[quote name='blandstalker']You are not going to learn a language from your DS. The Coach series DS carts are good for what they are -- vocab trainers, and in the case of the Japanese one, a writing assistant. (The Chinese one does writing too, but it's harder.) They are a good supplement for someone who is already learning through some other means.
You're probably also not going to do all that well with a computer program, either. Most programs are the same -- they start with elementary grammar and go through a bunch of lessons and vocabulary that's really limited. It quickly becomes overwhelming for little benefit and most sane people stop.
Want to learn Spanish? Find some people that speak it and hang out with them. Supplement with reading books in Spanish at your level, even if that's children's books.[/QUOTE]
This is true. My girlfriend's first language is Spanish which is why I'm trying to learn as least some. Just got back from 4 weeks in Mexico, you pick some things up when it's what everyone else speaks, what every menu and all of the signs are in.
The problem is that the games are nothing more than vocab for the most part. You can spend hours with it and you'll memorize some vocab, but that's about it, you're not really learning.
If I were creating the software, I'd make it more logical, like how you learn in a class. Start with the pronunciations of the letters in Spanish, it's a lot easier to pronounce words properly when you understand the rules. Then it should focus on vocabulary. Not just the words but the gender and pronouns. And again, the rules for gender. Then conjugating the basic verbs. The putting it together to form basic sentances. Adding in adjectives and how sentance structure works since it's different than English. Have short stories build in to read that utilize what you learn. Or even short videos to watch. Again, make it like how you'd learn in a classroom.