NOTE: If you sign up now for the newsletter, you’ll receive the link to the eBook along with the confirmation e-mail.
Everything these days costs money. Benny charges $59 for his guide on “language hacking”, Khatzumoto kindly asks you to send him $15.95 per month to get access to his exclusive language/Japanese learner forum, and now John of Foreign Language Mastery has published an eBook on learning Japanese, which he happily sends to you if you send him $39.
That’s a lot of money if you all want to get this goodness of language gurus’ advice.
Do you need it? No, not really. Even Khatzumoto tries(?) to discourage you from buying his products. He even admits they suck. But if in some weird way you like his posts, well, then you maybe should buy his stuff.
I’m not bashing anyone; making money is good
Don’t get me wrong. If I had anything to add to this blog, I would actually write some fancy eBook and put it online for a killer price. I mean, I’m a college student and I like to party, so some extra cash would always come in handy.
But I’m lazy, and I don’t really think I have anything to add. Sure, I have over 700 RSS subscribers, sure my newsletter is doing fine, but I don’t think that much of myself. Actually, I’m pretty much a random guy who says stuff hundreds of people have said before him.
I’m not special, so I’m not going to take your money.
Money is overrated
You see, both my girlfriend and I are poor. Both of us study, and yet we’re happy. Money is overrated. As long as you have family and friends and good health, and aren’t dirt poor, life is good. Hm, now that I think of it, maybe I’ve been infected by this thing called the Holiday Spirit.
Not that I’m never going to try to sell you anything, because that would be dangerous. There’s always the possibility I’ll be short of cash and need to scam you. There’s always the possibility that I’ll come up with something that really adds value to your learning process, and is worth some cold hard cash. But even then I’d offer it at a price I could pay.
Still, I think we’ve been scammed long enough. Not that I think Khatzumoto, Benny, or John are scamming people, but many others did and do. Too much money has been lost on textbooks, grammar books, electronic courses, real life courses, trips to Spain, etc. I’m sick and tired of it.
A gift. From me for you
You should take advantage of me as long as I’m in the holiday spirit. Even though I’m pretty rotten inside, and I’d be a cruel dictator if I had the chance, I still do good from time to time.
Now that time has arrived! It’s time to give you a present, all at the premium price of $0!
That’s right. I’m going to sell my soul and give you a piece of it. All for zero dollars and zero cents.
But there’s a catch. Because I’m going all out emo with this stuff, it’s not for everyone’s eyes. There’s a certain discretion involved. You see, I decided to write down my whole life story process of how I learned Spanish. It’s emotional, it’s shocking, and it has never been shown before.
So that’s why I’m only going to share my story with my newsletter subscribers.
And the name of the guide?
The Poor Bastard’s Guide to Learning Spanish
(or: How I Learned Spanish)
Of course, everything I say can be applied to any language on earth. But for my dearest readers (read: the newsletter subscribers) I’ve only concentrated on learning Spanish. After all, I’m saying how I learned Spanish within two years.
If you happen to think I’m an egocentric fuck up, you should immediately unsubscribe from my newsletter, because on December 30th every subscriber will receive a freshly baked PDF file in his or her mailbox.
In case you’re not yet a subscriber: not all is lost. Not yet at least. You can still subscribe to the newsletter by using the signup box in the sidebar.
And remember: it’s all for FREE!
In case you love me: a donation button
Now, it’s very well possible that even after giving me your e-mail address so that I can legally send you spam messages, you might still have money left after the holidays and want to give me some of it.
Now mate, YOU CAN! I’ve kindly added a donation button at the end of the post, and will kindly add another option at the end of the free eBook I’m going to send you.
Of course, I’m not going to force you to send me anything, as a kind e-mail is enough. But in case you have some loose change lying around, I’m happy to receive it on my Paypal account.
¡Gracias de antemano!
The Gentlemanly Alpha-Gentleman’s Guide to Language Learning Part II: Pick Your Poison
Help a Poor Student: Spanish Only Store
Language program review: Learning Spanish Like Crazy
Learning a Language Is Like Running a Marathon
Making mistakes in language learning? Yea or nay?
