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Bilingual America Spanish Power Tutoring? | ||
Tags: Spanish | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| rm Newbie United States Joined 7016 days ago 31 posts - 31 votes | Message 1 of 5 15 September 2005 at 2:20pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hi,
I have gone through the entire Bilingual America program and spoken directly to the Owner, Ricardo Gonzalez. He is an extremely business-oriented professional. I really enjoyed all four levels. Since he's originally from Puerto Rico, listening to his accent and the many expressions he uses is great. That seems to be the most difficult part for me - understanding native speakers. The vocabulary is broad, but the majority of it is business based. The only problem I have with it, is that all you hear is his voice. Particularly on the last two levels. On the first two, you also hear his wife's voice from Costa Rica. A different accent would have been nice. Getting to my question, has anyone ever used the tutoring program that goes along with the Bilingual America Spanish Power? Could you please elaborate on how helpful it was for you? Thanks. Edited by rm on 15 September 2005 at 2:20pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7211 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 2 of 5 15 September 2005 at 8:32pm | IP Logged | ||
Are you saying you completed all four levels of BA Spanish Power but didn't buy the tutoring? I noticed in another thread you're looking to buy FSI. Can you tell us more about what the course did for you and what you feel you're missing and after completing it? Edited by luke on 21 July 2006 at 8:35pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| rm Newbie United States Joined 7016 days ago 31 posts - 31 votes | Message 3 of 5 15 September 2005 at 9:25pm | IP Logged | ||
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Of course. Honestly, I feel the course is quite good. The major grammar topics are discussed, but not in great detail. Gonzalez seems to only provide an overview of grammar. The vocabulary is very random. However, the overall layout of the course is excellent. There's audio for pronunciation, a section for the grammar overview, and guided reading where he reads a story to you at a full rate of speed and then asks you to answer 5-questions to rate your level of understanding. Then, he reads the same story again and the student is supposed to read it with him at the same rate of speed as he reads. This is to improve the velocity in which you speak and subsequently can understand. There is also an excellent practice/written section that covers the grammar area. However, after taking his course, I still did not thoroughly grasp the imperfect/preterite. Michel Thomas Advanced Spanish, I thought so far, gave the most easy to understand explanation.
Truly, I believe that, with Spanish Power, the first three courses are very nice. These include Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. I think the last course, labeled Expert needs to be revised. The expert level is just a previous recording he made, and does not seem to sell anylonger, called Expresate. So, really all it is filled with is expressions, which is good to know. However, I also would have appreciated and benefited from a more detailed review of advanced grammar. Other than that, I think it is one of the better programs on the market. Since he is a native Puerto Rican, you get to here an accent that has been for me, one of the harder ones to understand. Equally so, he uses expressions that are not taught in other programs. I'm still debating as to whether to get the tutoring. I live in southern Florida, so I have ample time to practice my Spanish. I think the FSI courses are probably more thorough and detailed. The Spanish Power course probably would be even more rewarding if you get the tutoring. However, Gonzalez only tutors the wealthy/famous - as what he told me. So, I'm not sure if the tutors are as good as he is. He would, of course, make the best tutor. He was very easy to talk to and extremely friendly. I can honestly say that I've learned expressions that I never knew before that are more commonly used for everyday conversation. Edited by rm on 15 September 2005 at 9:28pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Chaiya1 Newbie United States Joined 6336 days ago 8 posts - 8 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 4 of 5 30 October 2008 at 12:14pm | IP Logged | ||
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Great information regarding the program. Once you completed all 4 levels of the program, what level was your Spanish at? Did you notice a remarkable improvement in your Spanish? I am interested in the program with tutoring options. I am at an Intermediate level right now, however, I still need to improve my conversation skills. Since the proggram is so expensive, I was thinking of purchasing the advanced level. I know the "rules" of Spanish I just need help refining them and practicing/improving them in the real world. What do you think?
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ExtraLean Triglot Senior Member France languagelearners.myf Joined 6000 days ago 897 posts - 880 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish Studies: German | Message 5 of 5 30 October 2008 at 12:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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Chaiya, the thread is over three years old...pay attention to the date stamp. Furthermore, 'rm' hasn't logged in since 2006 so I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't answer.
I don't know anything about the programme, but if you need to improve your conversation skills the best step forward is to converse, with native speakers. This shouldn't be a problem depending on which corner of the United States you live in. Personally, I don't think you should worry about paying for a programme. There is plenty of free stuff out there, especially for Spanish, and most of what you should pay for can be found for free if you know where to look. Thom. Edited by ExtraLean on 30 October 2008 at 12:53pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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