That's a really great quote! I recently spoke to my uncle after learning Portuguese, and he told me that after 20 years, he still can't think in Portuguese. He understands it completely and it's easier to read than his native language at times, etc, but it never became perfectly native to him. It's only for communication after all...
Very true. Someone who has English as a second language can still be understood even if their English is not great. Other languages, not so much. For example, Chinese. If you don't get Chinese exactly correct nobody has the slightest clue what you said.
Thank You!! Such a great review. Rosetta Stone does inflate expectations. Thank you for giving us the real deal so we can evaluate the value of the program.
Rosetta Stone is amazing for your first deep dive into a language. You learn to walk pretty nicely with it. When you finished it, you can usually understand already quite a bit and use the language. From there, just by using it, you will get the rest.
I'm gonna get Rosetta Stone and a treadmill for my new year's resolution. So I'll be trying to sell both of those things sometime around mid to late January if anyone is interested. Lol
Most people drop out of a lot of things, be it foreign language classes, knitting classes, martial arts classes, whatever. If you finish it, you can read books and watch movies in the language? That's pretty good motivation.
Matticus Barticus i didnt see the video but glad i saw this comment lol damn, so you really can reas books and see movies based of what you learn from their program?? lol well shit that all i need fuck yea thats good motivation lol
Thank you for your review of Rosetta Stone. I have always wondered about it. I did the three levels of the Pimsleur Hebrew; it took me two years to assimilate the language in the course. I was impressed with it. On one of my trips to Israel, I was in a taxi traveling from a resort to a train station to get to Tel Aviv. I was talking with the taxi driver in English because he was fluent. He was talking to his supervisor in Hebrew by speaker phone on his dash-mounted cell phone. They didn't know I knew some Hebrew. The taxi driver's supervisor was advising him to convince me to go the long distance to a train station in Tel Aviv instead of to the local train station in the north of Israel. He told the taxi driver to offer me the ride for an additional 100 Shekels. The train ride for me to Tel Aviv would be 26 Shekels. I politely declined his offer. I have no background in Hebrew. I can do basic conversational French. My wife says I can hold a conversation in Spanish. And Germans say I am fluent in German. I am in my 60's. It took a while to get there.
From what I've watched in this video, I think you expected Rosetta Stone to be a complete language learning classroom. I think Rosetta Stone is more of like a parent trying to teach her child to speak the language. The child is then expected learn all the details in school, which the parent is unable to state. Things like explaining spelling and why grammar is this way and not that way is something you learn in school. And I really think if you have an issue with not knowing something in Rosetta Stone, you can use the internet to learn. When I heard you were able to read books and understand movies, that REALLY got me going!!! I really want to understand the language more than speak because I don't live in a place where anyone speaks anything but English and a less spoken language. And of course when you understand, speaking is just one tiny step forward
I watched this after starting my Lesson 1 for Arabic on Rosetta Stone. Good review. I like the honesty about a lot of people not finishing. This lets me know that I need to be prepared for a long grind. Thanks!
This was awesome and really answered my questions, thank you! I loved the comparison to college. I’ll be purchasing the program and after completion I’ll take an in person course. Thanks again!
+Trey Tucker it definitely helps for sure. The dialects and accentuations is something we have to learn, plus how language is used in casual ways. Also, the speed at how people speak.
@@dinosore4782 Well yeah anyone can but immersion is the most effective way to learn. My friend used to know no Spanish and he began dating a Spanish girl and going to her house for dinner and at dinner they only spoke in Spanish after 2-3 nights he was becoming conversational and after a few weeks of this, he was starting to think certain thoughts in Spanish. Being thrown in is by far the most effective way but it's not practical for many people.
Thank you for taking the time to post this review! I'm learning Rosetta Stone French and liking it so far; I am about to finish Level 1 Unit 3. I know exactly what you are saying about the language development aspect of RS, and that for me is also frustrating. Part of me wants to practice verb conjugations and other French grammar, but I guess I can always find supplemental materials to do that and use them with RS as well.
Rosetta Stone comes with a Barron's French grammar book for begginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Rosetta Stone also comes with the barons French at a glance book which gives you information on how to communicate with people and how to get around in a town. The French book is basically two books in one, phrasebook and a dictionary for travelers, it has 1000 useful phrases, hear phrases in French, hear pronunciation of hundreds of french verbs, and it's for Apple and android mobile devices and that's just the app that comes with the book and you can download it on an android device or apple so was that a stone has come along way . Using the French Rosetta Stone, I have learned how to speak some French and in order to get some of the creativity out of the language you need to repeat whatever they're telling you whenever they're telling you. Respect as they are saying it even if you're not supposed to repeat it, even if you're supposed to click on the picture just repeat it and it helps you in more ways than one helps you in communication and with other things also .
Thank you for the first unbiased review I have yet to see regarding Rosetta. I am currently taking the French course, and I after quite a few months I am nearly half-way through. I felt that I have been struggling forming conversation on my own, but like you said, my understanding and reading of the language has improved greatly. Your review made me feel a lot better that my problem with language development lies more with the software than with myself. That being said, I love Rosetta for the use that it is providing, and once I finish this, I think I will use Pimsleur or another similar program to learn how to formulate conversation better. At least with Rosetta I am gaining confidence with vocabulary, listening, and grammar. Thank you for the first great review I have yet to see on Roseeta.
I just completed all the units in the Rosetta Stone program. I am very self-motivated, which kept me going, but it took me 2 years to finish. Things I liked about it: It's like a game and there's satisfaction in getting things right; you get a score after each lesson and can repeat it if you need to; and I especially liked the pronunciation practice. I learned a lot of vocabulary, but unlike you, I didn't learn enough to watch videos or read Harry Potter in Spanish. My pronunciation is pretty good, but that's only a strong point if I can come up with the sentences I want to say. And, as you say, Rosetta Stone isn't strong on teaching its students to generate content. That's why I'm here at your lessons, where I am able to take my Rosetta Stone knowledge and apply it to actual speaking.
Thank you for the review. Straight up and very clear expectations for learning a new language. That aligns expectations with actual results. When I know what I should expect, I won't grow frustrated for not getting the results advertised by the manufacturer. Thank you for not sugar-coating the process of learning a foreign language.
Thank you for the honest review. I've only just begun my Rosetta Stone today, but I'd say don't do it for a language that doesn't use the same alphabet/script. I'm a native English speaker, and I have the Japanese course. It is *super* difficult and I'm only on the first lesson. I have some background (thank god) in the script because of Duolingo, but I've already gotten so confused and quit the lesson twice.
Excellent review. I am completing Spanish this month. It takes about 1.5 month per level if you have the time to do it. The strength of the Rosetta Stone is pronunciation. I turned it to the highest level to force myself to pronounce clearly. I did the same with French and it was tough at the beginning. The great part about having the speaking level at the highest, your improved strength spills over into helping you write better, then read better, then understand the grammar better. Also, I made sure that I got 100% correct, repeating each lesson, identifying and correcting my mistakes, before moving on. I did have a separate text for teaching grammar, titled: Advanced Spanish Grammar by Marcial Prado. It is written in Spanish, but you quickly pickup the meanings and exercises. Likewise I did the same with French by buying two grammar levels both written in French. But after all is said and done, the most helpful thing is talking with native speakers after you finish the course. How? It is super easy to find reasonable tutors on the Internet. They make money in their spare time, and you get their critical attention. Many are teachers in their day-jobs so being in USA you get them after they are done with work. Your tutor will pull you up 1 level. Be persistent and determined. You will get there. PS. When doing Duolingo, I found it too easy to progress without being proficient. When I suggested that they provide a difficulty scale that the user can choose his level, I was quickly shouted down by the mob. Andy, after 5 levels of French, do you pronounce "le" as lay instead of luh? It seems your recent Spanish lessons has affected your French. Just saying, after completing these courses you have to keep refreshing yourself. Duolingo is ok for this purpose.
