El gato está saltando

I went through the Rosetta Stone Unit 1 lessons 1 – 11.

I had seen Rosetta Stone advertised on TV but it wasn't until I saw a demonstration at DFW airport one morning before a flight. It was that demonstration that prompted me to even consider paying the enormous price Rosetta Stone charges. Enormous compared to other language software, but cheap compared to a school.

I read some reviews and I remember somebody upset that the first lessons focuse on the present progressive “The cat IS JUMPING”, as that is not the most common way of expressing that action in Spanish.

It is true the lesson had many many “...está ...ando”, and it makes me think the application is really designed for English speakers who often use this construction. But is true that after a session one of my cats flew by and I thought “El gato está saltando.” So it worked!

The application has sections on listening, reading and writing. But I think the key feature is the listening that is arranged so you see four pictures and click on which image corresponds to the phrase you hear. Basically you are banking that this gimmick is the key to a new language.