Rosetta Stone Hindi Level 1

Amazon isn't very clear which version this is, exactly. I believe it's the Total-e version, but I'm not sure by how it's worded on this site today (6/28/11).

I purchased my copy in August 2010, so I think it may be the previous version. I do not have Total-e.

With all that said, I would like to review the software I do have, which I can confirm does match very closely with the description of the software on this page.

It is, in a word, EXCELLENT. There are some things about it that are hard to understand, but I honestly don't know how a software program for learning this difficult language could be any better than what Rosetta Stone's (RS) produced.

The previous reviewer was complaining that this software is inadequate, because you don't know how to read the script. That is true initially, but leads me to believe that he didn't go very far in the software, because they DO start to teach you to read devanagari within the first unit of level one. It is a fair criticism from the previous reviewer that the foundation they offer is different from what you'd expect. I'm accustomed to learning tourism-friendly phrases first, like to ask where the train station is, etc. RS is NOT like that at all.

I knew only the words for some food dishes and for water in Hindi before I started this software, and I could not read a single character in the devanagari syllabary. I was starting from nothing. I have used the Spanish software from RS, and agree that it is to an English speakers definite advantage that Spanish uses the same alphabet we use. However, it is MUCH more complicated to craft a language learning software program in a totally different script. Now that I've spent several months off and on with the program, I appreciate their approach. It would be way too overwhelming to try to learn devanagari first, and then start speaking. 99% of people would quit, because the syllabary is so large and so different from our alphabet.

Here is what RS does: They show you pictures, and you hear native speakers talking. You can't read what it says, so you must listen closely. The first unit of level one was tough, I'm not gonna lie. I had to do it a couple of times before I got the hang of it. Then, I just took off. I spent probably 3 or 4 hours with the software on the first day, and by the end of that day, I was able to say "the girl is eating rice". Awesome! I think being able to form a simple sentence so quickly helped keep me engaged and confident, which = motivated.

True, it does seem to start you off speaking phrases that are not what you commonly find in language learning resources. I'm only a little more than halfway through level one (because I've been going sporadically, have been redoing sections, etc), and I still haven't learned how to say goodbye or thank you. However, I can ask what something is, describe activities that people are doing, say that "the woman is reading her newspaper," "the man is wearing his coat," "one black cat is under the table," and other such phrases that took me MUCH longer to learn using other language learning techniques. I studied Spanish for two years in high school, and never learned how to say these kinds of sentences.

They introduce the characters of the devanagari syllabary slowly. I probably know about 20-25 of them by now. As I mentioned earlier, I'm glad they're going slowly, or else I would get frustrated and bored.

The real beauty of RS is that you quickly get to the point where the words just roll off your tongue, unlike when you study a language in a classroom setting and get good at taking tests, but end up tongue tied, because you haven't learned how to have a conversation. RS's emphasis on what they call "dynamic immersion" is so right on the mark. I cannot say enough good things about their approach to language learning.

The software is expensive. But guess what? So are classes, and so is going to another country for an immersion at a language school. If you total up the cost of taking language classes at a community college or going to Mexico or Guatemala to study Spanish (for example), this is BY FAR the best value for your money. Why? Because you can return to it at any time. You can practice in the middle of the night, if you want. If you're shy about making mistakes (like me), it doesn't matter, because you're talking to a computer, and you can always redo a lesson for a better score!

If you get this software, one tip I have is to ask for help from a native speaker, if you know anyone. If not, then use their Total-e options. I've needed to ask my boyfriend a few questions, and I'm lucky I have him around as a resource, so I didn't need to get or use Total-e.

waste of money. The software dosen't have a good ground up approach, no alphabet exercises. This software would help maybe if you are looking for more conversation practice, but it's still not work the price of it.

bottom line, software is out of date and way over priced

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  3.0 out of 5 stars