Learning Spanish Like Crazy Review – Is it Worth Buying?

The reason that the most people purchase a Spanish language learning course is because they want to be able to hold a meaningful conversation with everyday Spanish people. Learning Spanish Like Crazy is a course that promises that it can help you achieve that goal and in less time than other courses.

In this review I will share my experience using this course and what I found to be the major advantages and disadvantages of this course. I will also explain exactly what is contained inside of the learning Spanish like crazy course so that you can make an informed decision before you decide to buy. At the end of this review I will include my overall recommendation, as well is a comparison to some of the other leading course on the market.

How Much Does Learning Spanish Like Crazy Cost?

The 50 CD platinum version of Learning Spanish Like Crazy costs $299.95, the downloadable version $97.

What Is Included In The Course?

The Learning Spanish Like Crazy can be purchased in two different formats. There is a downloadable version of the course where the material comes MP3s and a physical version of the course on CD. Both versions of the course cover the same material.

Spanish Like Crazy Review

The CD platinum version of the course includes 50 CDs of which 30 is audio material. When you purchase the CD version of the course you are given access to the downloadable version of the advanced Spanish level 3 and 4.

Learning Spanish Like Crazy also comes with a large amount of bonus material. This bonus material includes FSI programmatic 1, which was created by US Department of State to teach its employees Spanish. This course includes 17 hours of recorded material. The second bonus is the FSI programmatic level 2 which teaches the complex area of Spanish subjunctives. This course includes 12 hours of language lessons. The third bonus is Spanish level 3 which contains 13 hours of audio material and teaches advanced Spanish.

The fourth bonus is another advanced Spanish level course which includes 12 hours of recorded material. The fifth bonus is a rapid learning course that was developed by the Foreign Service Institute of the US Department of State. This is used to get government employees up to speed quickly before they are stationed overseas.

The Advantages Of Learning Spanish Like Crazy

Each audio lesson includes a transcript in the pdf format

Uses real-life Latin American Spanish – One of the best things about learning Spanish Like Crazy is that it uses real-life Latin American Spanish. This compares favorably to some other couple courses – such as Pimsleur Spanish – that tend to teach a very formal form of Spanish, that you would be unlikely to hear outside of a sophisticated soirée for diplomats. The Spanish taught here is the kind of everyday language that normal people use.

No exercises or drills – For people who dislike exercises and drills Learning Spanish Like Crazy will be a breath of fresh air. Using the course is as simple as pressing play on your MP3 player and following along with the material.

Suits busy people – Learning Spanish Like Crazy is designed for people that lead a busy lifestyle. I found that I could use the learning like crazy Spanish course without having to spend an hour each or so each day in front of my computer. I liked using the Learning Spanish Like Crazy audio course when I was at the gym and while I was walking my dog in the evening. You can easily add the audio files to your MP3 player, plug in some earphones, and you are ready to go.

Main screen with mp3 and transcript downloads

Separated into easy to learn chunks – Learning Spanish Like Crazy has been divided up into 30 lessons which are each less than half an hour. There is a lot of scientific evidence to suggest that we learn best will be taking your information in smaller chunks. The learning Spanish like crazy system is never overwhelming and doesn’t require you devote too much time each day to make good progress.

The Disadvantages Of Learning Spanish Like Crazy

Converting the download to CD is annoying – If you are planning on purchasing the downloadable version and burning it onto CDs to listen in your car or at home, then you may want to reconsider. Each of the MP3 files need to be first converted to an uncompressed audio file and then burnt onto CD. As there are 50 separate CDs in total this can be quite a task.

Insufficient grammar explanations – More explanations of the principles of grammar may be an improvement for this course. Occasionally I found I needed to search online to find an explanation of grammar usage in the course. Considering the cost of the course this is a little disappointing.

It is very basic in the beginning – If you have studied Spanish before like me, then you may find that learning Spanish Like Crazy can be a little basic. The beginning lessons of the course are very rudimentary and you may feel like skipping them if you already have some Spanish knowledge. Of course, the makers of Learning Spanish Like Crazy undoubtedly are right to aim the course at beginners but it something to be aware of all the same.

Comparison To Other Courses

The course that Learning Spanish Like Crazy is most comparable to is Pimsleur Spanish. Like Pimsleur Spanish the course is audio based and uses the principle of chunking the material. If you like the Pimsleur approach, then you will also probably like Learning Spanish Like Crazy. The main difference between the two is the Pimsleur tends to teach a more formal version of Spanish, where as Learning Spanish Like Crazy is closer to the everyday Spanish spoken by normal Latin Americas.

Another course that is closely comparable to Learning Spanish Like Crazy, is Rocket Spanish (my review). Rocket Spanish also features interactive audio lessons in a similar style to Learning Spanish Like Crazy. One area where there is a significant difference is the price. Rocket Spanish is typically priced at $99.95 for the premium course (although it is currently on sale for $69.95). In contrast the Spanish Learning Like Crazy Course is priced at $299.95 if you buy the platinum version on CD. You can also try Rocket Spanish out for free for six days, which is something that Learning Spanish Like Crazy doesn’t offer.

Overall Recommendation

If you are looking for a less formal version of Pimsleur Spanish, then Learning Spanish Like Crazy is a good option. The course is fun, moves along at a good pace and is well suited for beginners. The course could be improved by including better explanations of the grammar principles used and at $299.95 it can seem a little overpriced. Overall it is a good course if you are primarily interested in learning informal, spoken Latin American Spanish. If you are looking for something a little more comprehensive than a better option is Rocket Spanish.

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