Fluenz Spanish (Latin America) 1+2+3 for Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad & Android Phones, Version 3

Received Spanish 1, 2, 3. However, while the CDs/DVDs are correctly labeled, the contents of my package is actually Spanish 2, 2, and 3. Premature to actually rate the product.

My name is Craig, I am 44 years old, and I work in law enforcement in Denver, Colo. Like many people I took Spanish in college, but I felt like that it never sunk in. I do not speak any other languages, but always wanted to learn Spanish. So now more than 20 years later, I decide I was going to find out a way to learn Spanish to help me to communicate with those people in our community that feel more comfortable speaking Spanish than English. I have always wanted to learn Spanish, but knew that a college classroom was not going to work with my schedule. So, I reviewed several computer based Spanish language learning programs that I wanted to use to supplement a conversational Spanish course (only 4 people in that class) I was going to take later in 2010.I personally checked out Rosetta Stone (both online and at a local shopping mall) Rocket Spanish Learning Program, and Fluenz Version F2. Not only was there a substantial price difference between Fluenz Version F2 and the other programs I checked out, but I found that working through the online Fluenz Demo, I began to learn and retain a little Spanish just in one session. So I purchased the Fluenz Version F2: Spanish 1+2+3 (Win/Mac) as a Christmas gift for myself and I am so glad I did!So far I have completed 4 Sessions and am amazed at the results. The most amazing part is that I have become confident in speaking to fluent Spanish speaker that I run into on a daily basis. I especially liked the realistic conversations you have with Fluenz and how you can compare your pronunciations of the words to an actual Spanish speaker's pronunciations. After several of these computer-based conversations, I found that I was more confident talking to real people in Spanish, because I had already done it previously while using Fluenz. Moreover, because of this newfound confidence, I find that I try to talk to anyone that I think speaks Spanish (at McDonalds, at work, at the bank, at my local Mexican restaurant, etc.) and ask them question on how to say new works or phrases to build my Spanish vocabulary. I have also down loaded and listened to the first three Pod Casts, which I found extremely helpful. Also, I have contacted the Fluenz online help and called customer support. The customer service was extremely polite, understanding, and helpful.The program makes you feel like Sonia Gill is tutoring you one-on-one. Not only does Sonia make the process of learning how to pronounce works very understandable she provides positive reinforcement that makes you feel like you can learn to speak Spanish. For the gentlemen looking to buy this product, I will also say Sonia Gill is very easy on the eyes. Sonia is you are ever in Denver look me up!Seriously, this product is amazing and I would personally encourage anyone really interested in learning to speak Spanish to purchase this product. If I can learn to have confidence to speak Spanish by using this product, anyone can! I will update you all as I work through Fluenz Version F2: Spanish 1+2+3 and let you know how this product does as a supplement to my conversational Spanish class in the future. All the best, Craig

Disclaimer: I purchased levels 1-3, but I am just now completing level 1.First, a bit about me. I was never motivated to learn a second language until I met a beautiful Latina, and after traveling to her home country I decided it was far far far past time for me to give it a try. I took three years of Spanish in high school, but the "memorize and regurgitate" method my teachers used resulted in almost ZERO retention.Fast forward to today, and though my external motivation is obvious, Fluenz really helps move things along. I love lists to make things simple, so here's my take on the program.Positives:-Software is VERY easy to setup, install and run.-Sonia is an excellent teacher.-Methodical movement from very beginning to more advanced lessons is incredible. You make progress with each lesson and a few weeks later you wake up and think "I actually know some Spanish!"-Audio CD is good, but I found the free podcasts to be even more helpful.-Situations used are very practical for travelers.-Easy to re-take lessons at your leisure.Negatives:-Same format every time. I would love some more variety. I also wonder if a program in the future will be able to intelligently sense where you are making mistakes, and then present those words/sentences more often in order to address that. As it stands now, the software is static so that when you do make a mistake it just won't accept your input. Of course you can always see the answer if you get stuck.-I'd like a "workout" area where I can just practice vocab and verb conjugation.-I hear Rosetta Stone has voice recognition technology - this is something Fluenz lacks.-You'll have to practice conversations outside the program. I'm not sure if this is an obstacle a software program can ever overcome. In a real conversation you'll have to think of words, conjugate verbs and order it all correctly on the fly! But maybe I'm too early in the program to complain.All in all a great program. If you're really serious about learning Spanish you'll probably want to purchase some books, hire a tutor, or even live in a Spanish speaking country. But Fluenz offers the most complete language software on the market.

I have been using the coarse for over a year now. I tried Rosetta Stone and I like this one more. They are very similar but there are some things I like more in Fluenz. Maybe Sonya the main instructor has something to do with it. The only thing I would like more would be an addition to the three audio CD's. I need CD's with just the vocabulary that you have learned to keep your memory refreshed. These are on line for vocabulary practice sessions but having them to play in your car would be great.

Got this for my husband for Christmas and he really likes it. He had been wanting the Rosetta Stone set so I decided to go with it as a gift (he is hard to buy for) . I spent an afternoon researching and reading reviews. The Fluenz won out. I was totally surprised at the amount of negative reviews for the Rosetta Stone version. Can't remember if this set cost a little more or not but extremely worth it. He was hesitant at first because he never heard of the Fluenz name. He is totally enjoying it and thanked me for it many times and said I made the right choice.