Bad program, but good cause

by Sakura
(Kyoto, Japan)

I bought Rosetta stone excited to try the new "#1 language learning software!" but found myself taking it back. The hundreds of dollars spent on the program was almost useless and i was left off confused. There was no clear outline to sentence structure and the simple sentences given were not useful. There was no grammar outline to the language, so i found it hard making sense of the verb conjugation. Other extras in grammar were unclear. The pictures were nice, but were confusing (since the text had no translation whatsoever, that just downed the whole program.) Say, a picture of an old man could mean "dad", "grandpa", "uncle" or just "man." This problem was probably most frusturating in the more difficult languages. Plus, the puny sentences they give you are useless. Think about the USEFUL phrases like "How are you?" "What is going on?" and compare it the the Rosetta Stone phrases like "The cat is big." "The boy drank." Sure they can be modified, but putting one sentence and changing its words could trip you. I am only a 14 year old knowing 8 languages, and this method was the hardest and most confusing that i dealed with. You are better off spending around $30 for a "teach yourself" book and CD pack, A 10 minutes a day book, or even just a dictionary and phrasebook with comprehensive grammar. Being fast and simple does'nt mean its good, and plus-the longer you learn the language the more you get used to it and aquainted with it to really learn.