For the student looking to learn Spanish, choosing the right program can be a daunting challenge. The reason for this lies in the fact that dozens of companies are currently producing learn Spanish programs. Everything from 30 minute single CDs to extremely sophisticated programs like Rosetta Stone.

One program that has become a favorite among many Spanish learners is the Pimsleur Spanish Comprehensive course. The reason for this lies not necessarily in the depth of the program but rather in the audio focused approach which gives most students the ability to listen while in the car. The booklet included with each Pimsleur comprehensive Spanish level provides basic site reading skills, but does not provide a transcript of the course. The goal instead is to provide the student with sufficient communication skills to serve as the “skeleton” of the Spanish language to which extra vocabulary can be added. For example, Pimsleur in teaching you how to order in a restaurant, provides 3 or 4 vocabulary words (i.e. coffee, tea, water, wine, etc.). The concern is the basic structure of the language.

In the case of Platiquemos, the course is a complete approach to learning Spanish, but consequently does require more time. The current Platiquemos Complete Spanish DVD packaging is an interesting combination of material since it includes much more than the Platiquemos course itself. The former is an 8 level course with text and audio. The DVD version includes these as PDFs and MP3. The 8 levels are easily equivalent two full college years of reading, writing, and of course conversation. The added courses included FAST Spanish, Cantemos, Riamos, the original Programmatic Spanish course.

The Platiquemos course though based on the original Foreign Service Institute Series, is completely redone with new formatting, extensive editing and updating, and 25 speakers on series. The FAST Spanish is also completely revised and recorded. The course provides extensive dialogs, though unlike Pimsleur has a more repetitive approach in certain areas. That’s not to say that Pimsleur does not include repetition, but rather includes its review process differently.

They are both excellent courses, though from a simple cost perspective, Platiquemos has much more material for a fraction of the cost. Of course, unused material is not beneficial if you don’t used it. If you need to learn Spanish, then check out both of these courses.

Be sure to check out Pimsleur Versus Platiquemos and also check out our post on Pimsleur Spanish Review: The Content of Pimsleur Spanish Level 1.

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