Taking the plunge
(x-posted from xanga)
So we've finally gone and done it....G and I have ordered ourselves a copy of Rosetta Stone, Spanish levels 1, 2 and 3.
I have a conference in Salamanca, Spain next summer and we really feel like we should get ready for the trip (we plan to tack on a week or so of vacationing). Plus, we live in a city where a fairly large portion of the population speaks Spanish. AND, my brother is getting married at the end of September to a fabulous woman from Spain, and some members of her family speak little or no English. We have a lot of incentive.
Thus, we embark upon a linguistic mission. I took Spanish in junior high and high school (1 year each). I can remember bits here and there, but when I try to think of useful phrases in Spanish, they frequently come out in Russian. Doesn't work so well. Everyone swears up and down that Rosetta Stone kicks some serious butt, so here we go.
Oh, and we got the "Latin America" version since it seemed more useful in the long run.
Some highlights of Spanish I already know:
"Yo sueno Navidad blanca." = "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas."
"Yo necesito urinar." = "I need to urinate." (Very clinical)
"Donde esta la caja? Abra la!" = "Where is the safe? Open it!"
"Una mas cerveza, por favor!" (You all know this one, right?)
The last one is really the most useful.
So we've finally gone and done it....G and I have ordered ourselves a copy of Rosetta Stone, Spanish levels 1, 2 and 3.
I have a conference in Salamanca, Spain next summer and we really feel like we should get ready for the trip (we plan to tack on a week or so of vacationing). Plus, we live in a city where a fairly large portion of the population speaks Spanish. AND, my brother is getting married at the end of September to a fabulous woman from Spain, and some members of her family speak little or no English. We have a lot of incentive.
Thus, we embark upon a linguistic mission. I took Spanish in junior high and high school (1 year each). I can remember bits here and there, but when I try to think of useful phrases in Spanish, they frequently come out in Russian. Doesn't work so well. Everyone swears up and down that Rosetta Stone kicks some serious butt, so here we go.
Oh, and we got the "Latin America" version since it seemed more useful in the long run.
Some highlights of Spanish I already know:
"Yo sueno Navidad blanca." = "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas."
"Yo necesito urinar." = "I need to urinate." (Very clinical)
"Donde esta la caja? Abra la!" = "Where is the safe? Open it!"
"Una mas cerveza, por favor!" (You all know this one, right?)
The last one is really the most useful.