Fluenz Spanish

From the very beginning we worked to turn this vision into reality. On-screen tutor and team leader Sonia Gil, a recent Cornell graduate, and other alumni from Harvard and the University of Chicago, sought out the right technology to deliver the magic of great one-on-one learning.

Remembering our own experiences learning languages, we created Fluenz Spanish to be the ideal tool for those who like common sense explanations, a fun and challenging environment, and who thrive on a great teacher to keep them focused and engaged. Most of all, we made it for those who share our love of Spanish.

The Magic of a Great Teacher
As passionate, life-long language learners, we wanted to move beyond what is wrong with computer language education: simplistic methods that boast a natural, passive way to learn a language, and those that treat adults like children. Instead, Fluenz brings the magic of a great teacher to lead, challenge, and inspire adults and teens with real learning.

Inspirational Tutoring Leads and Delights Learners
Anyone who has tried to learn Spanish knows about "the magical moment," that day out in the real world when you can form a full sentence and actually understand the response. By clearly showing how Spanish works in a way that makes the most sense to English speakers, Fluenz tutor Sonia Gil and her team have created a path through the language leading to fluency.

Tailor-Made Approach Emphasizing Culture and Context
Just as importantly, she explains how Spanish works in terms of cultural issues, providing context and anecdotes that make the process meaningful. By making sense of the language, learners actually learn.

Great One-On-One Teaching, Engaging Workouts
Fluenz Spanish is divided into sessions that are introduced and led by Sonia Gil, the on-screen tutor. After a realistic conversation between native Spanish speakers, Sonia returns to give a full tutorial on all the new words and structures to be learned in that session.

Next comes a series of challenging workouts that provide an ideal training ground for developing the learner's reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities. Each session features a set of clear, common sense tools that make a true difference.

Relevant Learning, Real Communication
The Fluenz approach is based on getting learners to understand how to structure relevant sentences ("I need a taxi"), rather than relying on the association of words and images to learn how to say things like "apple" or "orange," the more typical fare offered by programs that try to get you to learn like a child.

Starting with clear explanations in English and following with extensive workouts, Fluenz builds steadily from useful structures like questions and commands ("Stop here, please") and useful vocabulary (related to restaurants, transportation, directions, etc.) to more and more complex communication.

Comprehensive audio CDs
Moving beyond typically dry and hollow language learning tapes, we engaged two professionals who could communicate the richness and emotion of Spanish. Fluenz Spanish 1+2 comes with two audio CDs: one recorded by Edgar Ramirez, one of Hollywood's emerging Latino actors, and the other by Ivan Loscher, one of the most recognizable voices in Spanish through his work with HBO Latin America. Edgar starred opposite Keira Knightley in Domino, played the fearsome "asset" in The Bourne Ultimatum, and has worked alongside William Hurt, Forest Whitaker, and Benicio del Toro.

Exclusive Podcasts
Continuing a tradition at the Fluenz Lab, Fluenz Spanish now offers exclusive podcasts made by the same team that created the interactive program. These downloadable podcasts supplement the training work offered by the audio CDs, while providing a more informal, relaxed window into the world of Spanish and the actual learning of the language.