The best paid/free software to learn French/Spanish?
August 6th, 2016
Pimsleur
Rosetta stone
Michel thomas
Talk now
Teach yourself
Ouino I know some pretty basic Spanish and French, but need to learn both conversational stuff and also grammar. I borrowed couple of books from the library but it’s brutal. I mean I can’t just read page after page of rules and new vocabulary, I have no motivation. I need a software that makes learning interesting and exciting and links things together or maybe create a story or something instead of me feeling like I’m learning a list of different things. I don’t want something totally dumbed down…so challenging but interesting.
Any help appreciated. p.s. also where to get the software you recommend.
I would say that Rosetta Stone would be the most popular…
http://www.google.com?t=12768781&highlight=
It really boils down to what you’re comfortable with.
Look here and go to the language section for some free courses.
http://www.google.com?t=19344840&highlight=
Pimsleur & Michel Thomas are actually audio courses and not software’s!
Michel Thomas courses are generally more comprehensive than Pimsleur (Which only teaches you vocabulary)
And Rosetta stone IMO is just a joke! Basically, It displays a set of images, And when you click em, It gives you the audio pronunciation of the word. Not a very practical way of learning a language if you ask me. As for what to start with, I’d recommend this:
http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/6029420/Paul_Noble_Complete_V1
I’ve found Alexa to be a great French teacher as well:
https://www.youtube.com/user/learnfrenchwithalexa
Also, Try not to eat more than you can chew! I mean, Learning two new languages at the same time can be challenging, So if you don’t feel up for it, Do it one after the other and not both simultaneously.
I mean I can't just read page after page of rules and new vocabulary, I have no motivation. I need a software that makes learning interesting and exciting and links things together or maybe create a story or something instead of me feeling like I'm learning a list of different things. I don't want something totally dumbed down...so challenging but interesting.
So you’re basically saying you have no real interest in learning said languages? Motivation is key in learning a new language, And if you don’t have it, You’re just wasting your time! You can’t force yourself learning something you don’t wanna learn. You gotta love the French/Spanish languages in order to study em. That love alone should give you all the interest and motivation you need! If you have no love for em, Well, Good luck!
Thanks for all the input. p.s. Roberto thanks for the details post and I in particular like Alexa. Just to be clear, I think I must have exaggerated, I do have some motivation but it’s quite difficult to learn a new language, and so what I was looking for was something to help me along the way and make things easier.
may I add, having taken a year of college Spanish (utterly pointless, except the credits) which is Castilian Spanish, which your average Spanish speaker isn’t gonna have a clue. the Mexicans can’t handle street spain/Spanish, or Cuban Spanish. I assume the various other configurations are true. I went to spain, ordered coffee to go: after years the best I came up with is caf� ir (infinitive to go) Castilian. The gas station/coffee guy looked at me like I ask him if he had a ticket to mars. Street Spanish: caf� plastico.
haha…
well that sucks
oh, I have more, which have a point:
while in Germany I was in Kaiserslautern, asked a passerby, vo ist Barbarossa schloss? they looked at us, then looked at each other, then looked at the sky….. not a clue. ok, leaning against an old brick wall, I pressed, finally the light buld: oh! Schloss Barbarossa! it was on the opposite side of the wall I was leaning against.
moral: because you learn, to some exteny, do not make the mistake of believing you’re gonna roll into a bar and start playing dominos with the locs. language is quite regional and specific for that region. plus there is a wide variant in an individuals ability to put 2 and 2 together to figure it out. pronounce zoo in English and do so in deutsche, 2 entirely different sounds. spelled the same but take my word, they will not put together a tourist looking for the stinking zoo (fyi it is zoo as in zoologist).
sorry, I do feel better though.
edit: don’t even try pigeon french in france. they speak only French, by their own words, are quite proud to tell you that, in French, leaving you strictly to your own devices.