You didn't say why you need Spanish... is it because you go to Taco Bell a lot? That means "the kid is having an orgasm." You PERV. I've said it before: check out CDs from your local library that you can put into your CD player in your car and learn while driving... no cost... easy... almost LAZY
wow, i can actually provide information that is on point. I'm Vietnamese, and like you, my Vietnamese skills have been declining. I acquired some Rosetta Stone CDs for Vietnamese and they're decent. But trust me on this one - you probably are too far advanced for them. They're for people that need to start completely from scratch. You may think you don't know the language, but you know more than you think because you've been raised Vietnamese and have at least a rudimentary understanding. I suggest 1) asking your parents to teach you. I know that sounds lame because we're older now, but they'll enjoy it and it'll be decent bonding time. 2) you can take classes at either the VCSA center (www.vhkhvn.org , not regular, but they usually have a class over the summer) or the Vietnamese Culture center (www.vietnameseculture.org), or there's a cool HCC class taught by a white guy named Jeff Watkins that is pretty sweet. I actually know the instructors at all three places, and they're all pretty good. shoot me an email at huy@alum.mit.edu if you got any questions.
and if you're hardcore... i tried this for a few days... just get a vietnamese elementary book and translate it into english with a good dictionary in your spare time. it does wonders. you can also try listening to vietnamese radio. or, my favorite suggestion, go find some of those old vietnamese karate movies. haha. seriously, that helps.
Oh man brother, you just don't know. I have a vocabularly of a 3rd grader. But when it comes to ordering pho or rice plates, I'm a stud! Yeah I'll email you tonite to discuss. I'm still willing to try the CDs Mr.Brightside has as well. It's one of the commitments I'm trying to uphold from new years. I really need to get better at it because my parents aren't getting younger and my grandma certainly isn't as well. I need to have a few good conversations with her before well, the inevitable happens. Thanks again for your response. It's really helpful.
do they have one for hindi? not my native tongue i took a couple of classes in college, my prof taught use how to read and write before really teaching us and vocab or grammar structure. so like when i went to india later that year i was able to read things but not know what i was reading. i lost my touch with reading but i am sure i can pick it back up pretty quicky though if i tried again. i would be interested in japanese as well for the anime reason.
Rosetta stone works. I used the tagalog I cd a year ago and I still remember things. They have pictures of things and audibly tell you what it is in that language (for example "a little girl running"). It's so freakin repetitive so whenever I hear the word I can only think of the picture that goes along with it.
One word I can say that will help you, once you start with Rosetta Stone or any other program to learn the language, after you learn it: PRACTICE. If you know people who speak Spanish at work, practice it with them. If you make a mistake, have them point it out to you and why. If you do well, have them praise you. Point in case is the bilingual kids who have their parents speak their first language (Chinese, French, Indian, etc.) to them, then they learn the second language in school (English). OK, now, in this case... it means: "The man 'eats' ' "That's what SHE said."
heh, I try to learn to tagalog by watching the filipino channel and keep up with what theyre saying. By the time I get through a show, I realize I only knew half of what they said.
There's another language program I feel is superior to Rosetta Stone. It's called Fluenz. I purchased the Mandarin Chinese a few months ago but haven't utilized it as often as I would like due to a busy work schedule. Btw, it cost me $300 for the software, I'm not sure how much Rosetta Stone runs, but I'm assuming it's similarly priced. pss: The chick for Fluenz is HOT. http://www.fluenz.com/
