For fans of the Learning Spanish Like Crazy audio series, the arrival of new material, after years of waiting, is something to be excited about. I am a fan of the series and highly recommend LSLC level 1 and LSLC level 2 for supplementing your Spanish study. When level 3 was ready for sale, I bought my copy right away. I have started working with it, and have a review to share.
First off, there are 2 versions of Level 3. The first version was released earlier and contains 15 lessons averaging about 20 minutes each. The owners offered this original version for sale a while back announcing that it was partially complete, and the other lessons would be ready at a later time. Apparently the feedback to these lessons was such that the owners stopped the production of this version and started a new version from scratch. From reading some of the feedback, it seems that the biggest gripe had to do with content. The subject matter of the original 15 lessons is religion-based, so much of the vocabulary are words having to do with various religious faiths. (After having worked through this program, the religious theme is only in the first 4 or 5 lessons. After that, plenty of other topics are explored.)
The new and improved version 3 was released and that contains 20 lessons plus 4 bonus lessons, averaging over 25 minutes a lesson. The subject matter contains more secular, and perhaps more useful subject material. With the purchase of this version, you also receive, as a bonus, the original set of 15 lessons.
Level 3 continues the same technique of the first 2 levels with listen and repeat based drills that help with practicing grammar and building vocabulary. Each version uses a different set of native speakers. One is the narrator, and then there is a male and female voice.
Learning Spanish Like Crazy Nivel 3 allows you to practice some of those more “obscure” verb tenses that you’ve read about and maybe studied a bit, but never had an opportunity to practice. You get to practice the future perfect, the conditional perfect, the imperfect subjunctive, se le constructions (as in “I broke the glass”, or “the glass broke on me”), “deber haber” (to should have done something), and a few others. The original version only works with the future perfect, and conditional perfect (with and without past subjunctive in the if/then construction.)
I have been working with both the original and the new-and-improved version simultaneously. At first I started doing each lesson 5 times (on 5 different days) before moving on to the next one. But since I found the lessons rather easy, and the material often flows into the next lesson, I started alternating the lessons. When I alternate them, I follow the sequence a,ab,abc,abcd,abcde,bcdef, cdefg,,,,on onward. This way each lesson is listened to 5 times, and it breaks it up a bit. For me I feel the learning sinks in more deeply, taking longer breaks between lessons. Doing this pattern to BOTH the original and new version is allowing me to be able to review each. The grammar reviewed doesn’t exactly coincide between versions, but I am finding that this doesn’t bother me.
SO WHAT DO I THINK ABOUT LEARNING SPANISH LIKE CRAZY NIVEL 3
First off, although there are quite a few “negative” things I bring up below, for the most part, LSLC3 does what it is meant to do, provide hours of PRACTICE! Practice in developing listening skills, practice in grammar, practice in speaking. I feel that audio-based drills that allow you to repeat are incredibly helpful. And unfortunately there aren’t many available for more advanced Spanish students. So LSLC3 is definitely filling an important role by providing what it provides.
My criticisms of LSLC3 are definitely overridden by the positives, and these criticisms are just being mentioned for the sake of being honest and thorough, and in the hopes that future producers of audio-based Spanish learning content may take into consideration what I would consider to be improvements.
First off, the narrator of each version seems to be a native Spanish speaker who doesn’t speak perfect English. To me, I don’t want to be distracted by the funny sounding English or the grammar mistakes. The narrator should be a native English speaker who speaks Spanish. For example, at one point the woman narrator says “We fell asleep in the party”. A native Spanish speaker would naturally translate this as “in the party.” But in English we say “We fell asleep AT the party”. The male narrator (who was taught to speak British English, which sounds really bizarre when combined with his natural accent) at one point says “When ? arrives, the Muslims will have read…” but he pronounces “read” in the present tense, which sounds like “reed”. Or the funniest would, “What would you have done if the fish had finished”, when meaning to say, “What would have done if you ran out of fish (like in a restaurant). Sorry, I’m a Spanish geek and also an expert of English grammar, so these types of things jump out and distract me. Do they ruin my LSLC3 experience? Not in the least. I’m just suggesting that a native English speaker should be used for the narration.
My second criticism is that LCLS3, like the earlier levels, wastes too much time repeating little words and phrases. Maybe for level 1 this is necessary. But advanced students don’t have to say certain things so many times. I would guess that 10% of the audio, maybe more, is wasted with repeating little words more than needed.
Criticism 3 has to do with vocabulary. Unlike others who criticized the heavy religious vocabulary of the original version, I find this vocabulary to be rather useful. I mean, I am not religious in any way, but most people are, and most Latinos are. So it’s going to come in really useful to know this stuff because it is likely to be encountered when talking to people. I personally feel that all new vocabulary is worth learning after you learn the basics. And for most people at the advanced level, they don’t need to practice the word for sleep. That is why I was surprised when the narrator asks if I remember how to say “to sleep”. Of course I know how to say dormir! That I remember from the one year of high school Spanish I had! Again, this isn’t that big of a deal because there is plenty of good and new vocabulary. PLUS there is lots of review of other words that I already know, but not as well as I know dormir.
4th criticism is the packaging. Wow, I wasn’t expecting a full on box set of full color compact discs! It’s pretty fancy. But I don’t understand who listens to CD’s anymore? I put all 10 or 12 CD’s (I forget how many) directly into my laptop and imported them into my iTunes. The entire material could have been burned onto 1 data DVD as a zip file. Or sold as digital downloads like levels 1 and 2. OK, I know the owners are trying to insure they maximize sales, and this is part of their marketing strategy, that at a later time it will be available as a digital download, after all the eager fans have bought their copy. But I also know how expensive it is to produce a 12 CD box set (I used to own a company that brokered CD projects back in the day when people actually used CD’s). Hence the hefty $197 price tag of LSLC3. Not to mention the environmentally unfriendly impact of using petroleum-based products when a simple digital file will do the trick. But the package looks hot and super professional if that matters to anybody.
5th and final criticism. LSLC3 is not challenging enough! Well, this is very personal and impossible to satisfy every student’s needs. Perhaps since level 2 was released, instead of waiting around for LSLC3 to improve my Spanish, I did other things to improve. And now, well, LSLC3 is not that challenging. HOWEVER, it is still great practice for reinforcing the Spanish I have already learned. And that is why I use LSLC3, why I enjoy it, and why I recommend it.
TO BUY LEARNING SPANISH LIKE CRAZY NIVEL 3 CLICK HERE