I will agree with the lack of motivation being a huge problem in any self study software. A lot of learning phone apps are really making strides in that, but Rosetta Stone you just have to buckle down and set a schedule.
I just started Latin America Spanish today on Rosetta Stone because I plan on going to Ecuador in a couple of years. I plan on completing it but, I am retired so I have a gratuitous amount of time on my hands. Thanks for the honest review.
I have been doing the online Swedish version and I agree with your overall assessment. I find it much cheaper than a college course and I moved much faster than if I was taking a class 1-2x a week. The main purpose is to improve your listening and vocabulary, somewhat your reading/pronunciation. For me it has been fun and I do it everyday for about 1hr sometimes more if I am enjoying it. Where do I find the time? Instead of reading a book or watching TV in the evening, I do the course. I have the online version where I can chat or speak with other students and native speakers, play games, read etc. I think the plain box version must be boring. I think no language course will make you completely fluent, that takes other types of teaching and actual contact. I speak 3 languages fluently, Swedish will be my 4th and I think I learned the most when I was at that country or around native speakers. It takes being more immersed with all your senses. But I agree with you, Rosetta Stone does help you move you along to an intermediate level. Thanks for the video. Je te dis merde!
Thanks for your candid review. I only speak English but would like to learn French as I love the country and will be spending a lot of time thereafter I retire. I recently saw an ad about the Rosetta Stone lifetime 24 languages for $199. and your review helped me make a better-informed decision. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on their program.
I think people don't expect to need to put work into language. Even with the most fun program ever, or class, the person isn't going to continue doing it if they think its not going to take work. Not only in the program but the language isnt going to do anything if its not used outside of it. I learned Swedish that way, and was able to get really good at around middle of Level 2. Though, it is such a close language to English. But it was still inportant for me to use it outside the program, from watching youtube or reading. I can read Harry Potter in Swedish already. It's laborious, but I can understand it. I think that selling language learning like a game is a bad idea, because, ultimately, it requires work. No matter what you do, its not going to fall in your lap.
How is it work to just click pictures and repeat without knowing what it says? Sorry but i think most people need an explenation at some point. For beginners like myself that start at zero you just get random words to guess. I dont need the phrases "she drinks, he is running" in every day life.
I have been thinking very heavily upon purchasing Rosetta Stone, this was the exact type of review I was hoping to find. I am still deliberating on what I am going to do, but now I have some useful information on the matter, thanks a ton and I look forward to checking out your Spanish lesson.
Thank you for this review. I’m not extremely motivated. I also struggle at times to take in new information. It’s why I wanted to try Rosetta Stone over classroom instruction.
I only have negative memories of Rosetta Stone. When I was eight years old, I got interested in learning Korean. There happened to be a Saturday Korean language class not far from where we lived, and I attended it for three years. My parents got me the Rosetta Stone Level 1 to supplement. It was absolutely the most frustrating thing I've ever experienced, and there was a huge disconnect between my classes and my computer learning. In the classes, I pretty quickly and effortlessly learned how to read Korean, as well as speak it to some extent. My comprehension of what I was saying and reading was pretty low, however. The classes were designed for kids whose parents spoke Korean around them throughout the week, and I was the only non-Korean child in the whole place. With the Rosetta Stone, I literally could not get past the part where they start throwing more complex sentences at you. They show you a picture ... but it's a static image. You don't know what it means, it coukd mean any number of things. You recognize a word here and there, like girl or boy, but mostly it's gibberish. I was frustrated to tears more than once. And by the way, Rosetta Stone does not teach you the way you learn a first language. A child learns by context, actions, facial expressions, and tone of voice, none of which is present in Rosetta Stone. When I say I learned nothing from the program, I mean it. Not a thing. I can still remember part of a song I learned in the Korean class (almost twenty years later), but I don't remember one thing from Rosetta Stone except that it was sheer torture.
I can easily imagine your frustration. I was subjected to an I.Q. Test in first grade that was all drawings and then subjected to another in sixth grade that was completely verbal (not aural). I scored thirty points higher on the sixth grade test.
Hi Laura, so well said. I had the exact same experience, with Mandarin. It would show a picture, with, exactly as you say, no context. A person could imagine a thousand things to say about that picture. They had no answer either, meaning they didn’t have the answer for me to refer to. The online lesson that I did get was with a visibly annoyed and tired mandarin speaker, again with no answers in my language. I’d definitely try a different program.
I had a similar experience with Rosetta Stone German, except I remember one collection of phrases that haunts me to this day: Ich habe rote Blumen. Sie hat rote Blumen. Sie haben rote Blumen. Er hat rote Blumen. xD Rosetta Stone has all the right intentions of teaching a language with the “mother-tongue” approach, but is extremely limited simply due to the nature of the program. It seems like Virtual Reality language apps like Immerse have everything Rosetta Stone tries to have. VR allows language instructors to actually develop their classes based on environments outside of a classroom. You actually get to learn a language in context, similar to how it would be if you moved to another country specifically to learn the language. VR settings become educational spaces, where language-learning can emerge naturally and uniquely for each individual. This is what Rosetta Stone tries to accomplish, but seeing the same two pictures of a tree over and over in order to learn that it’s “der Baum” in German isn’t going to be as effective as taking a nature walk with other people also learning German! Check out www.immerse.online/, it looks so cool!
Thank you for taking the time to give a full review. I've been wanting to try out the program for a while now and this video definitely helped with that decision
I'm so happy and grateful for this review. As a potential customer I wanted a realistic overview of Rosetta's program. It's wonderful to have the opinion from someone who completed the course. I am considering learning Vietnamese and wanted to understand their program better. I place great value on such a great review. Thank you for posting this! You're awesome.
Super late reply but how did that go for you? Did you use the program? Did you feel confident enough to speak Vietnamese to other people? I want to learn Vietnamese so I can talk to my wife's family when I visit.
Thank you so much for this review! My family members are French and I've always wanted to become fluent so I was considering using Rosetta Stone before I started collage. It was very truthful, well explained, really helpful :)
I 100% agree with you. I am also an English speaker but I am quite proficient in Russian. Just out of curiosity, I took the Russian Rosetta Stone course. Russian grammar is so complex that any attempt to teach by immersion is destined to frustrate the student. A little bit of traditional grammar training would go a long way. It would give some context to why the nouns and adjectives keep changing. From the student's perspective, it must seem very arbitrary. Russians change the nouns, depending on the role it plays in the sentence. That is never explained to the student. They are expected to figure it by repetition. Learning in that manner is a tremendous waste of time.
I'm a native English speaker using Memrise to learn Russian, but I really need the traditional grammar training you mentioned. Since Rosetta Stone is clearly lacking this as well, do you have any advice on finding a program or something to supplement my current lessons?
Kristin Brown I think the best way to get the most out of these courses, like Rosetta Stone, is to supplement it by doing some outside grammar training - maybe with just a basic grammar book. At least you'll understand *why* the nouns and adjectives keep changing. English speakers have no idea what the Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Instrumental, Dative and Locative (or Prepositional) cases are. About the only thing close to it in English is the difference between "I" & "me", "he" & "him", "they" & "them" and "who" & "whom". But imagine a simple word like "book" changing!
Here is my perspective as a native French teacher: as you said, the fact that they don't explain anything in English is a major flaw to me. It's just more convenient and profitable for them to create... They don't teach the difference between the way you read a sentence and the way native speakers blend words together creating new sounds (Je suis is pronounced "Ch'ui" by native speakers), or how some syllables or words are entirely skipped ("ne" in the negative form "ne + verb+ pas). Native speakers also skip the "il" in "il y a"... Students will be under the impression that the pronoun "we" is "nous" while "nous" is a very formal pronoun used in writing (less than 1% of the time in spoken French). The French really use the pronoun "on" 99% of the time for "we". The French also use plenty of colloquial & slang words & expressions that no one ever teaches, things you will hear in French conversations, movies or talk shows. There are also about half a million (standard) idiomatic expressions we use everyday that you won't find in Rosetta Stone. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea :)
What's the best way to learn a language if you're an adult that no longer has access to class? Are there private classes or something along those lines?
