Review of Spanish 24

Advantages:  Spanish 24 is a great value.  It covers Levels 1, 2, & 3 on 24 CDs.  These CDs contain vocabulary, grammar in conversations, and an immersion section that has you listening to 2 or 3 different native speakers.  This helps you have a feel for the real world in Spanish.  It is actually three products in one.  The 3 products included in the Spanish 24 course are:

Spanish Learn in Your Car.  Learn in your car is basically a complete language course.  It is well organized.  You go from the very basic to much more advanced Spanish.  There are booklets that go along with the CDs.  These booklets cover the dialog on the CDs and are very helpful.  For people who like learning by being able to see the full dialogue transcript, Spanish 24 is great.  Having the complete dialog transcript can help you to see what you are hearing and if you got it right.  The lessons are relatively short and can be used while driving, exercising, etc.  You obviously would not want to use the dialogue book while driving.

Spanish VocabuLearn.  Vocabulearn contains 7500 words and phrases.  This is very helpful in expanding your Spanish vocabulary.  It has carefully selected music in the background designed to help you with your retention.

Spanish Immersion Plus.  Immersion Plus will immerse you in the Spanish language.  It is something that you will learn after you have a basic knowledge of the Spanish language.  Spanish Immersion Plus uses 2-3 different speakers that are heard at both a normal and slow speaking pace.  This improves your comprehension and helps you to develop a language rhythm to speak fluently.  Many Spanish courses will teach you to speak new words and phrases but doesn’t give you much practice in listening comprehension.  Spanish Immersion Plus will be a great addition to the Spanish Vocabulearn and the Spanish Learn in Your Car.

Disadvantages:  Spanish 24 is a course that would best be used along with another Spanish course such as the Pimsleur Method Spanish.  Pimsleur Method Spanish seems to have a better introduction to speaking the language than Spanish 24.  The Spanish 24 CDs don’t always allow you enough time necessary to respond.  The course moves too quickly.  You are not given any direction on how best to use the course.  Do you start with VocabuLearn, Learn in Your Car or Immersion Plus?  Spanish 24 may best be used by someone who has intermediate or advanced Spanish knowledge.  If you have no foundation this may be a bit too fast paced in the beginning.

Comments:  Spanish 24 is a great deal for the money.  You get a lot of material and this course can be especially good in furthering your knowledge of the Spanish language.  If you can’t afford another course to go along with Spanish 24 you can make it work by reviewing the lessons over and over a few times.