Take Off in Latin American Spanish

As a teacher, I have learned over the years that in order to cover a subject to reach the most people, you have to present the topic in various learning styles. Having a topic covered only in book or only orally when it comes to language is not going to reach all different types of learning styles. LATIN AMERICAN SPANISH in the OXFORD TAKE OFF IN series is an excellent program. There is a very well laid out presentation of the subject matter and many different learning styles can be reached with this series, although the visual is limited to words in the books only and not visuals as in DVDs. WHAT COMES IN THIS SET? This set comes with 4 lesson CDs which contain many lessons as well as review sessions. There is also a practice CD (total of 5 in the kit). There is a lesson book, and a travel dictionary and travel book. CD LESSONS The CD lessons are very well laid out. First the listener is taken through a narrative introduction of various terms and pronunciations of words and phrases featured in the chapter. Once the lesson is listened to several times, then the student progresses to written lessons which are in the lesson book. These lessons are broken into several sections. There are several activities which could be matching exercise using conversation featured in the chapter. There are vocabulary lists to go over written with the Spanish first and then the English translation. There are language building activities which feature special instructions for some things that are in the Spanish language which the student might not be aware of. Usually there are several language facts presented in each Lesson. Once the book activities are completed, the student is directed back to the CD to listen to the remaining activities for that lesson/chapter. TRAVEL BOOK The travel book is laid out extremely well. It is broken up into topics of relevance. For example, if you might be looking to discuss knitting with someone in Spanish, you can look under the leisure games & pastimes category and you will find the word for knitting. At the end of each category, there is a dialogue completely in Spanish which allows the reader to test their ability to comprehend what is being said and possibly use it in their interactions. MP3 I have not had the chance to download the MP3 files which are available to put on an MP3 player to take with you while on the move, but it is available. FINAL COMMENTS I am very impressed with this language course. I have had the opportunity to experience many different language courses over the years and I have to say that this course is laid out the nicest of any that I have seen so far. It is easy to use, interesting, and covers various aspects of language without getting boring. The books are black and white and well laid out, but there are no color photos or pictures in these books to distract from the language being learned. I also appreciate the compactness of the set- it is easy to take with you

I was a little worried when a very small box arrived on my door step holding my new instructional cds and book on Spanish. However, I find myself really impressed with the complete language-learning kit. The cds are constructed to fit perfectly with the book. Not only am I learning to speak in Spanish, I'm finding it very easy to learn to read Spanish, too. The best part of this program is the native speakers. You hear several different speakers repeating the words in a clear voice - both men and women. So as you listen and repeat as instructed, you find yourself getting better at the pronunciations of words and construction of phrases. It's easy to pause your lessons and come back to them. You can also download them to your Ipod and carry them along on walks, etc. You have a special code for the website that allows you to download the mp3s and also additional activities to make sure you are really getting a great learning experience. I absolutely love the travel dictionary and phrasebook. It allows me to have a "cheat sheet" when I'm practicing. With today's society leaning heavily towards bilinguals in just about every vocation, it's important to learn another language. However, not all of us have time to sit in a class and learn with a teacher. This is a perfect alternative - learn at your own pace, on your own schedule. If you don't completely understand the lesson the first time, simply rewind and listen to the instructions all over again. Perfect!

I was wondering what the difference was between "Latin American" and "Regular" Spanish - Apparently, there's hardly any difference at all. This particular package was made from a Mexican Spanish perspective - which is good enough for anywhere. Spanish is Spanish no matter where you are - it's no different than choosing between American or British English... it's still English. Any audio learning package these days simply has to come with MP3's for iPod or in car listening - and this package does - in the form of a special code (in the box) enabling you to download ALL the MP3's in two zip files from the publisher's (Oxford University) website. Inside the box you get 5 audio CD's and two books 248 pages and 160 pages. The smaller one is a dictionary and phrase book. The bigger one contains all the lessons. The CD audio production quality is excellent - so many other packages have poor audio - not this one. The CD's are designed to be listened to initially without reading the book. So you can pop on the iPod and jog or drink coffee while you learn. The lessons tell you exactly when and where to go into the book for the text. I enjoyed listening to the first few lessons and it was easily understood. With this product, I will learn Spanish in a few weeks quite easily. It's a complete "Language Learning Kit" and it's beautifully packaged too. It would make a delightful gift, especially for a female because of it's very pretty colors. You can't go wrong with this - a high quality package at a budget price... Go for it! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

I just couldn't stand it any longer. As Latino culture melds into the American mainstream, I felt that part of the American experience was passing me by. OK, once you have made the decision to learn Spanish, where do you begin? I didn't have time for evenings at a Community College. Rosa Martin's book was recommended to me. The lessons quickly focus on the practical (asking directions, going to stores, etc.). Confidence comes quickly with Martin's method. The dialogues are readily applicable to daily life. Importantly, this inspires the student to stay with the program, even when working alone. It's fun. There are no odd Castilian pronunciations or tedious verb-tense arcanery. It is just plain speech for the average Joe (Jose') and quickly assimilated. It reminds me of corporate or armed forces language schools. Martin's book is the best of it's type.

I started my study of the Spanish language when I was 14, but my teachers mainly focused on written Spanish. I needed something that would help me improve my listening comprehension and speaking ability. I saw this course and decided to try it. I left the book at home and took the first CD with me in the car. (I didn't want to look at the transcript.) I let the CD run its course and I was surprised at my listening comprehension! There were pronunciation drills, listening exercises, lively dialogues, and chapter summaries. I especially enjoyed the story included near the end of every chapter. It gave me an opportunity to listen to real Spanish and to have a little fun with it. The book contained grammar explanations and exercises, written exercises, tests, vocabulary lists, and transcripts of some of the dialogues on the CDs. This course would be a good investment for a beginner, or for anyone who wants a review of the Spanish language. The recordings on the CD are excellent and the exercises in the book are well-constructed. The course offers so much at a great price!