Most beginner programs aren't going to teach slang and colloquialisms. Publishing houses usually don't put out much beyond the beginning stage because there's not much of a market for it, especially when so few people get past the beginning stage. Plus, there are books which teach slang and other things beyond the beginning stage.
To be fair, every language uses a lot of colloquialism, slang and expressions that won't be taught to beginners. I do agree that Rosetta Stone is much too formal. Too much focus on vous and nous...and overpriced for what it is. I think the "spoken French is oh so tough" thing is pretty overblown though. I tried the sample of the French Today audiobook. She kept going on and on how it's so tough to understand and how you need to be "taught" to understand it. I understood it without any effort. I understand French TV too. I have trouble with thick accents, but that's to be expected when you're a learner.
Thank you very much for your feedbacks on the training course, you expressed your ideas in a very wise and concrete way ; one of the most convincing and complete reviews I'v heard about it
I haven't tried Rosetta Stone but I learned Spanish through Duolingo, although I wouldn't say I speak spanish perfectly I speak it extremely well and I am fluent.
I really appreciate this review. I actually do better with self study than a school program so I hope to get back to you with more on the results in the future.
Great job with the review. Very professional and thorough. I can attest first hand what your saying since I'm also taking the Rosetta Stone course in French. French is my 4th language, 3rd Romance language and despite having all this knowledge with Romance languages I find myself in disbelief trying to understand the grammar and just cannot figure it out on my own sometimes. And about it being boring you're absolutely right there's no motivation at all what so ever to finish the course it's just plain information presented on your screen and boy there's a lot of it to go through. Again great job and I hope I'll do like you and finish it [probably won't happen]
I know this is old, but I gotta say, I am on lesson 1 still of japanese, but have already completed probably about 1/3rd of the japanese duolingo course. The rosetta stone is nice so far because it is, so far, mostly kind of drilling the vocab that i've already learned back into my head and it seems to be improving my pronounciation (duolingo japanese does not offer any part where you can get your pronunciation tested), but if I didn't already know some of the grammar from duolingo I would be COMPLETELY lost already and I know it. I think I'm going to try to keep up both because it seems like, together, it may be great!
This is probably the most accurate review of this program. I personally never went through the whole program. However, some 15 years ago, I bought a program called "Tell me more" from Auralog to learn Spanish… Rosetta Stone now owns them and this is the base of their program. I started it and dropped it off at level 3 (4 months into it) because I upgraded my computer and Auralog was no longer compatible. The reason why I liked the program was for the pronunciation and understanding of the language. I was never expecting this program alone to get me from ZERO to FLUENT! I currently speak 3 languages fluently: French (I'm a native), English (lived & work in Calgary, Canada for 15 years) and Spanish (been living in Spain since 1999). English was my 1st second language, and when I started, the only knowledge I had was 5 years of mandatory english in secondary school. So, how did I make it? 1st 6 months in Calgary it was basically 12 hours of TV a day, no french book, no french news paper, no french news, no french friends… After 6 months, time to shop for a job! Naturally, when it came time to learn Spanish, I figured the same "forced" immersion would do the trick, and it did! The reason why I'm looking into Rosetta Stone is because my neighbour (Spanish) asked me to help her learn English and she does have a good base of "subconscious" vocabulary & grammar but her pronunciation is so bad that even if she could manage to form a half decent sentence nobody would understand what she is actually trying to say.
Honestly if i didn't take french in school it would be quite hard to figure out on my own the grammar. I went thorough the program thinking man if i didn't know this, for example changing the end of a verb to fit the subject, I'd be all confused until i'd look it up. A program that cost this much shouldn't be lacking in something so basic yet so important for said language
I really enjoyed your video and your review WAS VERY HELPFUL. I have been thinking about getting rosetta stone for some time yet thanks to you I won,t be getting rosetta stone. I am currently enrolling for spanish classes and deaf studies. Thank you for your review. Merry Chirstmas and happy year.
I had formal Spanish training in 50 yrs ago. I learned well. Now I want to learn Italian with the same structured formal grammar. For me, your comments were beneficial about language production. Ty
I am on the last unit of level 5 Spanish, and I'm still a long way from speaking it fluently. I can read it better than anything. You really need someone who speaks the language to practice with on a regular basis.
Question. When you used Rosetta Stone, did you utilize all of the resources they offer? Because I am learning Japanese and am involved in groups where you can socialize with native speakers of the language you are learning. I believe that you had much more success in school because you actually had conversations as it was a social setting. Great review overall. You were spot on with the whole motivation thing and people not finishing it. It goes much faster when you immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. Most people don't finish it because they don't have the time or motivation to do that. I think those people would struggle learning a new language with any program other than actual school. I still think Rosetta Stone is the best DIY program as long as you use their resources and have the drive. Although I do believe school or another social setting will always be the best choice to learn a new language.
+handicapitation okay so i plan on getting japanese 1 next month. so i just got out of high school last year, i took japanese all four years plus A.P., i did fairly well, but my skills have slipped and i really wanna get better and know more, if i truly dive and immerse myself into the resources and so on, and take like a hr and half a day to work wiht rs, do you think i will skyrocket my nihongo?
I am just beginning the Russian program. They now have an online subscription that is a bit more reasonable in price, and if you quit you aren't out so much. I have only completed the 1st of 20 units, but I have to say your review seems spot on. Really good information. Thanks.
You learn grammar the same way you did with your first language. You know the grammar correctly through use as you learned your first language, even if you couldn't DEFINE or explain the grammar, you spoke correctly. You learned by doing what was grammatically correct. I still cannot properly diagram a sentence or pick out and name it's component parts (nor do I care to) but I am very often complemented on my speech. And just like your first language you learn from more than one source, regardless of how good your one source is. As you go through the program you will, through trial and error, learn how to modify your tenses, what is feminine or masculine and everything else to use the language. Ask yourself, no, ask your circle of friends to explain their spoken grammar and see if they can do it in the manner you expect RS to teach. You may be surprised. They know how to DO it through long practice (everyday life), but most won't be able to explain it in the manner you desire. Use youtube, movies, songs, talk to your pets, correspond with someone ine your target language, and join a club. Use it as you learn it.
Your advice about Rosetta Stone was extremely helpful. Thank you for taking the time to make this review. The language that I'm interested in learning is Portuguese. But I now must question if it's worth the investment in time, or would that time be better spent learning something else.
Robert Caldwell i used duolingo with 2 other random apps, it taught me a lot, and after a month i was able to small talk, about 6 months i could keep a conversation going, and by 1 1/2 year i can speak almost fluent. i taught myself using all free apps, but duolingo was the one that made the most impact.
I'm on level 3 of Rosetta Stone Spanish and I totally agree. There is little motivation to finish and my speaking is still mas o menos, but my comprehension has improved A TON. Super helpful review.
It would have been nice if you spoke in French for about 5 minutes afterwards to show your level. It makes no sense to give a positive review and never have to show the ability.
FrenchCrazy It would be difficult how much can be attributed to RS, since it has been a while. This is why I personally want to see the reviewer(s) demonstrate the knowledge gained from the product they give a positive review about initially. I have met students in their 4th year in Spanish and rave about their classes, but asked to converse, they still are not able to do it, even though they state to be at an advanced level.
But it wasn’t a positive review? He said “for the vast majority of people I would not recommend Rosetta Stone.” And he straight up said his speech skills were bad. He said all he can do is watch movies at low intermediate level.
you just saved me $ 274.00 I took French several semesters in college and was pretty good at it but since I don't have where to practice it,, I thought about RS as refresh tool. Since I already know the grammar structure and I'm bilingual in Spanish and English, I think I'll just save the money and turn to the Internet for more amusing and practical applications of French. Thanks a lot! Very helpful!
