Hugo in 3 Months Spanish

I find this package to be an excellent learning tool. The book is a great primer. The only negative I have is that I find the correlation between the book and the CD's confusing. There does not seem to be a direct correlation chapter by chapter and page by page.

Bought this item mainly for the CD's...rec'd only a different version of the book with no CD's...contacted the seller who gave me the old "Oops...sorry" . I think that the old "bait and switch" should be non - existent in the age of computer inventory...seller should be more responsible...I don't want a refund...just want them to make good on the deal.

I find Hugo offerings to be excellent. This one is no exception. Be aware that the Hugo In Three Months series is geared toward a certain type of language learner (which unfortunately is largely ignored these days). If you need to be coddled, entertained and motivated with gimmicks, this is NOT the book for you (try nearly anything else now on the market). If you want to learn a couple of phrases to impress friends, this is NOT the book for you (buy a phrasebook). If you know how to study and need no handholding, this book IS for you. If you want to actually learn the language and understand the way it works, this book IS for you. Hugo's approach is about as `stripped down' as possible. Make no mistake: it's very intense. You are given clearly and concisely explained language structure, good examples, and non-watered down drills/exercises (although it could use more of these) to help you remember. There is no fluff. Hugo makes you think. A complaint I often read about Hugo is that the material comes too fast. How can that be when you are the one controlling how fast you go? Just slow down! The `Three Months' on the title deceptive. You will not finish in three months unless you are reviewing, already know some of the language, or you are some sort of linguistic prodigy. The basic strategy with the Hugo series is this: You learn the `skeleton' of the language (grammar and structure) right up front; it isn't presented in a vague, hopscotch fashion as is many of the `newer' methods. You are also given a functional vocabulary. You won't walk away with a huge base of words--just the essentials. What you will walk away with is an understanding of the structure of the language; and adding vocabulary is easy if you already know how everything works. Unfortunately, there are only a few companies that understand the benefits of this approach: Hugo, Living Language, Hippocrene Beginner's Series (the newer ones), and Assimil (although they approach it a bit differently). So, again, if you know how to study, you will really appreciate this book. You get all of the important basic structure, a good elementary vocabulary, and common pitfalls are addressed--all in thirteen relatively short chapters. No fluff, no gimmicks, no empty promises; just the facts, ma'am.

I am much pleased with this set. I have been studying it for a month now. The pronounciations are both spelled out in the book and pronounced clearly in the CDs. The grammar is very clear, and the conversation practice pieces are great fun because it is so easy to sound genuinely Spanish (as in from Spain.) I also have Learn in your Car Spanish, and that's good too, I prefer this one because there are genuine conversations one can imitate. Also, the Car Spanish gives little explanations on grammar. The author, being from Spain, emphasizes the pronounciation of "c" as "th", whereas the Car Spanish seems more Mexican, pronounces it like the "c" in English, that is, similar to "s." For example, "Ciudad" is pronounced "theodad" in this set but "siudad" in the Car Spanish. Other than that, the two tapes sound about the same. I am right now at the 3 weeks point, so I am behind schedule mostly because I skip days, but I'm not in a hurry. I should be done with this set in 6 months. I can certainly see somebody getting a firm grasp of the language by putting in an honest hour a day for 3 months, as the book promises. The author is a excellent instructor. Highly recommended.

This book is really great for those trying to re-learn spanish. It really moves too fast for a beginner. Therefore, for someone trying to learn spanish for the first time I would suggest reading 'Barron's Learning Spanish the Fast and Fun Way' before reading this book. This book covers a large amount of material in only 13 chapters. This is book is for serious self-study.