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{ 70 comments… read them below or add one }
Last month I published The Polyglot Project, a book containing over 500 pages written entirely by YouTube Polyglots and language learners. It is available completely free of charge (although there is a hard copy–which is identical to the free version–available on Amazon for those who want one). Benny, Laoshu, Mike Campbell and 40 others have contributed to the book. Here is the link to my YouTube Channel which contains the link for the free download: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Z6Esovj4o
Thanks. Normally I'd mark this as "spam" but I know it adds something for my readers so I'll leave your comment alone
.
I didn't have time yet to read it myself, so I can't write a post about it yet. Maybe in the future.
Thank you. John of Foreign Language Mastery has also contributed a fine piece to the book, as has Steve Kaufmann. There is much in there which I think your readers will find useful (and the price is right!).
Thanks for saying out loud what I have been thinking. Benny is a total scam, and I'm really disappointed in khatzumoto. I used to donate to ajatt and I even bought the first thing he released, as kind of a thank-you, but lately it's just been ridiculous.
Awww…
Did you buy something thinking you'd honestly be speaking a language perfectly in 3 months? 'Zat why you're so mad? Because I can't think of another reason you'd get so upset.
In any case, why not just accept the fact that you're not his (or khatzumoto's) target audience and move on?
Well put.
I don't agree with everything Benny says, but having read his guide (something I suggest people do before calling it a "scam") I can assure you it does have a lot of useful tips on learning languages more quickly. And though I am obviously biased (since he is promoting my guide, too) I can't understand why you would be disappointed in Khatz for sharing useful resources. You don't have to buy them, but what's wrong with suggesting helpful tools?
The list of scam artist is growing. So far we have:
Benny
Steve Kaufmann
John Fotheringham
khatzumoto
.
:
:
Who would you add to this list?
Just because someone sells something, doesn't mean he is a scammer. I've read John's guide, and it's worth the money I can say.
I already replied to this comment above (Mike posted the same comment twice in two different places), but thank you Ramses for helping to add some objective feedback here. I'm glad you enjoyed the guide, but even if you hated it, at least you actually read it before forming an opinion about it (unlike many of the other folks posting here).
While annoying, I take baseless, hate-filled criticisms as a sign that I am doing something right. Whenever you do something of importance, a small but loud group of angry crazies always tries to pull you down.
I’m totally with you on the unimportance of money and I love that you’re putting together this thing that’s got just tons and tons of value in it and giving it away to people so you can help them, you’re doing the absolutely right thing and if more people in this world would act that way, would just GIVE value freely, it would be a FAR better place. My site is for my own personal enjoyment (I enjoy teaching, in fact I would honestly say that I LOVE teaching people and seeing them succeed with my help), almost entirely non-profit (I think I have literally ONE affiliate link to a book on Amazon that I like) and will never be used as an income source or a “business”–its first and foremost purpose is helping people. I don’t mind recommending a product that I really, REALLY like via a single, non-intrusive affiliate link if, as you pointed out above with that polyglot project thing, I think that it will really add a lot of VALUE (the most important criteria) to my readers and will genuinely help them, but I’ve already decided I’m never running ads of any kind nor am I going to try to concoct a product of my own to sell.
Also, not directed at you, Ramses, but I don’t know why there are so many Benny-haters on here, I really think a lot of it is jealousy and frustration by a lot of people who see someone who claims to be able to learn a language in 3 months and because they’ve put a ton of effort into learning a language before and didn’t even come close to accomplishing that [fluency in 3 months] because they didn’t know what the hell they were doing, they presume no one else could possibly do that and therefore must be lying. Stupid, that’s the only proper word to describe that. I’ve got no problem with his e-book or the fact that he’s making money from his site, there’s nothing wrong with that in the least. Also, the most important factor, is that based on his posts the great majority of his advice that I’ve read, in my opinion and based on my experience, is dead-on. That’s what really counts, he knows his stuff.
I’ll gladly sign up for your newsletter and I look forward to seeing what’s coming on the 30th. Also, do you have any other languages besides Spanish that you’re interested in tackling? I seem to recall something about Portuguese, just curious.
