Rosetta Stone

[MamaToBoys]

I have tried to learn Spanish on Rosetta Stone. For some reason it was really difficult for me.

This fall I am going to sit in on classes that my sons are taking. Then we can make it a family adventure!

Has Rosetta stone worked well for you?

[Shellyann36]

I was wondering about the Rosetta Stone route.  I have not tried it but would be willing to if it is cost effective and efficient.  What were your problems with it?  I took Spanish in high school and I have retained a few things but not very many. 

[btatro]

Following as I have yet to hear of someone who has found more benefit with Rosetta Stone vs other cheaper and even free products/ podcasts/ apps that are available. I would love to hear from someone who has experienced using both!

[MamaToBoys]

I think that it didn't work for me because I learn differently than they teach. I can't seem to picture how verb conjugations work. I need to picture the list of conjugations and understand rules.

With Rosetta Stone, you just start learning various phrases. They work on the conjugations, but without actually explaining the rules.

I like the way I learned German in high school 28 years ago, with a text book. Dry but what I seem to need.

Live Mocha is very similar to Rosetta Stone, and when I used it before, it was free.

[thekernel]

Rosetta Stone, if I recall correctly, has many different teaching variations if one isn't working very well. You might be better off with independent learning if their curriculum gives you troubles. There are metric tonnes of online resources that will help you (and your kids) learn any language.

[AdamDavis14]

I have just had a quick look and it seems quite expensive. I think I will stick with the free learning routes instead of the paid. I don't want to waste my money on something that might not be as effective for me. Also they charge you £240 upfront. Not worth the money to me.

[GearZ]

I too have been interested in this package, but the reviews I've read online have been truly all over the board;  ranging from its great to abysmal.  I think I will try to find other resources before taking the plunge, but its still an option.

[Hari Seldon]

I didn't have much luck with Rosetta Stone either, and I don't think it is a knock on the product. Rather, as mentioned above, I think it is just the way I learn.

I kept thinking Rosetta Stone would be ideal for children, or at least someone not as old as me. The way they re-enforce the vocab with pictures just reminds me of how kids learn.

I think of RS expanded on the social aspect of it, with live teachers etc, they might really be on to something.

[madlibber]

I was skeptical of Rosetta Stone and have never tried it. It also costs quite a bit more than I would want to spend. With the internet, there are so many free avenues available for learning a new language. Try to find something that fits your style better and maybe you'll have more luck with it.

[bonniea]

I have tried Rosetta Stone and was not very successful. I know it gets rave reviews but I am not sure by who. I am working on Livemocha right now and like it better. It is interactive so when you write responses you get others who will give you feedback. I really like that part.

[jodiann12]

I was wondering about the Rosetta Stone route.  I have not tried it but would be willing to if it is cost effective and efficient.  What were your problems with it?  I took Spanish in high school and I have retained a few things but not very many.

I was also wondering if I should use Rosetta Stone, too because based on my understanding Rosetta Stone teaches you how to think like the native speaker of the language which you're studying. It causes you to learn vocabulary and concepts using images. I found that very interesting, which was why I wanted to try it. I also did Spanish in high school and at college, and I can read and write in the language well, but I find difficulty speaking and listening to it. So, I wanted to brush up on that.

[rgaz83]

I've tried a demo/limited version of Rosetta Stone for a couple languages, back when they were still doing that (not sure they still do that at all). I wasn't really impressed. If it were less expensive, it would be a great resource in addition to other ways to learn a language. As-is, there are better methods, most of which are free.

Rosetta Stone has changed since then, but it's still essentially the same program. I find this to be a fairly accurate review, unlike the "reviews" that are trying to sell you the program: http://www.fluentin3months.com/rosetta-stone-review/

[polybus]

I tried Rosetta Stone several years ago. I thought it was kind of fun but it was very expensive and I didn't see how you could actually learn a language with their system. One of their commercials has a non-Asian woman speaking in Mandarin. I can understand and actually her Mandarin is quite good - hard to believe she learned that clicking on pictures of boys and girls on picnic tables.

I have heard that the new program is a lot better and does a better job teaching the language. It is too expensive for me to try though.

[Trellum]

I haven't tried Rosetta Stone courses, but I've heard they're incredibly expensive!  I have no trouble on my own, but I'd not risk it too much by buying a really expensive course I'm not even sure that could help me. 

