Spanish for beginners cdrom: games

Questions about how to play the games (exercises) on this cdrom:

• What sort of games can I play with this cdrom? You can play:
• Speaking games: where you record in Spanish the word or sentence that you see on the screen in English and then compare your pronunciation with that of the native speaker.
• Listening games: where you are asked to identify the picture that we're talking about in Spanish.
• El / la games: these are listening games where you're asked whether the Spanish word you hear is an 'el' or a 'la' word.
• Reading games: where you link a Spanish word or sentence with its English translation.
• Writing games: where you type in the Spanish words you hear, and then get feedback on what you've typed in.
• Catching games: where you have to catch the picture that we're talking about in Spanish, before it disappears from the screen.
• Do I get to know whether my answers are right or wrong? Yes, after every answer, you get a good or a bad point on the score panel, which is permanently on the screen throughout the game.
• How long does each game last? Each game consists of 12 Spanish questions and answers. The games where you play against the clock (like the catching games and many listening games) are fast, they last about a minute. Others, like the writing and reading games, are up to you because they only give you the next question when you press return.
• Can I repeat the games? Yes, you can repeat the games as many times as you want, so you can learn and review the Spanish material while you play.
• How many games are there in total? There are 225 different games on this cdrom to learn Spanish with.
• Are there any instructions for the games? Yes, all games come with their own instructions in English. To get a glimpse of the games instructions, click here.
• When I repeat a game, do I get the same questions or do they change? Every time you repeat a game, the Spanish questions you get are different, so you can learn Spanish well and fast.
• Do I get to know whether my answers are right or wrong? Yes, after every answer, you get the right Spanish words on the screen, and you can hear them.
• Will the speaking games help me speak better Spanish? Yes. In the speaking games you record in Spanish the word or sentence that you see on the screen in English and then compare your pronunciation with that of the native speaker. The time you get to record yourself is limited, like when you're talking to a real person.
• I find the speaking games too fast. What can I do to master them? Play them over and over, until you can say your twelve answers in the time we've given you.
• What sort of listening game am I going to play? You'll play listening games where you're asked to identify the picture we're talking about, or the one we're not talking about. There are also listening games where you're asked whether the picture you see on the screen matches what you hear in Spanish, and 'el/la' games where you hear a word and have to say whether it's an 'el' or a 'la' word.
• Will the listening games help me understand people better? Yes. The listening games make you practice hearing Spanish without seeing the words, which is how you improve your ability to understand people talking.
• Will the reading games help me read faster in Spanish? Yes. In the reading games you're asked to identify Spanish words or sentences and their translations, which is an ideal way of making sure you understand what you're reading.
• What are the writing games for? The writing games help you practice how to write words in Spanish without making mistakes, including the accents and capital letters. These games give you general rules about Spanish spelling.
• Do I get feedback in the writing games? Yes. Whenever you give an answer, the computer tells you letter by letter whether it's right or wrong. If wrong, it gives you the right answer, and also a general rule about spelling, if appropriate.
• Does the computer keep the score for the games I've played in previous sessions? Yes. The computer keeps a user's scores indefinitely until that user is deleted. To get a glimpse of the scores, click here.
• How many users can have their scores kept at the same time? Five
• When I repeat a game, what happens to the score? The computer keeps your highest score for each game, regardless of whether that's your new score or the old one. When you finish a game, you can see whether your new score is a high score or not. If it's not, the computer will show you briefly your previous high score next to your lower score.
• Where can I find my scores? You'll find all your scores in the index, next to the chapters' names. To get a glimpse of the scores, click here.
• Can the scores of all users be seen at the same time? No, you can only see the scores of the user that's logged in at the time.

Spanish set phrase
Coger a alguien con las manos en la masa

English literal translation
To catch someone with the hands in the dough

English equivalent
To catch someone red-handed