Cheers,
Andrew
"Also, not directed at you, Ramses"
Why don't you say who you *are* referring to then, instead of just throwing it out generally? I disagree with this part of your post mainly because input doesn't need "a ton of effort" – well at least it shouldn't. It should just be about absorbing naturally, and enjoying it while you do. Benny is charming, but I'm a skeptic about his methods and if that makes me a jealous hater, then so be it. I'd rather that than be credulous.
I'm also looking forward to the pdf Ramses!
I’m directing it at the people (there are more than one, no I haven’t bother noting their names) who come on here and irrationally hate on the guy every chance they seem to get (politely pointing out that you disagree with his methods is totally different and perfectly fine). Ramses doesn’t do that, sometimes he criticizes Benny’s techniques, but you’ll notice that they both comment on each other’s blogs (in a civilized manner, typically), follow each other on Twitter, and generally respect each other–THAT is why I made it clear that I wasn’t directing it at Ramses, because I wanted to make clear that I wasn’t confusing his criticisms of Benny for disrespect, rudeness, or trolling.
Being skeptical that his methods are the best way to do things and expressing that opinion (politely) is fine, but screaming “Scammer!!! Liar!! He’s a fake!!” like some people have done (no clue if you have or not) is just silly and immature. Make a rational argument with logic, in a respectful and mature manner, don’t spout off like a retarded 12 year-old (again, that’s not directed at you if you haven’t done that).
Cheers,
Andrew
, but screaming "Scammer!!! Liar!! He's a fake!!" like some people have done (no clue if you have or not) is just silly and immature
Benny could easily prove that he's not a liar/scammer if he made some videos featuring him speaking in all his languages in a spontaneous and fluent way (like poliglotta80 on youtube). However for some reason he hasn't done it yet. Why? I'll tell you why. Because the only language that he is fluent in is English. I'm not a Benny-hater, I just think he's a dishonest person and he should consider starting a new career in marketing because that's the thing he's really good at.
"Benny could easily prove that he's not a liar/scammer if he made some videos featuring him speaking in all his languages in a spontaneous and fluent way (like poliglotta80 on youtube). However for some reason he hasn't done it yet."
I agree with you, this is why I'm skeptical about it too. All the same, if I was Benny I wouldn't loose sleep over the youtube video thing because enough people believe him without it anyway so what's the point? Besides, there's gotta be at least 30% Idiot Tax on that ebook…
You're right, Ramses, you do not NEED to buy any product, course, book, class, or language guide (including mine). But I do believe that some "learn how to learn" products are worth the money. It all depends on what value you give each hour of your time. Personally, I'd rather pay $39 for something that will show me the way and save me hundreds of hours searching for effective methods, materials, and tools. But if someone can't afford my guide (and I know that some really can't), they can always spend the time combing through the mountains of free content available today. What I can't understand are people who complain about the cost of a materials that will actually do them LOTS of good, but don't blink an eye at spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on formal classes that will do them virtually NO good.
John, I completely agree. And as matter of fact, I think your guide is worth every penny it costs. After reading it through, it really is a joy to read the guide and maybe it's everything one will need to learn a language (not just Japanese). I'm pretty sure I'll write a post about it soon, but first I'll promote my own free guide
(which just covers a fraction of what you've covered in your guide).
Thank you, Ramses. I look forward to reading your guide as well.
You got that wrong. John's ideas are old and outdated. His Chinese skill are OK, but nothing that can't be done by anyone with one or two years at most of study. He sounds too bookish though. Not as bad as Steve Kaufmann, but still bookish.
Don't waste your time or money. There is nothing there.
I probably shouldn't take the bait, but the blatant inaccuracy of your comment forces my fingers to type a response.
Old and outdated? Bookish? That is quite interesting since everything I am about goes against traditional, book-based approaches of old. Are you confusing me with someone else?
How do you know what my Chinese skills are? I don't recall having a conversation with you in Mandarin… Regardless, the guide is about JAPANESE, not Chinese.
And how do you know "there is nothing there" if you haven't read the guide? Whether it is worth the money is up to each reader, but I can assure you that it is not a "waste of time", and will in fact save many Japanese learners a great many hours (which can be applied to actually learning the language) that would otherwise be wasted trying to figure out on their own what methods work, selecting good tools, and choosing interesting, effective materials.
