Amazon.com In the opening jingle, the oddball lyrics "Careful or you're speaking Spanglish, then your grade will cause you anguish" provide a glimpse into the premise of this production from the Standard Deviants. In this, their second trip to the "Salsa-riffic World of Spanish," the energetic young cast performs skits and unleashes some clever and elaborate computer graphics while providing a reliable review course in the Spanish language. Starting with what's billed as "Really Basic Stuff," the cast reviews practical matters such as how to count, talks about what time it is, and discusses the weather. Moving into more advanced material, there are pointers on grammar, with a focus on the rules of particular verbs. It should be noted that the curriculum has been approved by a panel of professors, but the cast members tend to present the material in a relaxed format, which often involves the use of costumes and some bad (and hopefully memorable) jokes. Each major portion of the program is followed by a quiz, which the student can either take or skip, and the entire DVD concludes with an exam titled "La Tormenta." This DVD isn't a substitute for classes in Spanish, but as review material the unorthodox presentation would be helpful to a student. --Robert J. McNamara
Product Description Habla Espaol? Learning Spanish: Beyond the Basics provides you with the tools you need to expand your understanding of the language. In this DVD, the Standard Deviants will teach you the numbers 100-120, adjective placement, -ar, -er, and -ir verbs, expressing time, date, and weather, and more. Using the Standard Deviants unique and effective learning style, you will soon be packing your bags for Spain so you can show off your new language skills! (Formerly entitled Spanish Part 2)
Spanish course to manage the more difficult part of itDecember 9, 2009 Johan(Santa Fe, NM USA) Spanish is sooo much easier to learn for children when there's a light touch to the more advanced stuff. The language and intonations will expose the children to another voice than the teacher's or the Spanish news channel. It will stimulate and educate.
Standard Deviants-Habla Espanol?February 16, 2007 Donald Tefft 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found the CD TO be very helpful to a beginner like myself. I like their approach to teaching. Rev.Donald Tefft K.C., MO.
More fun!January 4, 2007 Maestra Schroeder(Southern Wisconsin) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Still more topics for beginning Spanish students. You will either love or hate this DVD. The crazy antics of the Deviant cast are entertaining. I find it to be very useful for my middle schoolers. Beats listening to me all the time!
Like having a tutor to give you that little extra boost.March 7, 2006 Tammy McArdle(Southern California) 20 out of 21 found this review helpful
So a couple reviewers on Amazon actually expected to be able to have entire conversations in Spanish after watching one DVD? Give me a break!
The Standard Deviants have great DVDs on all kinds of subjects and you won't be disappointed as long as you have realistic expectations. None of the Deviants' DVDs will make you an expert on any of the subjects they offer, nor does Cerebellum make any such claim. But they ARE ideal for students of all ages looking for something to supplement their studies. It's much like using a tutor for that little extra help you need while taking a high school or college course.
I do NOT work for Standard Deviants or Cerebellum. My enthusiasm is genuine. I took Spanish in college years ago, but didn't work very hard at it and didn't retain much (I was far more concerned with my social life back then). Now I'm a stay-at-home mother of three, and I recently decided to give it another shot. I've been studying Spanish on my own in my spare time. I have acquired dozens of DVDs, books and software to facilitate this. All have been helpful in their own way, but if you were to ask me to recommend just one product that would teach you everything you need to know to hold a conversation in Spanish, NONE of them would do the trick. Likewise, I wouldn't be able to single out one that was completely useless, either. While some formats and products have been more useful than others, each has had something valuable to offer.
The presentation of the material in all Standard Deviants DVDs is meant to entertain and hold the attention of the viewer. More pretentious types might be turned off by this approach and prefer to stick with the stuffy professor who drones on endlessly in a monotone voice that puts anyone with a personality to sleep. But if you've ever had a problem fully grasping something in class and later someone a little more lively than that stuffy professor explains it to you in plain English, and you have an "ah-ha!" moment, smack your forehead and exclaim, "Duh!" then you might want to give Standard Deviants a try.
COULD BE BETTERAugust 4, 2004 Justin(California) This tape does teach you some words and phrases but not at all enought to carry a real conversation.
