Help > FAQ
Questions in this section include:
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Getting Started
- Is SpanishPod free?
- How does this work and how do I learn Spanish with SpanishPod?
- How do I download podcasts on to my iPod?
- I don’t have an iPod, just a regular mp3 player. How can I play the podcasts using it?
- How many new lessons do you publish each week?
- How do I determine my SpanishPod academic level?
- Is there a mobile version of the site?
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Subscription and Payments
- Which subscription should I choose?
- Where can I pay?
- I don’t have a credit card; are there any other methods of payment?
- How can I get a student discount?
- How can I cancel my recurrent subscription?
- How can I obtain an official invoice?
- Is it possible to get a refund?
- How can I upgrade/downgrade my account?
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Study Tools and Resources
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Community
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Lessons
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Technical Questions
Getting Started
Is SpanishPod free?
We work on a Freemium subscription model. Some of our content is available for free, namely the weekly Newbie-level audio lesson podcasts and our News and Features shows. However, to access our full archive of 400+ lessons, our daily lesson podcasts and accompanying online learning resources, you’ll need to purchase one of our various subscription types. If you haven't yet subscribed, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial and sample all our Premium features. Visit the following link to learn more about our different kinds of subscriptions and prices: Subscription Information
How does this work and how do I learn Spanish with SpanishPod?
SpanishPod works with what we call the ‘Personalized Learning System’. This is not a sequential course of studying, with a beginning and an end. Instead, through our modular system, you can select independent, self-contained lessons to suit your interests and academic level. By studying lessons that touch on a variety of subjects, and cover a comprehensive range of grammar points and vocabulary, you will notice rapid improvement. You’ll progress to handle lessons of a higher academic level before you know it.
For further details, we recommend you to follow our 10 steps method.
http://Spanishpod.com/help/using#1
How do I download podcasts on to my iPod?
Organize and download podcast files to your iPod by following the below instructions:
Step 1: First, configure your RSS link
- Login to your account
- Click through to the 'Lessons' page
- Select the 'Channels' tab to browse the lesson archive, and click on the desired lesson
- Click the ‘bookmark this lesson’ button on the lessons that you are interested to study. These lessons will then be available from the ‘My Lessons’ tab that you can find under the ‘Me’ section. NB: Lessons that appear in the ‘My Lessons’ tab form the lessons in your RSS Feed. (To learn more about the RSS feed, continue to step 2).
Step 2: RSS feed settings
- Now browse over to the 'Me' page
- Click through to your RSS feed 'settings & help' page to select the type of future podcast lessons/shows (and files) that you wish to receive and download via iTunes to your iPod
- The changes on this page are saved and updated automatically.
Step 3: Export the link to iTunes
- Open your iTunes account > click on ‘Advanced’ > select ‘Subscribe to Podcast’
- Paste your personal RSS Feed link (on the ‘Me’ page) in the iTunes box that appears, and hit ‘OK’ or ‘Save’
- Click on the arrow (it should be pointing down) to see the lessons that will be downloaded to your iTunes
- You can either select all the lesson content or just 'dialogue mp3', 'PDF' and 'lesson review mp3' individually
- To select, either click on ‘Get All’ or just click ‘Get’ to the lesson that you want to download (ensure that you are synchronizing your podcasts to your iPod so they won't just save to your computer).
I don’t have an iPod, just a regular mp3 player. How can I play the podcasts using it?
To download files to a regular mp3 player, please download them to your computer first and then transfer them to the mp3 player. To download the files to your computer, follow the instructions below:
- Right-click Download: You can download files directly from the site by going to any of the lesson pages
- Right-click on the desired file from those on the left side column, then click on ‘Save Target As’ (if you are a Firefox user: ‘Save Link As’), and choose the location on your computer in which you'd like to save your file.
Please note: An important difference between using an iPod and a regular mp3 player is that it’s possible to read each lesson’s dialogue transcript on an iPod screen, while you listen to the audio files. With other mp3 players this is not possible.
How many new lessons do you publish each week?
SpanishPod no longer produces new lessons. The 600+ lessons in the SpanishPod archives are available to all subscribers during their subscription period.
How do I determine my SpanishPod academic level?
We offer an Audio Placement Test. To get started with this test just click on the link below:
http://spanishPod.com/resources/testsIs there a mobile version of the site?
If you can access the internet through your mobile phone we offer a special site for you: http://m.spanishpod.com
This site has been modified for quick download and to be readable on a small screen. The mobile site is available only to premium subscribers. On it you can enjoy most of the premium features on the regular website, such as:
- Dialogue Vocabulary and Expansion section
- Conversations Section
- Personal vocabulary list and Flashcards
Subscription and Payments
Which subscription should I choose?