Thanks Ramses! I've just signed up! I've never actually paid for many language things as I can find most stuff off the internet for free anyway.
You're welcome. But personally I'm not a fan of this "everything for free" mentality. After all, most things just cost money and time to produce, and are worth the price. So why wouldn't you reward someone for making something you have good use of?
This guide took me quite some time to write, edit, etc. I love doing it, but I totally understand it if people want to see some money for all their hard work. Just saying…
Yeah, I understand. What I meant by *most* stuff for free was that for example, some of the stuff Benny will say in his guide will be stuff I've heard before, like learning a language to music. If I pick up a course from a bookshop, the vast majority of the stuff in there will be made for beginners, and as such, I can find the phrases and grammar on the internet or in podcasts. I will however pay for a course as a small introduction to a language, so I know how it works (I paid £17 for Paul Noble Spanish and recently £10 for a course in Russian) or if I see some foreign language movies then I will go and pay for those. Other than that, if we are all learning languages, we should help each other as much as possible. I haven't paid for LingQ because there is the free option and I just plug all the words into a flashcard app on my iPod. In short, I don't pay whenever there is a free option (and I don't have a credit card or paypal, because of my age).
Thanks for the reply. It was very civil and I appreciate it.
Watch TV for a while, then read a lot for a while, then SRS, then speak. The order can be rearranged. But the main message is simply spent time with your language as much as possible.
Whether they charge anything or not. I think language learning blogs do a huge disservice to the actual learning in that people get lost in the world of language learning rather than the world of their particular language endeavor.
I think we need more testimonies of regular people who've learned languages rather than you specifically Ramses. We already know you're a language learning God. We don't need constant confirmation of it! People like to imitate. There's something about reading a great five star review of a product by a regular joe that can readily change your mind about a product you were at first ambivalent towards. Imagine FIVE 5-star reviews in a row!
While you've given some great advice, it's Matt and Kurisu(commenter) that sparked the most enthusiasm in my language learning endeavors. "Those average Joes can do it? so can I!" I was always convinced that watching TV was effective for language learning, but it's really Matt and Kurisu that made me kick it to full gear from watching here and there to watching everyday, and even getting a dedicated monitor for my Spanish media.
Same for Khatzumoto. Great guy(genius if you ask me), great posts. But the posts of his that I remember most vividly are those of people who've been successful with AJATT. Mostly because there is a human being behind the idea rather than just an idea. When one person does it, it's still an idea; the person is some kind of God(you). But when you're seeing average Joes doing it left and right with great success, you simply have to jump in on it.
Saving money and being frugal is a great concept. But I prefer to think of my boss who is in his 80s, relatively healthy, comes to work everyday, drives a pretty modest car, no frills. Dude is loaded (tens of millions loaded) but you'd never know.
I personally don't like getting up at 6-7 am and working out, especially in below zero weather, with snow outside. But I know Tyson did it. I know Fedor does it. Probably colder in Ukraine than here.
I know it's not cool to read anymore, especially when doing it is your main recreation instead of getting blasted on Friday night through Sunday nights. I don't need silly ideas like "knowledge is power" circling my head. I need other people who've also done what I'm doing.
Imitation is a powerful thing. My little sister is now watching films and TV shows in French even though she doesn't understand a thing. I didn't really sit her down and explain to her that "input is better than output." Thank God. I hate being preaching. She popped into my room every now and then and I guess she got hooked. My dad never got hooked though even though he's going to be working in Latin America soon. I'm not offended. Maybe he just couldn't relate specifically to my experience.
Also, my mom is now eating healthier thanks to my own changes in diet. She's older than me by a lot, you would think she would've caught on. Maybe she DID catch on to the idea, but she never caught on to a human being behind the idea.
A lot of people can start acting merely on an idea, but I suspect most of us need humans to cling on to in order to being acting. Some people perhaps clinged onto you specifically and that's what jump started their Spanish. Some people keep coming back to the blog hoping perhaps something you write might jumpstart their Spanish journey. Someone perhaps will never be able to cling on to you specifically as an inspiration. It's nothing personal. It's just that we all relate differently to other people's experiences. No matter how clearly you put forward a reasonably sound concept, a specific percentage of your audience will not be able to relate.
