Behind The Wheel Spanish 3 Review
Several weeks ago I purchased Behind the Wheel Spanish 3, and I am very happy I did. I had finished Pimsleur’s course and was looking for something with which I could continue my studies in the car, and this course did not disappoint. To be sure, everything is a bit of a disappointment after Pimsleur, because Pimsleur is such a beautifully implemented product. Nevertheless, this product does an excellent job of drilling you on many intermediate to advanced aspects of the Spanish language, and is especially praiseworthy in terms of the verb tenses it covers. These include the present and imperfect subjunctive forms, the perfect and preterite forms, the conditional, and a good comparison of the present perfect and past perfect tenses. Many regular and irregular forms and examples are presented for several common verbs. The CDs have enough examples to cover the material, and at just under $35.00, I believe this series is an excellent value for the money, especially if (like me), your learning goal is to accomplish as much of you can “Behind the Wheel”. Another enjoyable feature of this course were the “transformations”, where a story is told, then is retold step by step with varations on the tense.
One feature of this course that I both loved and despised at the same time was it’s difficulty. This is not an easy course. If Pimsleur was a liesurely stroll up the foothills of the Spanish language, this course was more like a forced ascent up a sheer rock cliff. Be prepared to be a little frustrated, especially your first time through, by how little time you’re given to respond, and just how hard it all is. What I found, however, is that the second or third time I revisited each of the CDs, things started to go a lot more smoothly, and I was very happy with my improved mastery of the material. To give one other minor criticism, there were a few times when the teacher wasn’t especially careful in his presentation. For example, at one point he tells you there are two ways to say something, then procedes to enumerate three. Once that’s done he says “Another way to say it is”, which he follows by repeating one of the three things he told you already!
Such lapses are few, however, and in general the instruction is logical enough and the native speakers speak clearly enough to make the course very worthwhile. If you’re an intermediate or advanced student and you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and go to work, get this course.
Mila is discussing. 
Mila 8:55 pm on March 12, 2010 Permalink
Hola John, hacia tiempo que quería escribir algo en este recuadro. Parece que hoy ha llegado la hora, así que aquí lo tienes. Lo más importante de todo es darte la enhorabuena por lo bien que lo estás haciendo, aunque yo me siento un poco, por no decir bastante, torpe a tu lado. Dices que los CD son buenos y yo diría que el bueno eres tú.
Saludos de tu amiga, Mila