Rating: 
Summary: It is pretty good
Review: As previsous reviewers put it, the recording is not the greatest, but the content is pretty good. It covers all the basics so it is helpful for intermediate learners to review what they already know and to learn more. What I like most about this is that not only it makes you repeat the same sentence again and again, it also gives you a lot of variation of the same expression to practice with. The overall program is very focused on "speaking." It is relatively inexpensive compared to other language programs too. If you can read and listen fairly well already and just need to improve your speaking skills, this is a good buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Intense, Thorough, Comprehensive Language Course
Review: Excellent method of engrossing oneself while stationary biking.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed with Amazon
Review: HMueller wrote & asked if the book was available without the tapes. Your answer did not address the question. One wOuld think you employ a politician to make up these answers.Again, is the book available without the tapes? Thank you
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful to help your Spanish jump up a level
Review: I am so grateful to the previous reviewers, as I bought these tapes on their advice. I have reached the point where I can read and write Spanish well and my grammar is pretty good, but I still get lost in real world situations where natives are speaking Spanish quickly. These tapes are just the answer I was looking for. They speak really quickly, so these are definitely not for beginners, but I am loving them because natives talk just as quickly as they do on these tapes. I also like that they include a book, because often times they talk so fast I just can't catch what they are saying, but a quick glance at the book gets me back on track immediately. They have a lot of drills and grammar and verb conjugation practice that I really appreciate. I also think these are a real bargain for the price -- I am too cheap to pay ... for some of the others that I see have good reviews. I think these are a real bargain for [the price]. The only criticism is, as mentioned in other reviews, they are REALLY dated and you will definitely feel like you are in Ozzie and Harriet land (50's era for you ... out there reading this).
Rating:
Summary: The most realistic program I have found.
Review: I am studying intensely to learn Spanish for communicating with the many hispanic workers living in my area. The book is somewhat difficult to use, but it is well worth the trouble. Althought some users are unhappy with the phonetic pronunciation system provided in the book (along with the standard Spanish spelling) I have found it to be very helpful once I invested the time to learn it. I will say that this is the most realistic program I have encountered. The speech on the tape is full speed and is very realistic. It has helped my comprehension immensely. Each new concept, especially gramatical forms, are presented in a variety of audio exercises which require you to "think on the go." The exercises in which you have to substitute one word in a sentence for another (and therefore adjust for plurality, speaker, gender, etc.) are nothing short of brilliant. Each new gramatical form is presented in a variety of contexts and exercises which help develop skills. The exercises have helped me learn to speak for meaning, not simply repeat rote phrases. I especially appreciate the manner in which various social settings (visiting a hispanic home, lunch with a hispanic friend, a visit to an area attraction) are presented along with the vocabulary most likely to be needed for that setting. This series is for the serious student. If you're willing to put in the work this series requires, I don't think it can be beat. My only complaint is that the series is not available on CD at this time. The series is recorded using old technology; there is some tape hiss but it doesn't interfere with your ability to comprehend. The book is obviously somewhat dated, but the gramatical concepts remain the same.
Rating:
Summary: The most realistic program I have found.