Solution: Have more people on here talk about their Spanish experiences in addition to you. Bringing Matt in was a great idea.
All bugs are shallow when many eyes look at the code. Some silly saying like that. All problems are shallow with many eyes looking at the situation. Whatever, I've typed too much.
Great comment! Please, tell me more about this Matt guy…
Seriously, thanks. Lately I've been busy listening to French audiobooks and music while renovating a condo, so I haven't had time to post here, but it was awesome to drop in and read a comment like this.
Also, you should start doing tons of pushups and see if your whole family starts doing pushups, because that would be rad. Thanks for commenting!
If you want a real inspirational story of someone who reached REAL native fluency then you read the story of Julien Gaudfroy. He is originally from France, but now lives in China and has his own T.V. show. A few years back people were talking about him on a language blog and someone decided to track him down. So he decided to make some post and answer peoples questions about how he became fluent.
The link below is where where they first their discussion about him and post some videos of him on some talk show in China. A few pages down is where he joins the conversation.
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_…
What are you trying to say? That other language bloggers didn't reach "real" native like fluency?
It seems that people look up to people who have learned one or more foreign languages to fluency, expecting to hear something new. The truth is, there is no magic method and most things you'll hear from them successful language learners has been said by others long before.
Seize the opportunity when you have it to learn a language, and stop talking about all these language methods or which one is better. This is what a commenter here said already, and I wholeheartedly agree.
"What are you trying to say? That other language bloggers didn't reach "real" native like fluency? "
In Chinese, NOT ONE!
Unless it's their mother language. In other languages, I don't know. I've learned Chinese to fluency over the course of several years, but It's not native. I know my shortcomings. I've starting to branch out to other languages and trying different approaches. Spanish is something that I've heard all my life, but never picked up. I know it's in me somewhere and I'm trying to find a way to bring it out. So far I think the ALG method is on target, but they aren't teaching the languages I'm interested in.
As for your site, I think it's interesting and I found the method battles amusing. I've never heard you speak and don't know your level of fluency. But my post was in response to fairykarma's request. It wasn't meant to offend.
Somewhere on this blog there's an audio clip of me speaking Spanish (I published it about 1-1.5 year back, when I had memorized a short story and recorded myself reciting the text). Can't remember the exact post, but you can at least judge my pronunciation. I never bothered to record more, because people who speak to me on Skype know I speak Spanish fluently.
As for Chinese: I think John of WooChinese.com is fluent in Chinese, as are some other people who blog/record videos and put them on Youtube.
Only in three sentences I can say that Julien speaks fluent and native-like Manderin. There're many people on Youtube who speak Manderin with an amazing accent. But by far no one can really capture that special Chinese notion as well as this guy.
When are we to expect this guide by the way?
Ah, ignore that comment. I'm just impatient and my internet is slow. It's really good quality, especially for something that is free. Thanks again.
So it arrived? O_o I got no copy of it and I've already checked the spam folder .__.
I received last site's update, but not the guide é.è
Uff -.-
You don't receive the guide as an attachment, but you will see a link in the e-mail you have to click to download it. Didn't you get that e-mail on the 30th? If you signed up afterwards, when did you sign up?
I received an email on the 29th in order to confirm my subscription and another on the 04/01 with the latest post on SO (so my subscription was ok).
BUT NOW I can't remember if my confirmation by the link in the first message was on the 29 (so there is a problem) or on the 30th (maybe one minute after you sent your message?).
=__=
Puedo pedir otro correo con el enlace? Si no es posible, seguiré viviendo, pero envidiando a los otros .__. Gracias lo mismo >.<
The list of scam artist is growing. So far we have:
Benny
Steve Kaufmann
John Fotheringham
khatzumoto
.
:
:
Who would you add to this list?
I don't get it, Mike. How am I or any of these guys "con artists"? Does charging money for something of value make my product a "scam"? If so, then I guess my computer is a "scam" because they wouldn't let me walk out of the store with it unless I paid the retail price.
And how do you have any idea of my book's value if you haven't read it?
