Spanish I by Rudolf Heller (1995, Audio Cassette)

That's right! You could speak spanish in just under a month with this Pimsleur comprehensive course. You set the pace and do as many lessons as you like in a day a week or a month.

I bought this course after purchasing the Pimsleur Spanish, Quick and Simple edition which has 8 of the lessons in this course which serves as an introduction to Spanish. (I have written a review about this Quick & Simple edition previously and you may want to refer to that before reading any further).

The pimsleur technique is very hands on and interactive. It makes learning fun and exciting. It dispenses the need of interacting with others in the classroom, (if you are shy or just want to learn in your on spare time at home) as each lessons begins with a sample conversation in Spanish which you will learn to speak confidently at the end of the half hour lesson.

Each Pimsleur lesson is structured in a similar style. First you hear a man and woman, speaking in Spanish very quickly and fluently. (At first you may only be able to understand a few words) Then the tutor speaks and introduces you to the chapter and words used in the conversation, one by one while requiring you to also pronounce the words as you progress through the lesson. The meaning of the word is also explained so you would remember the words immediately and no dictionary of reading material is necessary.

Like most other courses, there is much repetition but it does not mean that its boring repetition. I found that each time we are required to repeat a new word, it is used in different context so that we learn the proper usage of the words.
It improves our vocabulary and reminds us of the words already learned. There is no need for books or taking down of notes as this course is totaly audio based.
There is a small notebook that contains some notes and spelling of the spanish words but it is not necessary to refer to it during the lesson. You can just sit back and enjoy the lesson.

At the end of the lesson, you will be asked to converse with a virtual character. You will be asked to use the words learned in the proper context but whats really exciting, is the fact that you are now engaging in the same conversation that you heard at the beginning of the lesson. The only difference is that you could speak confidently and understand it!

The comprehensive course has 30 intensive lessons. Its very detailed and comprehensive. By the end of the 30 lessons you would be able to speak spanish independently and with confidence. The course is rather expensive but is well worth the investment in my view as it offers the convenience and produces the desired result in such a short time and without much memorising and reading. Definately a must have if you intend to study spanish seriously.