Oh dear, lord, no. I completed 4 years of Spanish in high school and 6 Spanish classes at NIU where two classes were taught in Spanish. 15 years ago. I used to consider myself mostly fluent. Now, I have forgotten a lot ESPECIALLY when producing language. I can still read pretty well and interpret somewhat decently. After changing majors, I was now, 15 years later, considering Rosetta Stone to get back to where I used to be. Especially with producing language. I already have pretty good word and phrase recall when listening. Thank you SO MUCH. It does not sound like the program for me.
There are a few factors in studying German . One plan I found that successfully combines these is the Landra Language Tactic (check it out on google) definately the best remedy i've found. Check out the amazing information .
That’s so true about needing an alternative source for grammar,, it was trying me crazy right from the beginning, when to use el, la, las, los etc. After my own research I realized they are feminine and masculine words as well as singular and plural, it makes a big difference in understanding.
This was a really candid assessment. I enjoyed the video. Thanks. I am still going to purchase and now I know how to approach the program for maximum benefit.
Hello Andy, thank you very much for your review! I think it was really assertive and clear, it certainly will help me to get to a good decision about using Rosetta Stone ir not. Thank you very much!
Is there a program you recommend that helps focus on producing your language?? Like that boosts your writing/speaking? That's what I really want to improve on
+Zachary Orellana Honestly, not that I know of. The best thing would be to take a class. Community colleges usually offer not for credit classes really cheap, like $50 a semester. Also, you can check out italki.com for online tutors.
Thanks for this review! I bought the monthly subscription plan I think and haven't used it much for trying to learn Korean and was curious why it was so un-intuitive in the teaching. If I hadn't already spent a bunch of time trying to learn Russian to speak it with my friend there's definitely some things I would have never caught on to. The "Talk To Me in Korean" podcast had been a great supplement. So for anyone else trying to use Rosetta stone, I suggest finding other supplemental teaching sources, especially if it's languages with difficult alphabets. There's tons of stuff on youtube and other sites that help. Even mobile apps than are simply focused on just teaching the alphabet.
Would You Please Continue Your Spanish Lessons They Are Very Good Compared To All Others. I Know It Is Hard Work, But It Greatly Help Others Be Greatly Appreciated Thanks And God Bless
I did about 9 units of the Rosetta Stone but prior to this program, I did 2/3rds of the FSI Mastering Spanish and Spanish Headstart for Spain through the military about 20+ years ago. The Rosetta stone came easy and I got bored really quickly. I am now getting back into it and want to revisit the old programs. It'll be a refresher for me, but it's a hard program, like boot camp for Spanish, you have to be really dedicated. I skeptical about buying this program because it's so expensive. The Army offered the Rosetta Stone for free and that's why I did it. This is a great video btw1
I have this for Japanese, and I got the feeling going through it like it would be fine for music/anime/manga/J-dramas but not so much for communicating. (I'm not quite 3/4 of the way through level 1/3).
I know a person who tried Rosetta Stone Japanese version, has a ton of mistakes. There are only a few right ones, but it's just a waste of money especially for the retarded price. Just hack it like everyone does if you want to see.
I'm trying to learn french using Rossita stone and honestly .. I don't how french people can speak their language ... I'm arabic & turkish speaker I will try to finish the french program and see if I can get at least the basics of the language
Great review~! Thanks a lot Andy...best insight, breakdown and explanation of the program vs other methods on the entire internet. You are a good educator!
Thank you so much for this honest video! I have been using Duolingo and my biggest issue has been the lack of instruction with grammar. It's unfortunate that Rosetta Stone has the same issue, but you just saved me a lot of wasted time and money. Thank you! I think an actual, hands-on language class is what a need rather than a self-paced, automated one.
Macario Moreno I would assume it’s good but Sadly I don’t have a system yet that can run it. We bought it because it was on sale but Rosetta Stone as far as I know is a very good language learning program.
Thank you for this review man. I am wanting to visit Japan in a few years so I was wanting to get this program to learn a little of the language. I may reconsider it now and look at other options, especially since Japanese is not a Latin based language so the grammar would be incredibly different than what I know and I would certainly struggle to understand it without instruction. Thanks!
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My teacher always says "learning a new language is not for perfection but for communication"
That's a really great quote! I recently spoke to my uncle after learning Portuguese, and he told me that after 20 years, he still can't think in Portuguese. He understands it completely and it's easier to read than his native language at times, etc, but it never became perfectly native to him. It's only for communication after all...
Very true. Someone who has English as a second language can still be understood even if their English is not great. Other languages, not so much. For example, Chinese. If you don't get Chinese exactly correct nobody has the slightest clue what you said.
Facts
Wise man
You are lucky to have had such a wise teacher !
Hi, I'm from brazil and I'm learning English with rosetta stone, I didn't know anything and now I can understand what you say.
Are you joking by saying what you talk or was that a mistake.
EagleJrod shut the fuck up. English is not their first language
Say**
good for you!!!
Not bad but, it's say my dude.
My old roomate learned English just watching Hanna Montana lol she’s fluent now
Andy Carr did she have any lessons, anyone teaching her or helping her along the way? Did she go online and get assistance?
Andy Carr 😂 that’s so cute
@@lebebeve4881 She probably just watched cartoon young, where im from lots of us learn english just by watching tv, no lessons
reminds me of BTS' RM that became fluent in English just from watching Friends lmao
Mario Lemieux learned English by watching soap operas.
Thank You!! Such a great review. Rosetta Stone does inflate expectations. Thank you for giving us the real deal so we can evaluate the value of the program.
Rosetta Stone is amazing for your first deep dive into a language. You learn to walk pretty nicely with it. When you finished it, you can usually understand already quite a bit and use the language. From there, just by using it, you will get the rest.
Thank you for this.
I'm gonna get Rosetta Stone and a treadmill for my new year's resolution. So I'll be trying to sell both of those things sometime around mid to late January if anyone is interested. Lol
Omg I'm crying laughing
Most people drop out of a lot of things, be it foreign language classes, knitting classes, martial arts classes, whatever.
If you finish it, you can read books and watch movies in the language? That's pretty good motivation.
+Matticus Barticus with great power comes great manga
Matticus Barticus i didnt see the video but glad i saw this comment lol damn, so you really can reas books and see movies based of what you learn from their program?? lol well shit that all i need fuck yea thats good motivation lol
But he spent 2 years on it...
all movies have subtitles anyway, and every book worth reading is translated
Festive_ by any chance was your teacher Mr Pippin
Thank you for your review of Rosetta Stone. I have always wondered about it. I did the three levels of the Pimsleur Hebrew; it took me two years to assimilate the language in the course. I was impressed with it. On one of my trips to Israel, I was in a taxi traveling from a resort to a train station to get to Tel Aviv. I was talking with the taxi driver in English because he was fluent. He was talking to his supervisor in Hebrew by speaker phone on his dash-mounted cell phone. They didn't know I knew some Hebrew. The taxi driver's supervisor was advising him to convince me to go the long distance to a train station in Tel Aviv instead of to the local train station in the north of Israel. He told the taxi driver to offer me the ride for an additional 100 Shekels. The train ride for me to Tel Aviv would be 26 Shekels. I politely declined his offer. I have no background in Hebrew. I can do basic conversational French. My wife says I can hold a conversation in Spanish. And Germans say I am fluent in German. I am in my 60's. It took a while to get there.
cap
I love how humble you are in your explanation of your education in Spanish.
Excellent review. Very informative for a guy whose debating on trying it.
+Alex Warren Thanks. I WAS debating on trying it. I actually finished the entire 5 levels of the program before doing the review.
