Compare Prices: Rocket Spanish and Similar Learning Programs Reviewed, Contrasted and Compared

What are the leading choices for a Spanish language-learning program, and how does Rocket Spanish stack up?

Learning programs, delivered in downloadable digital media format, are immensely popular for learning languages. This format is economical and very convenient.  For North Americans Spanish is one of the most frequently selected languages to learn. 

It seems that these days you need Spanish not only when you cross the southern border of the U.S. into Mexico, but also when you need to communicate with people who have already crossed that border, going North!

There are an estimated 41 million Hispanic people in the U.S., most of whom speak Spanish and many of whom speak Spanish almost exclusively in their homes.  There are 17 million of these who either don't speak English very well or who don't speak it at all.

So what choices are available for learning programs for Spanish? How do the prices compare? How are the quality and teaching methods different? 

The most popular alternatives are:

Pimsleur The Pimsleur approach offers three levels of Spanish. Each level consists of 30 audio lessons at 30 minutes each, a total of 15 hours of audio instruction. The materials are available on CD or cassette (your choice and are accompanied by a sight reading booklet and a study guide. 

Each level costs $169 for a total of $507. There is a comprehensive package with extras, priced at $572  Emphasis is on spoken Spanish which covers both formal Spanish (as spoken at Universities, high-level business and political settings) and street (or everyday spoken) Spanish.
 
Rosetta Stone Spanish software comes on CD's and their pricing is a bit more complicated. Spanish Level I by itself costs $195.00.  Spanish Level II by itself costs $225.00, but if you get Levels I and II together as a set, the price is $329 (you save $91).  Then Spanish Level III by itself costs $245. 

However, if you get all three levels together as a set, the price for all three together is $499.
      
Rocket Spanish uses many of the Pimsleur teaching methods and takes a conversational approach to learning. They work hard at making it fun and interesting.  Their emphasis is on communication using everyday street Spanish. 

They offer a comprehensive course, covering from beginners to advanced students, for an all-inclusive price of $300. This is for the hard-copy version, with books and CD's in physical form. There is a shipping charge of $50 to send the whole package to you.  There is, however, a completely digital, down-loadable version that costs $100.

Pimsleur is excellent at teaching you formal Spanish, the way educated Spanish speakers converse.  If you are traveling in Latin America and need to deal with everyday people you will find a lot of difference between what Pimsleur taught you and what is being commonly spoken. For everyday usage or traveler's Spanish, Rocket Spanish is better to know.

You may need both.  If you only know street Spanish, and then needed to interact with educated Latin Americans in formal situations, you will sound to them like an uneducated hick.

In reality, there is street Spanish and then there is formal Spanish.  You would need to know both in order to be able to switch back and forth.

This author has no personal experience with Rosetta Stone Spanish but it is reputed to teach the formal version of Spanish, along the same lines as Pimsleur.

All three are very good products and are highly recommended.  Depending on your reasons for wanting to learn Spanish, it might be better to start with the digital version of Rocket Spanish and expand to the others later, if you find you need to learn more about speaking formal Spanish.

by Jorge Chavez

Note:  The following comment was made on an earlier version of this article which had been submitted to ezinearticles.com:

The followning Comment on the article "Compare Prices - Rocket Spanish And Similar Learning Programs Reviewed" By Jorge Chavez, was made and posted on ezinearticles.com at: http://ezinearticles.com/comment.php?id=497858  "Tony writes: Subject: Rocket Spanish Review Yes..i totally agree. Rocket Spanish is one of the best affordable learn spanish language software available Comment provided May 12, 2007 at 12:04 am"