If you are one of the many folks with a desire to learn to speak Spanish, Rosetta Stone is a software program that could help you out. If you need to learn for work-related reasons, like conversing with co-workers or customers, or because you are planning a vacation to a Spanish-speaking country, I think these lessons will provide you with the basics.

Rosetta Stone is available in a version for Latin American Spanish or for the type you would hear in Spain. You can purchase each of the three levels on their own, or in a combination of one or more levels as a ?Value Set.? The course is available as a download or a set of CD?s, but you must be at your computer to use it.   The Rosetta Stone course uses a method called Dynamic Immersion to teach the language. The idea is that you jump right in to learning like you would if you moved to a Spanish-speaking country. You use clues in the context of everyday events to help you guess what is going on, and as time goes by you learn more and more of the language. It is much like the way young children learn their first language. They listen, and watch, and determine meaning by what happens next in the situation.   So, when you begin the Rosetta Stone course, you are shown four pictures and hear a native-speaker say a word in Spanish while you see that word written on the screen. You make a guess as to which picture matches the word. If you are right, the computer gives you a positive sound, and a wrong answer is buzzed. You keep going, building on the words you are figuring out until you have reached the end of a lesson. Then you get to see your score out of 100 possible points. I think it is a motivating way to learn because you can try to increase your speed or improve your score, or both. The instant feedback you get from the computer makes you want to keep going and learn more.   The first two levels of Rosetta Stone contain more than 8000 images and phrases, that are split up among 210 lessons. The system also includes voice-recognition software so that you can repeat the words you are learning and the computer will match your pronunciation against the voices in the lesson. That way you can learn to say things correctly.   The method of instruction really is much like suddenly diving into a Spanish culture. But the good news is, the people you meet in Rosetta Stone are more patient than those you are likely to meet in a foreign country. They will keep repeating words and phrases endlessly and give you clues to the meaning until you understand what they are saying. The program is not based on the translation of words into English. You just study the context of the situation until you can comprehend.   Rosetta Stone also helps you learn to write Spanish. During writing lessons, you hear words spoken and then type them into the computer. It will correct your spelling and sentence structure so you see immediately what mistakes you have made. There is no formal grammar component to the course, you just learn by doing and fixing your errors. A useful feature is the Adaptive Recall function. It helps you to track your progress and identify strengths and weaknesses.   Here are just a few of the topics covered by Rosetta Stone: food and eating, shopping, family, shapes and colors, transportation and many others. It is especially good if you are a visual learner and would work well for children and teens that want to learn Spanish. One drawback is that it comes with a license that allows you to use it only on a single computer. That makes it hard to share it within a family. You do have the option of purchasing an unlimited three-month license when you download the product, but if you want to use it more than 90 days you have to renew your subscription.   Rosetta Stone offers a 6-month money-back guarantee so that you do not need to worry if the teaching method is not effective for you. Your purchase price will be fully refunded.   All in all, I think Rosetta Stone is a good basic language system, especially for people with a visual learning style. If you want a program that is more in depth and also works well for auditory learners, my top pick would be the Rocket Spanish course.

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