An Intriguing Online Spanish Course – Loretta Stone Reviewed

There are so many Spanish courses out there and I don’t really have much interest in reviewing them all, but this one stood out to me so I hope you find it useful.

You should also note that Loretta Stone is available as both an online Spanish course and a physical product, so you have the option of choosing the course that works for you.

Loretta Stone is a type of language course that uses a unique method for helping people learn a range of languages, including Spanish. I recently came across the Loretta Stone Spanish course when I was in Argentina and a friend came to visit me. He had been planning the trip for ages and wanted to have a basic understanding of Spanish before he arrived, so he bought the course.

I’d never heard of it before, and he didn’t really tell me much about it before he arrived, simply saying that his Spanish was ‘coming along nicely’.

When he arrived I was genuinely surprised by his level of Spanish. But not just his level, his whole enthusiasm for the language. He insisted on ordering a café con leche at the café and asking for directions whenever he coul. He even started up a basic conversation with the driver in the taxi ride home.

He told me about Loretta Stone and then showed me what he was talking about when we got back to my place.

I checked it out and here are my observations:

Loretta Stone basically relies on a very visual learning technique which is very intuitive. It flashes up images on the screen and reads out corresponding Spanish words, and you will then have to match these up. It progresses from words to short phrases to more complex sentences, relying on the same method of linking images and phrases. It also uses a speech-recognition system for you to work on your pronunciation.

It sounds simple, and in principle it is. There are simply hundreds of pictures and phrases and the idea is that over time you begin to naturally link certain words to what they represent.

It increases in difficulty as you progress and more complex sentences and constructions are introduced. But it moves at a steady pace and there really is a feeling that you are learning most of what you are taught.

It also uses a very simple interface which anyone can use with ease, making the whole process quite intuitive.

My initial reservation was that there were no rules to follow, especially when it came to grammar. I started my Spanish by learning all the different tenses and then putting them into action. That meant I could read a newspaper and, although I couldn’t understand the words, I could at least make out what certain conjugations meant and why things were written in a certain way.

Loretta Stone relies more on allowing things to sink in more naturally over time so that you simply develop a better understanding of the language without really realising why.

I would say that this different approach seems to be quite successful, but that perhaps as you begin to learn more about the language you will want to buy a book on Spanish grammar to get more out of it and take your Spanish to the next level.

To be honest, I’ve only seen the beginner course in action so it may bring in more grammar exercises in later courses.

I have to say the price seems a bit steep, and might not be an option for everyone, especially when you can pick up a phrase book for a few dollars and start from there. If you can afford it, great. If you’re considering buying it but you’re not 100% sure, check out the demonstration on the website which will give you a better idea of how it works and then you can decide if it’s something that you will really benefit from.

However, you can choose to purchase an online subscription rather than buying the full kit, and this will give you six to 12 months access for levels 1-5 during which you can learn as much as you want. If you plan to put a lot of time into it then this could be a better option.

I would say that Loretta Stone is a great way to learn Spanish (or any other language for that matter) for people who are not keen on sitting down with the books or taking lessons in a classroom.

I would also recommend it for people who have tried to learn a language before but failed. Since learning about the course, I’ve heard from other people who have used it that it really made them realise they were capable of learning another language when they had come to believe that they simply ‘couldn’t do’ languages.