I was just listening to one of the Rocket Spanish lessons, and I thought I’d better mention something that is different about it compared to, say, Pimsleur Spanish and a lot of other audio-based programs.
The Rocket Spanish lessons are chatty.
Here’s what I mean: Amy Waterman, the American who dialogues with Mauricio Evlampieff, the native Spanish-speaker, will explain various aspects of a lesson. For example, you might have listened to a dialogue between them, and then she would talk about variations on a phrase or explain the meaning of a particular word more.
I like how this is done, but it did surprise me a little when I first started listening to the Rocket Spanish lessons. I guess I was expecting something more cut and dried, more traditional.
But then that’s a big part of why I like both Rocket Spanish and the multimedia program Fluenz Spanish. As relatively new creations, they focus more on making the language lessons enjoyable.
I for one think that’s a good idea. It’s enough of a challenge to create the habit of working on your Spanish – fitting it into your life just about every day – and things that are enjoyable are way more likely to become habits than things that aren’t.
See my comparison chart for the 5 main Spanish language programs I review.
