"Review of FSI Programmatic Spanish, Level 1"

FSI Programmatic Spanish was developed by the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State. Do not confuse this course with Barron's' Mastering Spanish also sold here at Amazon. Both courses were developed by the Foreign Service Institute to teach U.S. government personnel how to speak Spanish.

In my opinion, the FSI method is one of the most effective ways to learn Spanish. But it certainly is not one of the most fun ways to learn Spanish. If you are looking for a solid approach to learning Spanish, I highly recommend this course. It will require you to read a textbook. So if reading a textbook while you are learning Spanish is something you don't have time for, then look elsewhere for a Spanish course.

I actually have an old cassette version of FSI Programmatic Spanish with antiquated sound quality. So when I saw this "remastered" CD version of FSI Programmatic Spanish that I had never previously heard of, I emailed the company (Learning Like Crazy which is the same company that publishes Learning Spanish Like Crazy) and asked some questions. The following is their email response.

To read this whole review of FSI Programmatic Spanish, Level 1 please visit Amazon.com

Or Click Here to go to the FsiProgrammaticSpanish.com

Learning Spanish Like Crazy is my number one pick. The course is audio-based. From listening to some of my students that I have recommended the course to, it seems that this course helps you develop a Latin American accent that is almost perfect. Although the teaching method is a lot like Pimsleur's teaching method, I found that the speakers in Pimsleur weren't lively enough and would eventually cause the student to grow bored which results in the student studying less. The speakers in Learning Spanish Like Crazy were more fun to listen to.

The vocabulary in Pimsleur was also limited and dated. Learning Spanish Like Crazy covered more vocabulary than Pimsleur and the vocabulary in Learning Spanish Like Crazy was also more like the everyday Spanish that Latin Americans speak.

The reason why I am not giving this course 4 1/2 or 5 stars is because at the present time, LSLC is only offering one level. When I contacted the company I was told that level 2 would be released in the Spring of 2006 and the company has plans of releasing a Level 3 and possibly a Level 4. You can order Learning Spanish Like crazy at their website LearningSpanishLikeCrazy.com. At their web site, they offer a $97 instant downloadable version and a Premium CD package with almost 50 CDs for $347.00. But the premium package only has about 15 CDs from Learning Spanish Like Crazy, and the remaining CDs are from FSI (Foreign Service Institute Spanish).

You can also buy the Learning Spanish Like Crazy CDs (without the FSI CDs) at Amazon.com for $217.00.

This course may be the most effective way to learn the subjunctive mood. LSLC Nivel Dos uses a fun and easy method to teach the subjunctive mood (unlike the effective, but tedious method used in FSI Programmatic Spanish Two to teach the subjunctive mood). Arguably, Learning Spanish Like Crazy Nivel Dos  is the best course available for learning the subjunctive mood.

I also found that Nivel Dos did the best job of any course that I have reviewed so far when it comes to teaching commands. Although there are a couple of excellent courses on the market that do a good job teaching verb conjugation, I found that Nivel Dos did the most complete job of teaching commands. And without mastering "commands," you can never truly be fluent in any language.

The bonus DVD was also excellent. The instructor on the bonus DVD has a unique teaching method that I found both fun and interactive.

Click here to go to the Learning Spanish Like Crazy Nivel Dos web site to purchase the downloadable version for $99. Or you can find the CD version at Amazon.com for $247.

Pimsleur Spanish I also gets 4 stars. The Pimsleur teaching method is one of the best teaching methods if not the very best. Pimsleur also gives the student several of levels of Spanish lessons for the student to improve his or her Spanish, including three comprehensive levels (15 hours each) and a plus level. With the Pimsleur method you will be able to recall almost everything that you learn. But I am not going to give Pimsleur 4 1/2 or 5 stars for couple of reasons. Unlike Learning Spanish Like Crazy, the vocabulary was dated and a little too formal. A great deal of the the vocabulary is not the vocabulary that Latin Americans use in everyday speech nowadays. It's certainly not the vocabulary that my college-educated friends and my non-college educated relatives use in our everyday conversations. But don't consider that a major drawback of Pimsleur Spanish. Latin Americans will still understand you with the Pimsleur Spanish vocabulary and will appreciate your effort to speak Spanish.

You can order Pimsleur Spanish I for $217.35 at Amazon.com

Rocket Spanish also received 4 stars. It is tied with Pimsleur Spanish for second place. The instructor on the recordings is Mauricio Evlampieff, a native of Chile. Mauricio uses a brilliant teaching method that makes the learning-Spanish experience most enjoyable. He incorporates flash card games and other methods to make the learning experience easy and fun.

If you are the type of person that loses interest easily when learning unless you are having fun, then I highly recommend Mauricio Evlampieff's Rocket Spanish because Rocket Spanish is lots of fun!

Rocket Spanish offers a 25 CD version of the course for $299.95 and a digital downloadable version for $99.95.