+Ruslan Ruskan he said in the beginning that's not what this review was going to be about.
Alex Warren I misread gay* and trans in your comment for some reason
@@senorheyspanish What about just combining Rosetta Stone with either Preply or italki? There's the speaking part!
Due to the coronavirus Rosetta Stone is giving away 3 months free for students!! I'm currently learning French.
From what I've watched in this video, I think you expected Rosetta Stone to be a complete language learning classroom. I think Rosetta Stone is more of like a parent trying to teach her child to speak the language. The child is then expected learn all the details in school, which the parent is unable to state. Things like explaining spelling and why grammar is this way and not that way is something you learn in school. And I really think if you have an issue with not knowing something in Rosetta Stone, you can use the internet to learn. When I heard you were able to read books and understand movies, that REALLY got me going!!! I really want to understand the language more than speak because I don't live in a place where anyone speaks anything but English and a less spoken language. And of course when you understand, speaking is just one tiny step forward
I learned English from watching "Sanford and Son" and now I own a junkyard in America.
🤣🤣🤣
It's not a junk yard, it's an empire. You great big dummy!
💀
The old 70s sitcom as a second language program?
Brilliant!!🦾💪🏽🧠
Finally an honest review on youtube. Rare, very rare.
I watched this after starting my Lesson 1 for Arabic on Rosetta Stone. Good review. I like the honesty about a lot of people not finishing. This lets me know that I need to be prepared for a long grind. Thanks!
5 years later, how did you get on?
Thanks for the review, I agree with you on lots of points.
So what you're saying is Rosetta stone is like going to the gym 😂
LaFart Ball 😂😂😂😂😂 Ctfu damn ill go once and never again
@@ladydede88 hahaha
This was awesome and really answered my questions, thank you! I loved the comparison to college. I’ll be purchasing the program and after completion I’ll take an in person course. Thanks again!
Thanks for taking the time to give a real an honest opinion. I found this very helpful
the only way to master a language is to use it in real life everyday in my opinion
+Trey Tucker it definitely helps for sure. The dialects and accentuations is something we have to learn, plus how language is used in casual ways. Also, the speed at how people speak.
Full immersion
Alan Angels naw , there’s plenty of people who learn languages without talking to anyone .
@@dinosore4782 Well yeah anyone can but immersion is the most effective way to learn. My friend used to know no Spanish and he began dating a Spanish girl and going to her house for dinner and at dinner they only spoke in Spanish after 2-3 nights he was becoming conversational and after a few weeks of this, he was starting to think certain thoughts in Spanish. Being thrown in is by far the most effective way but it's not practical for many people.
Zachary Martin no he didn’t . Lol . That’s the most ridiculously fake story I’ve ever heard in my life .
starts at 2:38
Thanks lol
lmao
hahahahahhahaha
Thanks :-)
haha thanks
Thank you for your time and patience and sharing with all of us I appreciate you!
Rosetta Stone will make you hate that *DOOT, doot* sound with a burning passion.
Thanks, man. Awesome review. Very honest. I bought all three levels of Japanese, and I agree with you completely.
Thank you for taking the time to post this review! I'm learning Rosetta Stone French and liking it so far; I am about to finish Level 1 Unit 3. I know exactly what you are saying about the language development aspect of RS, and that for me is also frustrating. Part of me wants to practice verb conjugations and other French grammar, but I guess I can always find supplemental materials to do that and use them with RS as well.
skip to 4:10 if you want an answer to the video.... if you want to call it that
Daniel Hurt
Why do people blabber and not focus on the title
I mean 4 minutes of nonsense
haha thanks Daniel Hurt that was helpful
Thank you!
Dear lawd just get to the point.
It's important to know his English and Spanish background because that's a big factor in his ability to learn any french at all
I couldn't finish this video... I wasn't engaged and motivated enough.
LMAO
Lmmfao
Lmfaoooooooooooooooooooo 😂😂😂😂
I'm guessing this is your excuse, as to why you can't get it up either.
Yeah me too
Seven years later, and still informative! Thank you
Rosetta Stone comes with a Barron's French grammar book for begginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Rosetta Stone also comes with the barons French at a glance book which gives you information on how to communicate with people and how to get around in a town. The French book is basically two books in one, phrasebook and a dictionary for travelers, it has 1000 useful phrases, hear phrases in French, hear pronunciation of hundreds of french verbs, and it's for Apple and android mobile devices and that's just the app that comes with the book and you can download it on an android device or apple so was that a stone has come along way . Using the French Rosetta Stone, I have learned how to speak some French and in order to get some of the creativity out of the language you need to repeat whatever they're telling you whenever they're telling you. Respect as they are saying it even if you're not supposed to repeat it, even if you're supposed to click on the picture just repeat it and it helps you in more ways than one helps you in communication and with other things also .
Thank you for the first unbiased review I have yet to see regarding Rosetta. I am currently taking the French course, and I after quite a few months I am nearly half-way through. I felt that I have been struggling forming conversation on my own, but like you said, my understanding and reading of the language has improved greatly. Your review made me feel a lot better that my problem with language development lies more with the software than with myself. That being said, I love Rosetta for the use that it is providing, and once I finish this, I think I will use Pimsleur or another similar program to learn how to formulate conversation better. At least with Rosetta I am gaining confidence with vocabulary, listening, and grammar. Thank you for the first great review I have yet to see on Roseeta.
I just completed all the units in the Rosetta Stone program. I am very self-motivated, which kept me going, but it took me 2 years to finish. Things I liked about it: It's like a game and there's satisfaction in getting things right; you get a score after each lesson and can repeat it if you need to; and I especially liked the pronunciation practice. I learned a lot of vocabulary, but unlike you, I didn't learn enough to watch videos or read Harry Potter in Spanish. My pronunciation is pretty good, but that's only a strong point if I can come up with the sentences I want to say. And, as you say, Rosetta Stone isn't strong on teaching its students to generate content. That's why I'm here at your lessons, where I am able to take my Rosetta Stone knowledge and apply it to actual speaking.
Thank you for the review. Straight up and very clear expectations for learning a new language. That aligns expectations with actual results. When I know what I should expect, I won't grow frustrated for not getting the results advertised by the manufacturer. Thank you for not sugar-coating the process of learning a foreign language.
Thank you for the honest review.
I've only just begun my Rosetta Stone today, but I'd say don't do it for a language that doesn't use the same alphabet/script. I'm a native English speaker, and I have the Japanese course. It is *super* difficult and I'm only on the first lesson. I have some background (thank god) in the script because of Duolingo, but I've already gotten so confused and quit the lesson twice.
Excellent review. I am completing Spanish this month. It takes about 1.5 month per level if you have the time to do it. The strength of the Rosetta Stone is pronunciation. I turned it to the highest level to force myself to pronounce clearly. I did the same with French and it was tough at the beginning. The great part about having the speaking level at the highest, your improved strength spills over into helping you write better, then read better, then understand the grammar better. Also, I made sure that I got 100% correct, repeating each lesson, identifying and correcting my mistakes, before moving on.
I did have a separate text for teaching grammar, titled: Advanced Spanish Grammar by Marcial Prado. It is written in Spanish, but you quickly pickup the meanings and exercises. Likewise I did the same with French by buying two grammar levels both written in French.
But after all is said and done, the most helpful thing is talking with native speakers after you finish the course. How? It is super easy to find reasonable tutors on the Internet. They make money in their spare time, and you get their critical attention. Many are teachers in their day-jobs so being in USA you get them after they are done with work. Your tutor will pull you up 1 level.
Be persistent and determined. You will get there.
PS. When doing Duolingo, I found it too easy to progress without being proficient. When I suggested that they provide a difficulty scale that the user can choose his level, I was quickly shouted down by the mob.
Andy, after 5 levels of French, do you pronounce "le" as lay instead of luh? It seems your recent Spanish lessons has affected your French. Just saying, after completing these courses you have to keep refreshing yourself. Duolingo is ok for this purpose.
