The third class opens up where the second class left off continuing with counting. I had a difficult time remembering numbers 10-20 in order, so it was nice to have a refresher course to remind me. It helps with using the 24-hour clock down here, as well as buying bus tickets, groceries, and other good stuff. These lessons are really convenient for gringos traveling around the continent, because they introduce different currencies, language uses, and proper names for people (paraguayo, uruguayo, colombiano, argentino, etc.) from all around South America. Another aspect I found helpful was their introduction to terms used in the business world. It ranged from basic workplace vocabulary, to introducing people, talking about others, and greeting back. Really nice for travelers who are going to be here for a while and are trying to pick up temporary odds and ends to make money along their journies.
The last part of the lesson consisted of introducing basic Spanish verbs (-ar, -er, -ir endings and the usage of the infinitive). It’s nice to be able to start using action words, and it definitely opens up your usable vocabulary when trying to talk to people. I expect to learn a lot more verbs to use. Learning verbs and being able to conjugate them correctly is the fastest way to learn Spanish, I think. They are the most important part of the sentences, when I talk to native speakers down here. Even if I mess up the pronouns, or my sentences are fragmented, they know what I am trying to get across if I can properly use the verbs.
Lastly, I’m digging how the course treats the lessons like mini-episodes. There is always some cliffhanger at the end to make you want to start playing the next one to find out what happens. They aren’t enthralling or anything, but they keep your interest and make it easier to keep studying. Overall, I like the British student and the Argentine teacher. They work well together and the examples they use when putting the vocabulary into context is pretty funny too. I believe one was, “Che Guevara eats noodles.” Weird, but funny and helps you correctly structure the sentences just the same.
