A Review of Platiquemos Español

A Top Audio Tool to Help you Learn Spanish

Why are the Placticamos Español CDs, tapes, and MP3s widely considered to be among the best audio tools to help you learn Spanish?

A little background is helpful here: the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the U.S. State Department developed programs to help diplomats learn Spanish as quickly and effectively as possible. With many thousands of people going through the program, the FSI was able to refine its effectiveness over time. These people really had to speak Spanish, not just read or write it, in the course of their jobs.

The most useful of the FSI programs, the Basic Course, was first created in 1957, and since it was produced by the government, it was not subject to copyright. As a result, many of the Spanish language courses that have been sold since then have simply reproduced that Course. Barron's, studyspanish.com, and other companies continue to use the 1957 program, in many cases without telling you.

Platiquemos Español is a 2002 revision of that outdated 1957 program, created by Don Casteel, a retired Foreign Service officer who had gone through the FSI program in Spanish and in several other languages. Many years of his Foreign Service career were spent in Latin America. He is uniquely qualified to update the old program.

After doing a lot of research into the choices available, I have decided to work with this program myself. I had one semester of college Spanish (ahem, some decades ago!), and even though I have been in Spain, Mexico, and Guatemala various times since then, my present Spanish is not where I want it to be, now that Kelly and I have rented a house in Mexico. I report now and then in my blog about my progress and challenges in learning Spanish.

Don Casteel's website offers a short quiz for each level of Spanish, and I was rather miffed to miss 3 of 16 for the first level. When I missed 7 of 16 on the second level, I decided not to go on with the quiz process... but definitely to start at the beginning with Platiquemos Español.

The first level of Platiquemos Español is available at Amazon.com, in CD and in cassette formats. Clicking will take you to the Amazon page describing the CD set. But I noticed that Amazon said that delivery would be 1 to 3 weeks. That probably means that they don't keep it in stock.

Rather than going to Amazon.com, there are two better choices:

First, I suggest that you go to Don Casteel's comprehensive website, www.platiquemos-letstalk.com where prices are better and where there is a wealth of information about the program, its philosophy and methods, and how it compares with Pimsleur and other well-known programs. He offers the program in 4 different forms, including MP3 downloads you can get quickly. (If you end up buying from his site, please tell him in the comments field that I sent you.)

Platiquemos Español is also available from a company called Multilingual Books... here's their page describing Platiquemos. They offer some nice specials, which I'm not describing as I've noticed that they change from time to time, as well as the same quiz that is on Don Casteel's site.

Here's a page at the Platiquemos website that leads you to comparative information on different programs for learning Spanish.