I will agree with the lack of motivation being a huge problem in any self study software. A lot of learning phone apps are really making strides in that, but Rosetta Stone you just have to buckle down and set a schedule.
I just started Latin America Spanish today on Rosetta Stone because I plan on going to Ecuador in a couple of years. I plan on completing it but, I am retired so I have a gratuitous amount of time on my hands. Thanks for the honest review.
I have been doing the online Swedish version and I agree with your overall assessment. I find it much cheaper than a college course and I moved much faster than if I was taking a class 1-2x a week. The main purpose is to improve your listening and vocabulary, somewhat your reading/pronunciation. For me it has been fun and I do it everyday for about 1hr sometimes more if I am enjoying it. Where do I find the time? Instead of reading a book or watching TV in the evening, I do the course. I have the online version where I can chat or speak with other students and native speakers, play games, read etc. I think the plain box version must be boring. I think no language course will make you completely fluent, that takes other types of teaching and actual contact. I speak 3 languages fluently, Swedish will be my 4th and I think I learned the most when I was at that country or around native speakers. It takes being more immersed with all your senses. But I agree with you, Rosetta Stone does help you move you along to an intermediate level. Thanks for the video. Je te dis merde!
Thanks for your candid review. I only speak English but would like to learn French as I love the country and will be spending a lot of time thereafter I retire. I recently saw an ad about the Rosetta Stone lifetime 24 languages for $199. and your review helped me make a better-informed decision. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on their program.
I think people don't expect to need to put work into language. Even with the most fun program ever, or class, the person isn't going to continue doing it if they think its not going to take work. Not only in the program but the language isnt going to do anything if its not used outside of it. I learned Swedish that way, and was able to get really good at around middle of Level 2. Though, it is such a close language to English. But it was still inportant for me to use it outside the program, from watching youtube or reading. I can read Harry Potter in Swedish already. It's laborious, but I can understand it. I think that selling language learning like a game is a bad idea, because, ultimately, it requires work. No matter what you do, its not going to fall in your lap.
How is it work to just click pictures and repeat without knowing what it says? Sorry but i think most people need an explenation at some point. For beginners like myself that start at zero you just get random words to guess. I dont need the phrases "she drinks, he is running" in every day life.
I have been thinking very heavily upon purchasing Rosetta Stone, this was the exact type of review I was hoping to find. I am still deliberating on what I am going to do, but now I have some useful information on the matter, thanks a ton and I look forward to checking out your Spanish lesson.
This was a very useful review. Thanks for taking the time.
Thank you for this review. I’m not extremely motivated. I also struggle at times to take in new information. It’s why I wanted to try Rosetta Stone over classroom instruction.
I only have negative memories of Rosetta Stone. When I was eight years old, I got interested in learning Korean. There happened to be a Saturday Korean language class not far from where we lived, and I attended it for three years. My parents got me the Rosetta Stone Level 1 to supplement. It was absolutely the most frustrating thing I've ever experienced, and there was a huge disconnect between my classes and my computer learning. In the classes, I pretty quickly and effortlessly learned how to read Korean, as well as speak it to some extent. My comprehension of what I was saying and reading was pretty low, however. The classes were designed for kids whose parents spoke Korean around them throughout the week, and I was the only non-Korean child in the whole place.
With the Rosetta Stone, I literally could not get past the part where they start throwing more complex sentences at you. They show you a picture ... but it's a static image. You don't know what it means, it coukd mean any number of things. You recognize a word here and there, like girl or boy, but mostly it's gibberish.
I was frustrated to tears more than once.
And by the way, Rosetta Stone does not teach you the way you learn a first language. A child learns by context, actions, facial expressions, and tone of voice, none of which is present in Rosetta Stone.
When I say I learned nothing from the program, I mean it. Not a thing.
I can still remember part of a song I learned in the Korean class (almost twenty years later), but I don't remember one thing from Rosetta Stone except that it was sheer torture.
I can easily imagine your frustration. I was subjected to an I.Q. Test in first grade that was all drawings and then subjected to another in sixth grade that was completely verbal (not aural). I scored thirty points higher on the sixth grade test.
Bulgogi is life
Hi Laura, so well said. I had the exact same experience, with Mandarin. It would show a picture, with, exactly as you say, no context. A person could imagine a thousand things to say about that picture. They had no answer either, meaning they didn’t have the answer for me to refer to. The online lesson that I did get was with a visibly annoyed and tired mandarin speaker, again with no answers in my language. I’d definitely try a different program.
I had a similar experience with Rosetta Stone German, except I remember one collection of phrases that haunts me to this day: Ich habe rote Blumen. Sie hat rote Blumen. Sie haben rote Blumen. Er hat rote Blumen. xD Rosetta Stone has all the right intentions of teaching a language with the “mother-tongue” approach, but is extremely limited simply due to the nature of the program. It seems like Virtual Reality language apps like Immerse have everything Rosetta Stone tries to have. VR allows language instructors to actually develop their classes based on environments outside of a classroom. You actually get to learn a language in context, similar to how it would be if you moved to another country specifically to learn the language. VR settings become educational spaces, where language-learning can emerge naturally and uniquely for each individual. This is what Rosetta Stone tries to accomplish, but seeing the same two pictures of a tree over and over in order to learn that it’s “der Baum” in German isn’t going to be as effective as taking a nature walk with other people also learning German! Check out www.immerse.online/, it looks so cool!
Thank you for taking the time to give a full review. I've been wanting to try out the program for a while now and this video definitely helped with that decision
This is an extremely helpful review. Thank you!
I'm so happy and grateful for this review. As a potential customer I wanted a realistic overview of Rosetta's program. It's wonderful to have the opinion from someone who completed the course. I am considering learning Vietnamese and wanted to understand their program better. I place great value on such a great review. Thank you for posting this! You're awesome.
Super late reply but how did that go for you? Did you use the program? Did you feel confident enough to speak Vietnamese to other people? I want to learn Vietnamese so I can talk to my wife's family when I visit.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this review on Rosetta Stone for French. It was really helpful.
Really good breakdown on the pros and cons of Rosetta Stone, really appreciate the thoroughness!
Im looking to improve my Mandarin and found your insight on the foundation of the rosetta stone program very helpful. Thanks for the good review =)
Thank you so much for this review! My family members are French and I've always wanted to become fluent so I was considering using Rosetta Stone before I started collage. It was very truthful, well explained, really helpful :)
I 100% agree with you. I am also an English speaker but I am quite proficient in Russian. Just out of curiosity, I took the Russian Rosetta Stone course. Russian grammar is so complex that any attempt to teach by immersion is destined to frustrate the student. A little bit of traditional grammar training would go a long way. It would give some context to why the nouns and adjectives keep changing. From the student's perspective, it must seem very arbitrary. Russians change the nouns, depending on the role it plays in the sentence. That is never explained to the student. They are expected to figure it by repetition. Learning in that manner is a tremendous waste of time.
You took all three courses?
I'm a native English speaker using Memrise to learn Russian, but I really need the traditional grammar training you mentioned. Since Rosetta Stone is clearly lacking this as well, do you have any advice on finding a program or something to supplement my current lessons?
Kristin Brown I think the best way to get the most out of these courses, like Rosetta Stone, is to supplement it by doing some outside grammar training - maybe with just a basic grammar book. At least you'll understand *why* the nouns and adjectives keep changing. English speakers have no idea what the Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Instrumental, Dative and Locative (or Prepositional) cases are. About the only thing close to it in English is the difference between "I" & "me", "he" & "him", "they" & "them" and "who" & "whom". But imagine a simple word like "book" changing!
David Emerling Perfect & thanks for the info- I think I'll go browse Amazon for a lesson book :)
This is the exact problem I have.
Thanks for this review. It was helpful to hear the timeline it took and real review so I can chose the correct time in my life to commit to this.