I would add Edward Trimnell to that list. He's always hawking his book on language learning, but doesn't prove he has learned one himself. Comments are not allowed on his Youtube videos so there is no way of asking him to prove himself.
Mike,
Perhaps you could step from behind your wall of internet anonymity and actually 1) point out exactly what, in your view, makes me or my fellow language bloggers "scam artists", 2) suggest better methods and tools that can help learners reach their goals (of course, that would actually required READING our stuff before bashing it), 3) include a profile link to your blog or site that shows an obviously FREE set of materials much better than what Khatz, Steve, Benny or I have created, or 4) continue to sling poo in secret.
Up to you, sir.
I find it entertaining that all the negative comments on this blog (and others like it) come from anonymous posters who seem more interested in attacking others than HELPING others. If you actually have something valid to say, you'd link to your blog, Twitter feed, messenger pigeon farm, etc.
Jerry Dai is an other one of those scam artist. He rips off people trying to learn English. He say he has a perfect North American accent, but when he speaks it sound funny and his grammar is terrible.
What about Ramses? I've never heard him speak. All he does is make claims about how good his Spanish is, but he never proves it. I bet if he ever does make a video of him in a conversation with someone we will find that he is just as lame as all of these other frauds. As the saying goes:
Those who know do, those who don't teach.
Oh hahaha, I'm not going to answer that. Search this blog and you'll find some proof. I have several audio recordings in which you can hear I'm fluent, just no videos. Sue me for not having a good camera.
But of course I'm a scammer, because I claim to speak Spanish fluently and sell stuff on the way. Oh wait, I don't sell ANYTHING. Stop whining and start learning.
And those who can't do either bitch about it from the sidelines.
That's it I'm convinced, Ramses is full of it. An audio file proves nothing. It could be anybody. A face has to go with it. Who know maybe the face of his avatar is not really his. So let's get this straight, you can afford to spend the time updating this website. take pictures for this site. Constantly respond to comment (using a blackberry or something) and probably receive donations, but can't seem to manage to put up a simple video to prove yourself?
You know, I think that's a pretty good con. I think I'm going to start my own language learning website. First I'll find an audio of someone that is fluent in Spanish and a random picture to go with it. Then I'll spend maybe one or two years building up the site ( you have to bring in the fools). Then when I really have them fooled I'll start off offering free "special insider" information. Slowly but surely I'll start charging and before you know it I'll have my money making con running full speed ahead.
Thanks Ramses, I have seen the light.
You don't know what I look like, so maybe I just hired a Spaniard to say he's me and let him record a video. Who would know? If you're really convinced I'm a scam, you should stop reading my blog right away and move on.
On the other hand, people have become fluent in different languages, just the way I became fluent. I don't care what people think, I only care about their results. If you like to bash me and my readers I'm happy to give out an ip ban, so that you can move on to another site. If you're really interested about results you have to try it yourself anyway.
And about the donations: I received ONE donation, and this is the FIRST time I give people the chance to give me something back. Before that I've provided free information for almost 3 years, and I continue to offer everything for free.
Stop being a hater and get the heck fluent.
"Before that I've provided free information for almost 3 years, and I continue to offer everything for free.
"
But for how long? Yes, you are a fake! I'll come back from time to time just to find out when you start charging.
Oh, by the way, I can't be ip blocked, I use a rotating proxy.
Let the money roll in.
Of course you do, because this is probably not the only blog you bash people. I know your kind of people, and you're never satisfied. Why won't you just spend some more time more time learning your target language instead of insulting people? I'm not charging anything, nor will I charge money for information. I might launch a product which helps you learn Spanish, but I won't sell information.
And if I do, who are you to judge me? If I look at John he has provided something that's worth the money. If you don't want to buy his guide, you're still free to enjoy the free content on his blog.
Great List.
The order is right too.
Hey Ramses, Happy New Year! How can I get a copy of your article on how you learned Spanish? I thought that I signed up but maybe I made a mistake? A friend of mine just got back from Holland and he told me that everyone's english there is amazing. I wonder how they do it? Are you from Holland? Best wishes, Jerry B
I'm from the Netherlands, yes. And everyone's English is amazing? Not really… It's not amazing, it's just average.