Review: I am studying intensely to learn Spanish for communicating with the many hispanic workers living in my area. The book is somewhat difficult to use, but it is well worth the trouble. Althought some users are unhappy with the phonetic pronunciation system provided in the book (along with the standard Spanish spelling) I have found it to be very helpful once I invested the time to learn it. I will say that this is the most realistic program I have encountered. The speech on the tape is full speed and is very realistic. It has helped my comprehension immensely. Each new concept, especially gramatical forms, are presented in a variety of audio exercises which require you to "think on the go." The exercises in which you have to substitute one word in a sentence for another (and therefore adjust for plurality, speaker, gender, etc.) are nothing short of brilliant. Each new gramatical form is presented in a variety of contexts and exercises which help develop skills. The exercises have helped me learn to speak for meaning, not simply repeat rote phrases. I especially appreciate the manner in which various social settings (visiting a hispanic home, lunch with a hispanic friend, a visit to an area attraction) are presented along with the vocabulary most likely to be needed for that setting. This series is for the serious student. If you're willing to put in the work this series requires, I don't think it can be beat. My only complaint is that the series is not available on CD at this time. The series is recorded using old technology; there is some tape hiss but it doesn't interfere with your ability to comprehend. The book is obviously somewhat dated, but the gramatical concepts remain the same.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Fluency but I wouldnt recommend for a beginner
Review: I bought the cassette version and found it to be the best investment in Spanish that I've made. As stated in some of the other reviews, there isn't a lot of English spoken (one of the features I was looking for). I've had 4 years of Spanish prior to this (but it's been about 7 years since my last class). I bought the tapes for a trip to Spain and found them to be incredibly helpful. If you do have a grasp of the spanish language, I would recommend about a year (just the fundimentals of verb tenses), I think that you'll find these tapes the best on the market (yes better than Pimsluer). If you don't have a grasp and are looking for a basic tourist phrases etc, I would recommend ultimate spanish basic intermediate or Pimsleur 1. Some other great additions to this set are 501 Spanish verbs.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for Fluency but I wouldnt recommend for a beginner
Review: I bought the cassette version and found it to be the best investment in Spanish that I've made. As stated in some of the other reviews, there isn't a lot of English spoken (one of the features I was looking for). I've had 4 years of Spanish prior to this (but it's been about 7 years since my last class). I bought the tapes for a trip to Spain and found them to be incredibly helpful. If you do have a grasp of the spanish language, I would recommend about a year (just the fundimentals of verb tenses), I think that you'll find these tapes the best on the market (yes better than Pimsluer). If you don't have a grasp and are looking for a basic tourist phrases etc, I would recommend ultimate spanish basic intermediate or Pimsleur 1. Some other great additions to this set are 501 Spanish verbs.
Rating:
Summary: Casi Cinco Estrellas Pero Necesita Mas Vocabulario
Review: I buy anything that says Foreign Service Institute Spanish. I have done the FSI series with Barrons, Platiquemos, and all of the FSI Spanish courses that are offered by Audio Forum.
The FSI learning Spanish method is very effective. I would be tempted to say it's as good as Pimsleurs Spanish. The downside of all of the FSI Spanish courses is that the vocabulary is outdated. FSI Spanish teaches you how to say phrases such as "war planes" (aviones de guerra) and "bomber squadron" (escuadrones de bombardeo). A couple of my college friends who are native speakers and that teach Spanish on the side have recommended LearningSpanishLikeCrazy.com for a course that teaches Spanish that you can actually use. I just started that course recently so it would be premature for me to attempt comparing it with FSI. But at least I can say that the Learning Spanish Like Crazy lesson plan has taught me more practical vocabulary so far. The course comes with a bonus lesson on non vulgar insults in Spanish that has already taught me how to say "shut up," "fatso," "she's stuck up," and "his breath stinks." I know you are probably thinking that you would never want to insult someone in Spanish. But I think there's a greater chance that I'll want to insult someone in Spanish than I will want to ask them "where does the bomber squadron land?"
I have also heard that the majority of the FSI course is available for free on the Net without violating any copyright laws because it is considered a U.S. Government public domain publication.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a learn on the go program
Review: I finished the Pimsileur Spanish II, and got this course for further study rather than Pimsileur Spanish III . I had hoped that this course would be like the Pimsileur course, namely that I could just listen to it in the car on the way to work. However, I found out that the tapes really need to be used with the book. Many of the recordings seem to be old, and sometimes are difficult to hear with the background noise in my car (Pimsileur was much easier). While the information was certainly complete, this course required much more effort to learn than the Pimsileur, and was not nearly so fun. I do think it helped me learn more Spanish, which was the ultimate goal.
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