We offer a wide range of subscription types to cater for various types of learners and budgets. To view detailed information about each subscription, click here.
If you are still unsure of which subscription is best suited to you, we recommend that you start with a Basic subscription and then upgrade. You will not be charged anything extra for the upgrade.
Where can I pay?
Online payments can be submitted through the account page. To visit your account page, click on the ‘$’ symbol, available on the top right section of every page of the website. Alternatively, click here.
I don’t have a credit card; are there any other methods of payment?
If you don't have a credit card, don't worry. Please send us an email at sales@praxislanguage.com with details of your location and the payment methods available to you (bank transfer, check etc.). Based on this, we can suggest an alternative solution.
How can I get a student discount?
Students can enjoy a 20% discount on any 6- or 12-month subscription. To claim your student discount, please email us at sales@praxislanguage.com with at least two of the following items:
- A scanned copy of your school ID
- University website/email address
- Class schedule
- .edu email address with your name
We will verify the information and get back to you with the next step.
How can I upgrade/downgrade my account?
At any point during your subscription, you can choose to upgrade/downgrade by visiting the accounts page (to visit your account page, click on the ‘$’ symbol available on the top right section of every page. Or simply click here).
Select the subscription of your choice and the duration, and continue with the normal payment procedure.
If your new choice exceeds the value of your remaining credit, the system will require payment to cover this difference. If there is a remaining amount of credit left after downgrading you’ll have this amount left as Praxis Credits that you may put towards any further purchase.
How can I cancel my recurrent subscription?
To cancel automatic renewals, visit your account information page.
On this page is your outstanding balance, the cancel recurring billing button and account expiry date. Just click on 'cancel recurring billing' to cancel.
Please note that all monthly accounts can be cancelled two days after subscribing and must be cancelled two days before the date of expiry/ renewal.
How can I obtain an official invoice?
To obtain an official invoice for subscription purchases, please email us at support@praxislanguage.com, including your full name along with a mailing address to be included on the invoice.
Is it possible to get a refund?
We provide a full refund within the first 30 days, no questions asked, to those who wish to end their subscription. This excludes Executive and Guided subscriptions, for which the first month of multi-month subscriptions cannot be refunded. Just contact us.
How can I upgrade/downgrade my account?
At any point during your subscription, you can choose to upgrade/downgrade by visiting the accounts page (to visit your account page, click on the ‘$’ symbol available on the top right section of every page. Or simply click here).
Select the subscription of your choice and the duration, and continue with the normal payment procedure.
If your new choice exceeds the value of your remaining credit, the system will require payment to cover this difference. If there is a remaining amount of credit left after downgrading you’ll have this amount left as Praxis Credits that you may put towards any further purchase.
Study Tools and Resources
How to use the Quick Review iPhone app?
We've created a page with a great description of all the app features and a simple explanation on how to use them. Please follow this link to learn all about it: Quick Review App Guide
How do I build a vocabulary list?
On the lesson page, visit the 'vocabulary' tab, select from the listed vocabulary and click on 'save selected vocabulary' button. The selected words will be added to your vocabulary list.
To view/ manage your vocabulary list, visit ‘Me’ page and select the 'Vocabulary' tab.
How can I organize a vocabulary list?
You can do so by labeling the each vocabulary item. The label feature of the vocabulary section of our website is similar to Gmail's label feature.
To create a label, visit the ‘Vocabulary’ tab and click on 'edit label'. Here, at the bottom of the page, you will see an option to create a new label.
To add label to a word, tick the check box next to the word and select a label from the 'apply label' drop down list.
How do I change my flashcards preferences?
To use specific vocabulary for the flashcard or concentration game, select the preferred label from the USE list and format from Test list.
Make sure you click on the 'refresh' button to save the selected preferences.
How do I select my answer in the exercises?
There are different methods to select your answer, depending on the exercise. For ‘matching exercises’, click on the dots next to the answers and connect them. For ‘multiple choice’, just click on your answer, and for ‘listen and type’, just enter your answer in the space provided.
Community
How can I create a group?
On the ‘Community’ page, go to the ‘Groups’ tab and scroll halfway down the page. Click on the button labeled ‘Start a New Group’.
How can I join a group?
Click on the name of the group you’d like to join, and then on the button labeled ‘Apply to Join Group’.
How can I publish a new post?
Click on the ‘Community’ page. Above the list of conversations, you will see a bright red button labeled ‘Write a New Post’.
How can I find my old comments?
You can view all your old comments, or that of other users, by clicking on a username or avatar. There is currently no way to search for a specific comment, however.
How can I find other users?
At the top right-hand side of your screen, below your user information is a drop-down search box. Select ‘Community’, and enter the name of the person you wish to find.