"John of WooChinese.com"
No not native. Pretty good, but no where near native.
As for "people who blog/record videos and put them on Youtube", please give me one example of a foreigner that blogs about language learning and has reached a "real" native like fluency in Chinese and has put their video on Youtube.
They do not exist.
The people on Youtube that speak Chinese like natives don't blog about language learning. The use the language for whatever they do in life.
What are trying to say anyway? I'm a bit lost about why you're pushing this "language bloggers suck in Chinese" thing…
Not really trying to push anything. I was just offering a link. You just caught on to something I said and we've seemed to have snow balled from there. I use the Chinese blogs because that's what I know.
Peace!
Hm ok, never mind then
He DOES have such videos. Have you even tried looking?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY1b513hIto&fe…
Yes, thanks I've seen that months ago. If that looks spontaneous to you then ok.
Happy new year!
"I might launch a product which helps you learn Spanish"
I knew it!
So how much will this "wonderful product" of yours cost? Will it cost as much as Benny's or will there be an "Insider's" price?
Stay tuned folks, the bird is showing his true colors.
Oh Cindy (if that's your real name, which I doubt), how ignorant are you and apparently you've never really read this blog well. I've been working on a sentence pack for some months now, and will be offering it for about $5 when I'm ready. If you'd read this blog more carefully, you would've known that.
Also, I've borrowed a webcam and will soon post a video in which I'm speaking Spanish fluently. I'm expecting you to bash me again when it comes out, claiming it's not me in the video but a Spaniard I hired.
Actually I expect you to have an accent. I suspect you might be functionally fluent but not much more than that. Something like Penelope Cruz or Antonio Banderas when they speak English.
You better up your price, Benny is probably making a fortune on his product.
You can't compare what I'm making and Benny's product. Benny is selling a guide on learning, I'm preparing something you can use in your Spanish studies.
What ever, you both are SELLING! Making that money.
I'll be waiting for the video of your proof. I wonder how long that's going to take. I suspect it's going to take a long time.
So making money is bad. Hm, ok. Wonder what you for a living. I guess they don't pay you, because it's bad to pay your bills and stuff.
And because you like to hate, I went ahead and made a short video: http://vimeo.com/18392226
I actually planned to make a longer video, edit it and everything, about my resolutions for this year. But because some like to hate I publish a portion of it right now.
OK, I saw the video and I would say I honestly believe you are legit, but there is something about your accent or your pace that is not sitting right with me. If it's suppose to be a castilian accent that could be it or maybe you seem to over enunciate some words.
Anyway, good luck on your product and stop being so easy to provoke.
Just having a bad day, but more and more haters seem to flee to this blog.
As for my accent: I normally speak with an "acento murciano", and don't pronounce every sound. But for this video I wanted everyone to be able to understand me, so I tried to speak more clearly.
I think you signed up for the updates via e-mail, and not the newsletter? Because after the 30th I haven't send out any other newsletter.
And so, let me say: olé!
Surely, I did it. The orange box under the newsletter's subscriction caught my eyes and I signed up only to the updates =.=
Now, I have no words…. .__.
What a stupid human being I am -.-
(and now you have to say: nooo, you are a so nice little girl with little visual problems, but we still love you… or something similar) -.-
I made mistakes and lost your time ._.
Well, did you receive the guide now? Otherwise I'll e-mail you the link.
Me gustarìa mucho recibir el enlace.
Puedes ver mi correo en claro en en mensaje, o ¿es necesario escribirlo aquì?
[Escribiendo entiendo cada vez más que no practico inglés y español desde hace una vida y he olvidado todo lo que aprendía. Cada frase, un horror gramatical, y ¡en un sitio sobre los idiomas! Lo siento mucho...]
Dang….I believed you from the start, but you just really inspired me. I am going as a missionary to Mexico in a few years, Lord willing, and I want to be as "fluent" as possible before reaching Mexico. Your blog has inspired me to look beyond all the books and tapes and junk and focus on consuming as much Mexican Spanish as possible. Thanks! Also, I wanted to check out the e-book but missed the registration deadline. Anyway I still still get a copy? Thanks!
Just register for the newsletter and you should get the link in your mailbox.