In enjoyed that. I have that impediment. I can't roll an R to save my ass. So, I just stretch it out to make it seem like I roll it. I don't fool anyone, but they get the idea.
Ant Ware, I'm working through Coffee Break Spanish now, and it's awesome! I was going to spread the word, but you beat me to it. I was originally looking to purchase the RosettaStone set, but I though I'd make sure I was motivated before plunking down 3 bills. If you have an iPod or iPhone (or iTunes), you can download the Coffee Break Spanish podcasts via iTunes. Makes it handy to have the lessons with you when you find a spare 15 minutes. Another cool tool is http://www.quizlet.com. If you join the group titled "Coffee Break Spanish Vocab" you'll find all of the terms discussed in each lesson, and it presents them to you in an electronic flashcard format. It tracks what you got wrong and keeps feeding those back to you. Very cool way to reinforce the lessons. Good luck! Ready2Rip
Hi Ant; I tried the link, but the accents were tough. I bought a set of 8 or 9 discs at Costco for about $20 and then ripped them to the iPod. I also made an MP3 disc for the car. Our library has a pretty big selection of lessons on CD, also. Spanish speaking girlfriends are the best, though.
I'm pulling the trigger on Rosetta Stone. Our lingual training dude says it rocks and I need to be able to communicate more better on proposals and invoicing for communications stuff from local telecommunications companies. I took three years of spanglish in high school, and it doesn't work and I have a mental block at conversational Spanish. We shall see. Maybe I could pay Leo, or lure him out here, get him drunk and keep him here until I get it right
The ONLY way to improve your conversational Spanish is to speak it! Find someone who speaks Spanish, and speak only Spanish to him. Do not be ashamed of errors; ask for help when you need it. Watching telenovelas really does help. When you are thinking, try thinking in Spanish. This is hard to do at first, but it is a great way to increase your fluency while driving, playing golf, riding a bike, whatever. No matter what . . . enjoy it. Spanish is a rich language that is surprisingly uncomplicated. Pronunciation and spelling are as easy as a language can get, and the list of irregular verbs is relatively small. Once you obtain a relative proficiency, you will have the keys to some of the most vibrant and exciting cultures in the world.
+1! Expensive, but one of the best learning systems available. Reportedly the only system used to train foreign diplomats, CIA, etc. I bought the Spanish lessons (1 through 100) on EBay and also picked up the Mandarin set. Never thought they could make learning Chinese language easy but man does it work great!