Where do I find lessons for different levels?
The archive of 1200+ lessons is organized into academic levels. To access these, take the following steps:
- Browse over to the 'Lessons' page
- Select the 'Channels' tab to browse through lessons suited to your current academic level
How can I insert a image/video/hyperlink in a comment or post?
- On the discussion section of a lesson page, scroll to the bottom of the comments list until you see ‘Join the Discussion’
- Type your message in the text box
- To link to another page, highlight the relevant word or phrase. Click on the chain link icon, labeled ‘Insert / edit link’
- To insert a picture, click on the box labeled ‘Insert / edit image’. Enter the required information
- To insert a video, click on the box labeled ‘Insert / edit embedded media’ and enter the required information.
Lessons
Where can I find the Lessons?
Based on your lesson preferences, new lessons will be added to your 'My Lessons' list on the ‘Me’ page. You can also see the lessons organized by Channels (academic levels) by clicking the ‘Channels’ tab, found on the ‘Lessons’ page.
How can I edit my lessons preferences?
Set your lesson preferences to subscribe to only those you wish to study
- Login to your account
- Click through to the 'LESSONS' page and, on this, the 'CHANNELS' tab
- Click on the active options, either 'SUBSCRIBE' or 'UNSUBSCRIBE' under each Channel summary (ie. Newbie, Elementary, News & Features) to activate or deactivate your subscription
Please note: If the active option is already marked 'subscribe' and you then click on it, you will unsubscribe and, therefore, podcasts of that channel will not feed into your ‘Me’ page / RSS feed.
How can I get the lessons sent to me?
The lesson files, due to their size and the multiple file types available, cannot be sent to you in email format. However a link to the lesson page and the lesson's downloadable PDF transcript can be sent to you by way of an email notification. By default, your account is configured to receive notifications for all academic levels but you can set your preferences (To learn how, please see 'How can I change the settings for the emails coming from ChinesePod?').
How can I download the lessons?
The simplest way to download a lesson is to visit the specific lesson page and use the right-click download method.
Right-Click Download: Download the lesson file directly from the site by going to any of the lesson pages. Right-click on the desired file from those on the left side column, and then click on 'Save Target As' (If you are a Firefox user: 'Save Link As') and choose the location on your computer in which you'd like to save your file. Here is a screen shot to guide you:
To download multiple lessons, it’s best to use iTunes or any other RSS feed reader. For more information on this, please refer to the question, "How do I download podcasts on to my iPod?"
Technical Questions
What's an RSS feed?
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) has the ability to distribute specific content to you when and where you want it. SpanishPod integrates RSS to the site to deliver the podcasts along with (blog, lessons, forum) comments straight into your computer.
Text, images, audio and video can all be incorporated into RSS. For example, when a new podcast is published on the site or a person on your watchlist RSS makes a comment, the RSS feeds can automatically notify you of the changes. RSS feeds helps keep you up-to-date on podcasts, news, information and blog posts, making you more knowledgeable and productive, both at work and at home.
Understanding RSS can be a little daunting at first but it is relatively easy to learn. You can spot a RSS by its universal symbol:
Our website employs two types of RSS feeds: text and audio (podcasts).
We offer two kinds of RSS feed to get the lessons files:
- 1. Public RSS Feed: This is a free feed that you can get through iTunes or any podcatcher (i.e. Juice and Odeo) and will give you the latest 20 Newbie lessons. Also it will provide you with future newbie lesson by default but there is no possibility of setting up a personal configuration as this is the public feed.
- 2. Personal RSS Feed: You can do a configuration of a personalized feed so you can get the kind of files that interest you the most. By following 3 simple steps you can get this working and start receiving just the files you want plus all of the old files on the same category. You can find the configuration page by clicking on the "Settings & Help" button that you can find on the right side bar of the Me section. Once this is done, copy your personal feed address, open iTunes, go to Advanced>Subscribe to Podcast... and paste your feed address there.
Please Note: You can bookmark a SpanishPod lesson you wish to study, to include it in your Personal RSS Feed. Whenever you click 'bookmark', the related lesson is placed into the Lesson Archive of your 'ME' page. All Active lessons in your Archive are fed to your iTunes automatically.
To follow a SpanishPod watchlist/conversation, blog or forum feed, you can survey the different RSS readers available on the net, such as Google reader, Bloglines, and Feed Demon. Many internet browsers such as Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer also now come with built in RSS readers as well.
What's wrong with my flash player?
In order to access the exercises, hear the audio clips or use the flashcards & concentration game, you must have the appropriate Macromedia Flash Player installed for your operating system and browser. Click here to download the latest Flash Player from the Macromedia website.
