That's All She Wrote

Class 30 (the final class) has come and gone. I didn't know what to expect from the final review class, but it didn't disappoint. Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish was able to seamlessly touch on all of the highlights of the course from reflexive verbs, to food vocabulary, to slang. They even found time to introduce some new vocabulary about airports - all of this built upon the framework of David and Jimena's last conversation. Their carefree discussion quickly evolved into a bit of role-reversal with the newly-single Jimena doing everything in her passive power to woo David. It was a made-for-tv soap opera at its best, ending with a cliffhanger that attempts to give the listener another reason to buy the next level of Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish. After some less than stellar classes, the folks at Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish again did what they do best - providing a storyline that makes learning buckets of new vocabulary anything but monotonous.

Now that I have completed the full Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish course, I feel that I have quite a bit of perspective to compare it to Rosetta Stone. Overall, I think that, for the money, Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish is a better deal for those traveling to Argentina and/or for those looking to master the basics of conversational Spanish in a short time. The biggest advantage Rosetta Stone has over Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish is its interactive nature. A active learner may not be engaged enough in Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish to reap all of it's benefits, but this must be balanced with the mind-numbingly monotonous and seemingly infinite material of Rosetta Stone.

Throw out Rosetta Stone's voice recognition system - it's a waste of time and money. Remember though, that the lower price of Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish only gets you through the present tense, with a hint of the future tense, whereas the pricier Rosetta Stone includes it all.

The bottom line is that, with either program, the key is practice. You need to find a way of using your Spanish on a daily basis to reinforce what is taught in the classes - there aren't any programs out there besides private tutoring that provide this. Get out there, make mistakes, live outside of your comfort zone, and you will see your Spanish improve by leaps and bounds. Now if I could just practice what I preach...