Rosetta Stone

I used it but one thing you need to know is that it's very time consuming. It doesn't teach you phrases but teaches you the language in their method of teaching. It does work but you need to finish the course. I didn't finish because it was pretty difficult.

I used it but one thing you need to know is that it's very time consuming. It doesn't teach you phrases but teaches you the language in their method of teaching. It does work but you need to finish the course. I didn't finish because it was pretty difficult.

Effective for what? Are you looking for a phrasebook kind of approach, mainly for use on a one-off trip? Or are you seeking fluency?

I believe that each person learns slightly differently. For me, the Pimsleur Method seems to be the most effective.

Jerry, I second the vote for the Pimsleur courses. While they won't produce fluency in the language, they do provide enough so that you'll be "comfortable" with many routine situations. The Rosetta Stone courses are primarily computer based, and are very expensive. I find the audio approach better as I can complete a lesson if I'm at the gym or whatever, without being "tied to" a computer. Cheers!

Hi Jerry, My wife has been using Rosetta Stone and I've been using Pimsleur audio to learn Italian. The Pimsleur progresses pretty fast, and gives you a good grasp on the language quickly, while the Rosetta Stone eases you into the language. However, I must say, that after completing Level 3 Italian on Rosetta Stone, my wife has a MUCH better comprehension of the language than I do[INVALID]especially when it comes to reading and writing.

To all that responded to my Rosetta stone inquiry, Thank you!

I'm using Rosetta Stone now and I love it. It is expensive though.

It is time-consuming and if your goal is just to effectively travel with a few useful phrases, it's probably overkill. But if you are really interested in learning the language, like I am, then i can't imagine a better program. Pimsleur is good and I used it before my last trip and it did help, but it's just not the same kind of thing. Even better than Pimsleur is another audio-only learning program from Michel Thomas. It's a 10 CD set that I got out of the library. It's a bit more in the immersion style like Rosetta stone, but not as intense.

I haven't used Rosetta so can't comment on it directly. However I have used the Pimsleur course and recommend it highly. It is expensive, but you can find deep discounts on the web or borrow it free from your library. What I like is that it is a nicely paced set of 30 minute audio lessons; I did a lesson a day. The instructions say to go thru each lesson once, but I found it better to do each one twice in the day; my commute is just over 30 minutes so I did it going to and returning from work. There are 90 lessons total; but unless you're really interested in Italian I wouldn't go past the 1st 60, and even the first 15-20 are enough to give you more of a start than most tourists have.

Pimsleur is the way to go if you're prepping for a trip. I don't consider myself an "audio learner", but Pimsleur works for me while communting to and from work.

I used Rosetta Stone for French and got half way through Italian before I gave up and went to italy. They changed the format. French IMHO had a better format, and allowed me to taylor it to what I needed better. (ie speaking and understanding vrs reading and writing) Emersion helps but sometimes a little english helps understand which word means what. I found both the french and italian programs squirrely on my computer. They would freeze up. Often. (The italian was worse. It'a part of the reason I quit a few weeks before we left.) It might have been my computer and my SO's. 2 computers here. We're going to Germany. My college German is very rusty and limited. I haven't coughed up 300+ for the German program.

For me Rosetta Stone's method is similar to the way a child begins to learn a language and not necessarily the best method for adults. I have used and been very happy with Pimsleur. They make the course easy and fun and put a lot of effort into learning the correct pronunciation. Recently I began using a course from Fluenz.com. What a magnificent program and at a much lower cost than Rosetta Stone. The course simultaneously teaches speaking as well as some basic reading and writing and leverages what you already know about the language you speak to learn another language. First rate program in my opinion.

I don't know Rosetta Stone but when I contacted my public library to ask about it and why it wasn't carried they pointed me to Mango, which at least my library, is free for its cardholders. For my library they have you doing it through a portal on the library's website. I've liked the little bit I've had a chance to do and really liked the price. The nice people at the library said the entire county got together to evaluate language learning programs and found this one to be the best. Maybe your library does the same?

I studied Italian pretty intensely for about 3 years. I studied with a tutor and I also used Berlitz and Rosetta Stone. I thought Rosetta Stone was great BUT everything was in Italian and since the structure of Italian differs from English without having a tutor to advise me, I would never totally understand what was going on. You are not going to lean Italian just from Rosetta Stone, but it is a good tool, although a expensive one.

Rosetta Stone is alot of fun. I enjoyed it. Pimsleur didn't work for me. The Italian language at first seems fairly easy to master. As there are thousands of words that resemble english words, and need no translation. Then you get into irregular verbs, and there are hundreds of them, and they need to be memorized. What's worked best for me has been memorizing words & phrases, then taking a conversational Italian class at the community college.

If you are going to spend the big bucks on a software package I woud recommend taking a look at Fluenz. I much prefer it to Rosetta Stone.

For a short trip I recommend a small book and CD called "Conversational Italian in 7 Days." Most of the vocabulary I needed for my three week trip was right inside those 7 short lessons. It costs less than $20.

Rosetta Stone is not difficult, it's just time consuming. You will learn the language. You just can't do it in a couple of weekends.

Another option is to check out your library systems web site and under data bases frequently foriegn language instruction is included. You might have to call library help line for specific name. I utilize King Cty library system in WA and Mango is the program they subscribe to. Regards Stephanie