BBC Sueños Spanish Course

Full review

This review is based on my own experience of learning Spanish with Sue os 1. Although I was an absolute beginner when I started this course, I am a language teacher which you need to bear in mind when reading this review.

I have wanted to learn Spanish for a very long time, but due to studying other courses, I didn't have time. Why did I choose to study this way rather than attend a class? Well, I have had a lot of practice at studying on my own and I am usually fairly disciplined. I like to be able to progress at my own pace, which could mean going quickly through some chapters, or stopping altogether for a while. And classes are not readily available where I live.

The pack itself

The Sue os pack comprises a book and 4 audio CDs totalling over 5 hours of audio. I also purchased an exercise book separately (£5.99 from the BBC shop) and taped the Sue os programmes off the BBC2 channel (the BBC website contains information of when these are played, which is quite regularly.) Add to this the Sue os websites which has video and audio clips, vocabulary, exercises and transcripts of the TV series and you get a very varied, multi-media course. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/suenos/). The only thing missing is the opportunity to speak the language, other than talk to yourself or the cat (See picture :-) ). But I will come back to this aspect when I describe the course itself.

The pack then. The book and CDs are held in a plastic case and the whole thing looks rather attractive. One small reservation here: The CDs are supposed to be lodged in a shape moulded out of the plastic but they never seem to stay in. This however has been remedied in Sue os 2 where the CDs are kept in an envelope attached to the plastic casing. The book itself is a very well put together paperback, well made and durable which is important if you are going to work on it for a while. As a teacher, I know the negative effect on motivation of having horrible old books, as is unfortunately the norm in many schools. It is extremely colourful, not just on the cover but also throughout. The layout is bright, with a high picture to word ratio. The pictures are drawings, but also lots of photographs of places in Spain and South America, which means you will enjoy picking up this book and flicking through the pages.

The CDs each contain audio for about 4 units, with some units being split between 2 CDs, unfortunately. The audio tracks have a very clear sound, although some contain a little background noise, which I feel is a good thing. It helps make the whole thing feel more realistic as you are unlikely when speaking Spanish on holiday to be able to do so in silent surroundings.

A quick word about the exercise book, although this is not part of the pack I am reviewing. Again, this contains many pictures, although these are black and white. You can do the exercises directly in the book if you choose to do so.

The course

Successful language learning needs to incorporate 4 skills: listening and speaking, reading and writing. The limitations of this type of course are obvious, as when you are studying on your own, the opportunities for speaking are limited. On the CDs you are encouraged to say things aloud, but this doesn't amount to communication (although it is a useful thing to do). Of course, is this book was used in a class/group/pair setting, you could get round that without any problem.

The other 3 skills are well represented within the course, with a good balance. Sue os has moved on successfully from the belief that learning a language is about knowing the vocabulary and the grammar, somehow combining the two and that's it, you know the language. With this course, you will learn about learning a language in general, you will pick up strategies that will allow you to use what Spanish you know to your best advantage. For instance, if we take reading, it is not necessary to know every word in a passage to understand it. In our own language, we use different approaches to understand a new word, of which looking it up in the dictionary is often a last resort. Although it is difficult for language learners to let go of the idea they should understand everything, this is actually a more natural way of learning.

The course comprises 20 units, organised in a logical progression. It combines practical language (shopping, buying a train ticket, etc.) with more personal language such as expressing opinions, talking about your past for instance. The cultural aspects are not neglected either, with the emphasis on Spanish as a world language.

Each unit is made up of 3 sections, a language-learning section, a cultural section and a revision section. There is more revision after every 5 units. The exercise book follows the same units as the main book. At the end of the book, there is an answer key (although this doesn't have the answer to all the exercises), a grammar overview, transcripts of the audio segments (this is useful as some of the speakers seem to be talking very fast), vocabulary arranged by topics and a glossary.

The website contains 10 sections, each with audio and video, exercises and vocabulary. There is also much to be learned in the rest of the BBC Spanish site, with audio reports and clips of Spanish songs.

The TV programmes do not follow the structure of the book, but that doesn't matter as they are subtitled. Watching them is a good way to practise listening for the bits you understand and building up on that. You will watch the life of various people in different parts of the Spanish-speaking world.

In conclusion

I have not yet worked through the whole book but I am getting on quite well, and really enjoying it. I have got Sue os 2 sitting on the shelf waiting to be attacked. I am thinking of getting some qualification in Spanish after this. I recommend this course, either as a platform onto further study or as a stand-alone beginners course which should allow you to have some proficiency in Spanish.