Have you tried learning spanish  by just immersing yourself more in the language?  I know it might sound crazy, but I think you would you great if you tried the Pimsleur method, specially if you're looking for a course that allows you to start speaking spanish soon.  I love the Pimsleur method mostly because it doesn't bore you to death with a bunch of grammatical rules and exercises... you just get to hear and repeat words and phrases. 

This method isn't for everyone, but it has proved to be very helpful for me.  I'm the type of person who learns better by just listening and repeating and then applying what I've just learnt.  Try to make of this language learning adventure a game!

[rgaz83]

Have you tried learning spanish  by just immersing yourself more in the language?  I know it might sound crazy, but I think you would you great if you tried the Pimsleur method, specially if you're looking for a course that allows you to start speaking spanish soon.  I love the Pimsleur method mostly because it doesn't bore you to death with a bunch of grammatical rules and exercises... you just get to hear and repeat words and phrases. 

I have found Pimsleur to be not all that great. It's okay in addition to other things, but it's very poor on it's own; especially with the expensive price, though you can at least check out Pimsleur from your local library sometimes. It does, at least, have an advantage over just plain workbooks in that you're actually listening to the language and developing a more or less proper accent right from the start. A book can't really do that.

[asiong123]

I found Rosetta Stone to be an ineffective learning module, at least for me. Although I might not have used it properly, which would be obviously my fault. If used properly, it might be a very powerful tool to learn Spanish or any other language the software offers.

Good luck, and I hope you are able to make out the most of Rosetta.

[Hardison]

I have wondered about the effectiveness of Rosetta Stone. I worry about my pronunciation and I'm not sure how a software program can help with that.

I wish that there was a Spanish version of Sesame Street. There might be. I need to research that.

[rgaz83]

I have wondered about the effectiveness of Rosetta Stone. I worry about my pronunciation and I'm not sure how a software program can help with that.

I wish that there was a Spanish version of Sesame Street. There might be. I need to research that.

There are versions of Sesame Street in many languages. The Spanish one is "Plaza Sesamo".

You might also be interested in Destinos: http://learner.org/series/destinos/ It's actually kind of interesting.

Then there is Mi Vida Loca: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/mividaloca/ I haven't watched it but, since it's from the BBC, I'll assume it's for Spain Spanish.

[Trellum]

I have found Pimsleur to be not all that great. It's okay in addition to other things, but it's very poor on it's own; especially with the expensive price, though you can at least check out Pimsleur from your local library sometimes. It does, at least, have an advantage over just plain workbooks in that you're actually listening to the language and developing a more or less proper accent right from the start. A book can't really do that.

To be honest I don't think this kind of method work for everyone, it worked for me tho   But... if you come to think about it, I'm the kind of person who can't learn by studying a book full of grammar rules and repetitive exercises.  I learnt english on my own by just immersing myself and looking at the things the users in yahoo chat used to write, but I know not a lot people have learnt english this way. 

The OP must experiment until she finds something that really works for her.  For me it's the immersion method; no books, no grammar rules, no repetitive exercises; just listening and looking at examples.

[SayItAll]

I've considered trying Rosetta Stone, but I don't hear very good things about it. When I do see great reviews, it almost seems like it's something was placed there on purpose. I'm not sure about that though. I wonder if it works better if you've already studied it for a little while and are more familiar with it before you start. I just can't see you not knowing anything previously about Spanish and it helping you. 

[PSLoveCharli]

I have not tried Rosetta Stone, but wanted to ask, why was it so hard? I've heard more good reviews than bad --- maybe it isn't for everybody? Not sure if I should purchase or not.

[caspaaa22]

From what I've heard, Rosetta Stone is a great starting point, but otherwise that's about it.  As with all languages, you can only reach a certain level before it is necessary to actually live in a place where the language is the spoken tongue.  I took Spanish for 6 years and now I'm stuck at that point until I travel to Barcelona for a college semester abroad.  I cannot wait.

[LivetoErr]

Rosetta Stone is useless for the people, like me, who need to understand the why (or the rules) of things. It doesn't teach rules or give any explanation on why things are as they are. Look at a picture and click. 

I don't know, maybe I didn't get far enough into it to learn how to communicate with someone. However,  that's what I'm looking to learn: conversational Spanish. I got bored with Rosetta Stone too.

[mizore742]

I myself had never used it before but all of my friends say that it's totally worth it. They always talk about it in spanish class and they have really good grades too. I don't really need it because I'm half spanish but from time to time I noticed that my friends are getting better with pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.

[True2marie]

No, I have never tried Rosetta Stone. One of my friends did and she swore it helped her learn Spanish. So, I think it does work for some people.  Her Spanish was all right.