classes, work and my personal life. I can use Pimsleur or LSLC on my mp3 player and not have to worry about sitting at a computer.

Besides the limited vocabulary and the slow teaching method, the only downside of Pimsleur is that it does not teach the same Spanish words that are most commonly used by Mexicans and other Latinos in regular conversation. Pimsleur Spanish is very formal Spanish. We say "mucho gusto" like LSLC teaches, Pimsleur teaches "encantado." And in our overly masculine or "macho" if a man responds with "encantado" many Latinos may get the wrong impression about him. It is not something that I am proud to say about my (Latino) culture, but it is true. And Pimsleur does not warn the male student that if you say "encantado" to some Latinos they may get the wrong impression about the speaker.

Learning Spanish Like Crazy has taught me useful practical Spanish that I can use to communicate with my Spanish speaking friends and family. When I tell people that I learned to speak Spanish as an adult and not at home as a child, many of them do not believe me. I think they find it incredible for two reasons:

One, my accent really sounds like a native Speaker from using LSLC. Two, I have learned real conversational Spanish from LSLC. I have learned words and phrases that Spanish speakers actually use when speaking to each other. PImsleur taught me Spanish that the author of the course thought that I should speak, not the Spanish that Latinos really speak. That is one of the positive things that separates LSLC course from the others.

So in what order would I rate the three in terms of EASE of teaching method:

1. Pimsleur Spanish
2. Learning Spanish Like Crazy
3. Rosetta Stone Spanish

But in terms of teaching real conversational Spanish and teaching a real Latin American accent, I rate them as follows:


1. Learning Spanish Like Crazy
2. Pimsleur Spanish
3. Rosetta Stone Spanish




What's the quickest and easiest way to learn Spanish?   May 17, 2007
Kenneth Vaughan (Essex, Montana)
117 out of 121 found this review helpful

I bought this product after reading the many reviews at Amazon (good and bad) and seeing countless ads in the media. This seems to be a pretty decent piece of software for learning Spanish. But with one caveat:

You must already have a basic knowledge of Spanish. This software is more of a vocabulary builder for someone that has already achieved a basic understanding of the language. What you do with this software is see pictures and repeat phrases. You are not taught any grammar from this course. And much of the vocabulary is not useful for conversation. This course does a very thorough job teaching vocabulary while using the present progressive tense in Spanish. But there's a problem with that. Spanish speakers don't use the present progressive tense as frequently as we do. I often hear them use the present tense where we like to use the present progressive tense.

From the graphics and the software's interface, I get the impression that a new version of this software has not been created in many years. The graphics are from the 1980s. Possibly, the 1970s. If I was involved with this company's management, I would invest more into upgrading the software and spending more money on Research and Development and less money on advertising. If customer's think the software is great, the customers will do the advertising for the company through simple word of mouth. With that said, I did learn more from the Rosetta Stone Software than I learned before I started with the software.

I won't say that I am a connoisseur of Spanish-learning products, but I will say that I have spent enough money and time on language-learning products to know something about what it takes to learn Spanish quickly and easily. After spending so much money on learning-Spanish products that I am embarrassed to tell anyone how much I spent, this is an outline of the method that I found to be the fastest and easiest:

I advise getting a good phrase book like Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use (Dover Easy Phrase) Get a good dictionary Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary And verb conjugation book The Big Red Book of Spanish Verbs: 555 Fully Conjugated Verbs and an audio Spanish course Learning Spanish Like Crazy: Spoken Spanish, Vol. 1. Be careful with the audio based Spanish product that you buy because many of them don't teach the Spanish that Spanish speakers in the U.S. and Latin America use today. The audio Spanish lessons that have done the best job for me teaching me the Spanish that Spanish speakers use in the U.S. and Latin America today is
Learning Spanish Like Crazy: Spoken Spanish, Vol. 1. I can appreciate the Spanish that I have learned from other courses, but the Spanish that I have learned from LSLC has been the most useful and practical Spanish that I have learned.