I re-discovered a good video series for learning Spanish yesterday. It was only after I started watching the first episode that I realized I had visited the site several years ago. It's called Destinos and was apparently at one time only available to licensed schools.
Here's a sample: Destinos
It sort of reminds me of the BBC Spanish series Mi Vida Loca, which is also very good. Destinos consists of 52 videos, which use an international setting to tell an intriguing mystery story about a dying patriarch and a mysterious letter. One of the most valuable aspects of the series is that you can turn on Spanish subtitles (or turn them off once you get the Spanish down pat). There are exercises and another nice thing is that after the story is acted out, a narrator sums up the action--repetition is crucial in learning a language.
And of course it's fantastic that it's completely free. No emails asking for money. And the plot-line really is interesting and suspenseful, with good direction and fine acting. In the first episode viewers are introduced to the main characters in the story--a large extended family who are currently residing in Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The scenery is nice and it's a little like getting to visit those places. Anyway, the first lesson is mostly about vocabulary related to the family. We learn the words for father, wife, son, uncle, etc. And it's all free of vocabulary lists that demand to be memorized and artificial sounding dialogue. I really like the method. I hope to be able to watch it first with Spanish subtitles and then several times without them. Since there are over 50 episodes, this should keep me busy for quite some time.
Hasta pronto...
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