I love how you explain.... very professional..
Thank you for letting us in about what people don't tell us about Rosetta Stone. I appreciate it :)
Here is my perspective as a native French teacher: as you said, the fact that they don't explain anything in English is a major flaw to me. It's just more convenient and profitable for them to create... They don't teach the difference between the way you read a sentence and the way native speakers blend words together creating new sounds (Je suis is pronounced "Ch'ui" by native speakers), or how some syllables or words are entirely skipped ("ne" in the negative form "ne + verb+ pas).
Native speakers also skip the "il" in "il y a"... Students will be under the impression that the pronoun "we" is "nous" while "nous" is a very formal pronoun used in writing (less than 1% of the time in spoken French). The French really use the pronoun "on" 99% of the time for "we".
The French also use plenty of colloquial & slang words & expressions that no one ever teaches, things you will hear in French conversations, movies or talk shows. There are also about half a million (standard) idiomatic expressions we use everyday that you won't find in Rosetta Stone. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea :)
thank you!
What's the best way to learn a language if you're an adult that no longer has access to class? Are there private classes or something along those lines?
@Language City Bravo! You were spot on with your explanations. I need you to come out with a book or program yourself!
Most beginner programs aren't going to teach slang and colloquialisms. Publishing houses usually don't put out much beyond the beginning stage because there's not much of a market for it, especially when so few people get past the beginning stage. Plus, there are books which teach slang and other things beyond the beginning stage.
To be fair, every language uses a lot of colloquialism, slang and expressions that won't be taught to beginners. I do agree that Rosetta Stone is much too formal. Too much focus on vous and nous...and overpriced for what it is.
I think the "spoken French is oh so tough" thing is pretty overblown though. I tried the sample of the French Today audiobook. She kept going on and on how it's so tough to understand and how you need to be "taught" to understand it. I understood it without any effort. I understand French TV too. I have trouble with thick accents, but that's to be expected when you're a learner.
Thank you very much for your feedbacks on the training course, you expressed your ideas in a very wise and concrete way ; one of the most convincing and complete reviews I'v heard about it
I haven't tried Rosetta Stone but I learned Spanish through Duolingo, although I wouldn't say I speak spanish perfectly I speak it extremely well and I am fluent.
I really appreciate this review. I actually do better with self study than a school program so I hope to get back to you with more on the results in the future.
On pirate bay I got 11 languages with a total of 39 courses/cds for free.
hey Bravo you, much smart. More than most! Full wow.
Robert McCain congratulations you have a nice collection of 11 programmes collecting digital dust.
Robert McCain me too, lol. im not done raking in my languages though but I have a select few to start and last me
What is pirate bay? I want to learn spanish free. how do i get it?
same ^^
Great job with the review. Very professional and thorough. I can attest first hand what your saying since I'm also taking the Rosetta Stone course in French. French is my 4th language, 3rd Romance language and despite having all this knowledge with Romance languages I find myself in disbelief trying to understand the grammar and just cannot figure it out on my own sometimes. And about it being boring you're absolutely right there's no motivation at all what so ever to finish the course it's just plain information presented on your screen and boy there's a lot of it to go through. Again great job and I hope I'll do like you and finish it [probably won't happen]
I know this is old, but I gotta say, I am on lesson 1 still of japanese, but have already completed probably about 1/3rd of the japanese duolingo course. The rosetta stone is nice so far because it is, so far, mostly kind of drilling the vocab that i've already learned back into my head and it seems to be improving my pronounciation (duolingo japanese does not offer any part where you can get your pronunciation tested), but if I didn't already know some of the grammar from duolingo I would be COMPLETELY lost already and I know it. I think I'm going to try to keep up both because it seems like, together, it may be great!
Thank you for the honest review! I found your advice regarding grammar and immersing yourself in the language really helpful!
someone finally told me what i wanted to heard! thanks!
This is probably the most accurate review of this program. I personally never went through the whole program. However, some 15 years ago, I bought a program called "Tell me more" from Auralog to learn Spanish… Rosetta Stone now owns them and this is the base of their program. I started it and dropped it off at level 3 (4 months into it) because I upgraded my computer and Auralog was no longer compatible. The reason why I liked the program was for the pronunciation and understanding of the language. I was never expecting this program alone to get me from ZERO to FLUENT! I currently speak 3 languages fluently: French (I'm a native), English (lived & work in Calgary, Canada for 15 years) and Spanish (been living in Spain since 1999). English was my 1st second language, and when I started, the only knowledge I had was 5 years of mandatory english in secondary school. So, how did I make it? 1st 6 months in Calgary it was basically 12 hours of TV a day, no french book, no french news paper, no french news, no french friends… After 6 months, time to shop for a job! Naturally, when it came time to learn Spanish, I figured the same "forced" immersion would do the trick, and it did! The reason why I'm looking into Rosetta Stone is because my neighbour (Spanish) asked me to help her learn English and she does have a good base of "subconscious" vocabulary & grammar but her pronunciation is so bad that even if she could manage to form a half decent sentence nobody would understand what she is actually trying to say.
Honestly if i didn't take french in school it would be quite hard to figure out on my own the grammar. I went thorough the program thinking man if i didn't know this, for example changing the end of a verb to fit the subject, I'd be all confused until i'd look it up. A program that cost this much shouldn't be lacking in something so basic yet so important for said language
I really enjoyed your video and your review WAS VERY HELPFUL. I have been thinking about getting rosetta stone for some time yet thanks to you I won,t be getting rosetta stone. I am currently enrolling for spanish classes and deaf studies. Thank you for your review. Merry Chirstmas and happy year.
This was EXTREMELY informative. Thank you!
I had formal Spanish training in 50 yrs ago. I learned well. Now I want to learn Italian with the same structured formal grammar. For me, your comments were beneficial about language production. Ty
I am on the last unit of level 5 Spanish, and I'm still a long way from speaking it fluently. I can read it better than anything. You really need someone who speaks the language to practice with on a regular basis.
I said that as well because once the start going in the conversation you'll be lost
Question. When you used Rosetta Stone, did you utilize all of the resources they offer? Because I am learning Japanese and am involved in groups where you can socialize with native speakers of the language you are learning. I believe that you had much more success in school because you actually had conversations as it was a social setting.
Great review overall. You were spot on with the whole motivation thing and people not finishing it. It goes much faster when you immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. Most people don't finish it because they don't have the time or motivation to do that. I think those people would struggle learning a new language with any program other than actual school.
I still think Rosetta Stone is the best DIY program as long as you use their resources and have the drive. Although I do believe school or another social setting will always be the best choice to learn a new language.
+handicapitation okay so i plan on getting japanese 1 next month. so i just got out of high school last year, i took japanese all four years plus A.P., i did fairly well, but my skills have slipped and i really wanna get better and know more, if i truly dive and immerse myself into the resources and so on, and take like a hr and half a day to work wiht rs, do you think i will skyrocket my nihongo?
I am just beginning the Russian program. They now have an online subscription that is a bit more reasonable in price, and if you quit you aren't out so much. I have only completed the 1st of 20 units, but I have to say your review seems spot on. Really good information. Thanks.
Thank you! That was a clear and honest review.
Thanks for this video. It sets realistic expectations and appreciate the candor.
You learn grammar the same way you did with your first language. You know the grammar correctly through use as you learned your first language, even if you couldn't DEFINE or explain the grammar, you spoke correctly. You learned by doing what was grammatically correct. I still cannot properly diagram a sentence or pick out and name it's component parts (nor do I care to) but I am very often complemented on my speech. And just like your first language you learn from more than one source, regardless of how good your one source is. As you go through the program you will, through trial and error, learn how to modify your tenses, what is feminine or masculine and everything else to use the language. Ask yourself, no, ask your circle of friends to explain their spoken grammar and see if they can do it in the manner you expect RS to teach. You may be surprised. They know how to DO it through long practice (everyday life), but most won't be able to explain it in the manner you desire.
