Rosetta Stone

My husband and I want to spend part of the year in Mexico when we retire, so he decided we needed to learn some Spanish.  I was very skeptical that at our ages we would be able to pick it up at all.  But undeterred he bought Rosetta Stone.  It is unbelievable.  After just a few lessons, we are speaking, reading and understanding some Spanish.  Very simple Spanish, but some Spanish nonetheless. The way Rosetta Stone works is you learn to speak a new language the way you learned to speak English.  By associating words with pictures, and then throwing in a new word that you figure out by the context of the pictures.  For example, a picture of a boy, (un nino), a picture of a ball (una pelota) then a picture of a boy laying down with a ball on him (una pelota encima de un nino). Of course all the lessons are not that simple, some of then are downright difficult, but it is the easiest way I have ever had a language class.  I work on it maybe 30 minutes a day, and try to work my way through a complete lesson every week. The program is interactive and very intuitive.  It even has sound recognition software, so you can practice speaking and compare what comes out of your mouth to a native speaker.  No lists of verbs to memorize, no drills, and best of all for me, it is private and on my time schedule.   The lessons build, and before you know it you are trying to translate the menu of your favorite Mexican restaurant.  We live in a culturally diverse college town, and my husband knew Rosetta Stone was working for him when he was at the local farmers market and a lady asked her small child if he wanted red or yellow apples--in Spanish, and my husband understood what she had said.  He didn't need to try to figure it out.  He said it was instant, just as if the lady had been speaking English.  He was so excited he couldn't wait to get home and tell me.  I have since found out that the military, NASA, and many multinational corporations use Rosetta Stone.  If you are not sure whether Rosetta Stone may be right for you, the webpage has demo lessons, and many public library have copies.  We will never be fluent in Spanish, but with the help of Rosetta Stone, I think we will be able to function.