Hugo Language Course: Latin American Spanish In Three Months

Rating:
Summary: One of the best self-study language programs I've found
Review: Hugo's does what many other self-study language programs don't. It builds up your basics with simple nouns before moving on to basic sentences and verbs, then verb conjugation. Instead of memorizing phrases, you're given the bits of speech so you learn the actual rules of the language, rather than parrot back simple phrases. This helps you to actually communicate, and your command of the language improves quickly. The cassettes are helpful in that you actually hear pronunciation by native speakers, but they are by no means necessary. I rarely use them except when I hit a lesson I need more help on, and aural study does help in this way. In the back is a Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary (my beef with this was it doesn't contain nearly enough words other than ones commonly used in this course). Therefore, I recommend buying a nice thick Spanish/English dictionary in addition.

If you can't afford the time or money for a class, Hugo's is definitely one of the best alternatives I've found. In addition, however, I'd recommend "Cliffs QuickReview: Spanish 1". What bothered me about Hugo's is, while it does a great job of explaining the basics/intermediate things about Spanish, it glosses over little things that a newbie wouldn't understand (ex: "Why do I put an accent here but not here?"). Cliffs QuickReview is a great reference for every tiny bit that Hugo's sometimes forgets to mention (and all organized nicely for easy reference ... as Hugo's is organized in lesson plans, it's not easy to find that one thing you want to review i.e. irregular verbs or BOTH past tenses).

In conclusion, Hugo's is the best I've found so far, and in two months' time it's definitely increased my fluency (this from a non-Spanish-speaking native). Just get Cliffs QuickReview and a Spanish dictionary to supplement Hugo's and you're set.

Rating:
Summary: Great Start for Learning Spanish
Review: This is a good course - I'm definitely enjoying it - but I don't recommend you use it alone if you can afford any supplemental books. Almost all of the Hugo * In Three Months courses have a book and 4 accompanying cassettes - which this one does (a few like Hugo's Welsh in Three Months only have 2 cassettes).

The positive points about this set are the clear explanations of various points of grammar, numerous drills and the dialogues that end each chapter. There are vocabulary lists to learn immediately before each dialogue or drill and a mini Spanish-English dictionary at the back. There is also a key in the back to each exercise to check for accuracy. I also liked the approach taken with the drills. It is expected that you will work through them as both oral and written exercises. I liked that the author did not downplay reading or writing ability compared to speaking. The last chapter offers a section titled Reading Practice and offers excerpts from books and magazines by modern authors. Even at this late stage the author mentions to take note of new vocabulary words. By the time you've finished the book you should have a good working knowledge of Spanish and be able to be understood reasonably well in any Spanish speaking country. You won't be fluent since that takes years of practice but you will be able to be understood. Overall, I'm even more pleased with this Latin-American Spanish course than I am with their German set.

Even a course as good and thorough as this one can not cover everything a serious student will need to learn if he/she wants true proficiency. For one thing, even with all the oral exercises and dialogues on the tapes (and there are many) most people will need more repetition and practice than what it can provide. The simple fact that the book is only 255 pages also means the author must move rather quickly. Each page may have several new grammar points introduced and illustrated with only 1 to 3 sentences before moving on. These were just not enough examples for me to really feel like I was making all the progress I wanted. If you just want to get by while on vacation then this course will be more than enough. But if you're like me and wanting to learn for the joy of conversing intelligently in a foreign language you will need something more.

Fortunately there are 3 books which I believe are excellent complements to this course. The first is the Berlitz Self-Teacher:Spanish. The second is Margarita Madrigal's Magical Key to Spanish. The third, of course, is the all important Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary. Each reinforces your learning in different ways and your Spanish will be better than when using any one method alone. Use them together and amaze yourself and your friends with your newfound ability to speak Spanish.

Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This is a good course, but you should know that there is no English on the tapes. So you have to sit down in front of the tape deck with the book in hand. That is the down side for me. I was looking for a way to learn Spanish during my daily commute - check out Pimsleur Quick and Simple Spanish. That being said what I have come to recognize from simply listening and repeating the phrases and words is that it's also nice to be able to look at how the word is spelled. So I'm glad I have both.