Use youtube, movies, songs, talk to your pets, correspond with someone ine your target language, and join a club. Use it as you learn it.
Thank you so much. I do agree in learning a new language is to "formulate your own" and "interaction". You helped me in making my decision. Thank you.
Your advice about Rosetta Stone was extremely helpful. Thank you for taking the time to make this review. The language that I'm interested in learning is Portuguese. But I now must question if it's worth the investment in time, or would that time be better spent learning something else.
Robert Caldwell i used duolingo with 2 other random apps, it taught me a lot, and after a month i was able to small talk, about 6 months i could keep a conversation going, and by 1 1/2 year i can speak almost fluent. i taught myself using all free apps, but duolingo was the one that made the most impact.
I'm on level 3 of Rosetta Stone Spanish and I totally agree. There is little motivation to finish and my speaking is still mas o menos, but my comprehension has improved A TON. Super helpful review.
It would have been nice if you spoke in French for about 5 minutes afterwards to show your level. It makes no sense to give a positive review and never have to show the ability.
+alanguages while I agree with this, it would be unfair to his skills. This was taken in 2014. I'm sure he's improved since then.
FrenchCrazy It would be difficult how much can be attributed to RS, since it has been a while. This is why I personally want to see the reviewer(s) demonstrate the knowledge gained from the product they give a positive review about initially. I have met students in their 4th year in Spanish and rave about their classes, but asked to converse, they still are not able to do it, even though they state to be at an advanced level.
His accent probably wasn't very good. I appreciate the review anyway, though.
But it wasn’t a positive review? He said “for the vast majority of people I would not recommend Rosetta Stone.” And he straight up said his speech skills were bad. He said all he can do is watch movies at low intermediate level.
you just saved me $ 274.00 I took French several semesters in college and was pretty good at it but since I don't have where to practice it,, I thought about RS as refresh tool. Since I already know the grammar structure and I'm bilingual in Spanish and English, I think I'll just save the money and turn to the Internet for more amusing and practical applications of French. Thanks a lot! Very helpful!
You can actually get all 5 for $199 now for the holidays
Hartwellness shit, I’m 3 years too late lol
@@KarJaneDavis Me, too. :)
Karissa Davis check
@@KarJaneDavis they are doing lifetime memberships now with all access to every language for $199.00
Oh dear, lord, no. I completed 4 years of Spanish in high school and 6 Spanish classes at NIU where two classes were taught in Spanish. 15 years ago. I used to consider myself mostly fluent. Now, I have forgotten a lot ESPECIALLY when producing language. I can still read pretty well and interpret somewhat decently.
After changing majors, I was now, 15 years later, considering Rosetta Stone to get back to where I used to be. Especially with producing language. I already have pretty good word and phrase recall when listening.
Thank you SO MUCH. It does not sound like the program for me.
This is very helpful thanks.
+Derrick Waters youre welcome, thanks!
+Derrick Waters second that
Same reason we're supposed to believe you have a working brain.
There are a few factors in studying German . One plan I found that successfully combines these is the Landra Language Tactic (check it out on google) definately the best remedy i've found. Check out the amazing information .
That’s so true about needing an alternative source for grammar,, it was trying me crazy right from the beginning, when to use el, la, las, los etc. After my own research I realized they are feminine and masculine words as well as singular and plural, it makes a big difference in understanding.
Seriously started laughing out loud when you said " Its not fun" hahahahaha
This was a really candid assessment. I enjoyed the video. Thanks. I am still going to purchase and now I know how to approach the program for maximum benefit.
Thank you for the reality, very appreciated!
Hello Andy, thank you very much for your review! I think it was really assertive and clear, it certainly will help me to get to a good decision about using Rosetta Stone ir not. Thank you very much!
Is there a program you recommend that helps focus on producing your language?? Like that boosts your writing/speaking? That's what I really want to improve on
+Zachary Orellana Honestly, not that I know of. The best thing would be to take a class. Community colleges usually offer not for credit classes really cheap, like $50 a semester. Also, you can check out italki.com for online tutors.
+Señor Hey's Spanish Course I think Tell Me More is the best
I would personally recommend the Pimsluer audio series for that, although it is a little outdated.
Thanks for this review! I bought the monthly subscription plan I think and haven't used it much for trying to learn Korean and was curious why it was so un-intuitive in the teaching. If I hadn't already spent a bunch of time trying to learn Russian to speak it with my friend there's definitely some things I would have never caught on to. The "Talk To Me in Korean" podcast had been a great supplement. So for anyone else trying to use Rosetta stone, I suggest finding other supplemental teaching sources, especially if it's languages with difficult alphabets. There's tons of stuff on youtube and other sites that help. Even mobile apps than are simply focused on just teaching the alphabet.
Would You Please Continue Your Spanish Lessons They Are Very Good Compared To All Others.
I Know It Is Hard Work, But It Greatly Help Others Be Greatly Appreciated
Thanks And God Bless
I did about 9 units of the Rosetta Stone but prior to this program, I did 2/3rds of the FSI Mastering Spanish and Spanish Headstart for Spain through the military about 20+ years ago. The Rosetta stone came easy and I got bored really quickly. I am now getting back into it and want to revisit the old programs. It'll be a refresher for me, but it's a hard program, like boot camp for Spanish, you have to be really dedicated. I skeptical about buying this program because it's so expensive. The Army offered the Rosetta Stone for free and that's why I did it. This is a great video btw1
I have this for Japanese, and I got the feeling going through it like it would be fine for music/anime/manga/J-dramas but not so much for communicating. (I'm not quite 3/4 of the way through level 1/3).
stfu weab
I know a person who tried Rosetta Stone Japanese version, has a ton of mistakes. There are only a few right ones, but it's just a waste of money especially for the retarded price. Just hack it like everyone does if you want to see.
Show me your ways.
Just about to buy Rosetta Stone French. Thank you very much for your extremely informative comments
I'm trying to learn french using Rossita stone
and honestly .. I don't how french people can speak their language ...
I'm arabic & turkish speaker
I will try to finish the french program and see if I can get at least the basics of the language
bir
Halit KAYAR Turkish and Arabic are very hard languages! Man, french is a piece of cake compared to Turkish and Arabic!!
+Halit KAYAR Same Here :P Arabic is my main language !!
+Halit KAYAR sonuç olarak durum nedir Halit? devam edebildiysen program hakkında görüşlerini öğrenmek isterim.
honestly rosseta stone help but not much
if you wanna learn use Pimsuler ... is perfect honestly
Great review~! Thanks a lot Andy...best insight, breakdown and explanation of the program vs other methods on the entire internet. You are a good educator!
My motivation was for a woman, and boy did it help.
Thank you so much for this honest video! I have been using Duolingo and my biggest issue has been the lack of instruction with grammar. It's unfortunate that Rosetta Stone has the same issue, but you just saved me a lot of wasted time and money. Thank you! I think an actual, hands-on language class is what a need rather than a self-paced, automated one.
I found it to be very good for grammar. It just doesn't tell you in English.
wow, I just bought all 5 levels of spanish for $180 at Barns and Nobel. Did the price drop?
Brandon Wieskamp yeah I bought German from target yesterday for the same price.
@@consideringorthodoxy5495 how was the German one I really wanna learn
Macario Moreno I would assume it’s good but Sadly I don’t have a system yet that can run it. We bought it because it was on sale but Rosetta Stone as far as I know is a very good language learning program.
Thank you for this review man. I am wanting to visit Japan in a few years so I was wanting to get this program to learn a little of the language. I may reconsider it now and look at other options, especially since Japanese is not a Latin based language so the grammar would be incredibly different than what I know and I would certainly struggle to understand it without instruction. Thanks!
did you repeat the phrases during the non speaking periods?
im sure that would work