Pimsleur - Why I am not its Fan
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2012
- Pimsleur is popular with many people, but not with me. I explain why. Basically not enough words, and not a way I like to spend my learning time.
0:15 Phrasebook false promises.
2:02 What you can do after 100 hours of practice.
2:48 Where do you get with Pimsleur approach?
3:40 Big thing in learning languages.
4:21 2 crucial drawbacks of Pimsleur.
4:56 Number of hours for language input matters.
5:55 Pimsleur gets people started.
6:11 It doesn’t really matter what we do for language learning.
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The Pimsleur method is truly scientific. The constant repetition is annoying but it accelerates learning by getting your brain accustomed to the sounds. I taught myself Spanish and I find the Pimsleur method to be absolutely fantastic. it's very scientific to the point that Pimsleur clearly understood how the brain processes information and retains it by repetition and recall. The Pimsleur method is exactly how I'd envisioned a language can be learned rapidly in terms of speech. it's scientific.
idk I prefer duolingo
Duolingo doesnt hold a candle to Pimsleur. The audio is way worse, theres a lot of sentences that dont make sense..
I don't find repetition annoying at all! I like multiple languages, so I downloaded Croatian, Spanish and Japanese and now trying to learn Greek! I'm not fluent in any of them, because I haven't spent enough time on either. But I've found it very engaging and challenging when out of nowhere they'd ask you something you learned a while ago! And that's the key!
That random access you have to do to remember the words and sentences, makes it stick!
@रोलांडो क्वेबा duolingo does not focus on speaking a language at all there's alot of writing some reading whole point is to speak
I'd say all methods work. Pimsleur is fantastic for repetition and excels while you are driving or cooking. You just let it go and soak up whatever you do. Then you just listen to cartoons, shows, news etc...just have input all the time so you learn " how" to use the language and the subtleties of that language.
Well, I like Pimsleur but I know that it won't do all the work for me, that I need to look for others supplements, but Pimsleur alone is a masterpiece in my self learning process. Greetings!
exactly my thought!
First off, Pimsleur does not take "hundreds of hours" - 90x30=2700/60=45, so that's 45 hours. From what you are saying, I very much doubt you have actually gone through the complete 90 lessons. Either that or you have some kind of learning disability.
I have used Pimsleur for Spanish, and Arabic and found it to be the best way to get very quickly up to speed. Native speakers were amazed that I'd been studying for only a few month. The best thing about Pimsleur is that I don't hesitate when I talk, I don't have to stop and translate in my head and I commit very few grammatical errors. After completing the program I was able to make very quick progress in these languages and am now completely fluent in Spanish and proficient in Arabic (working on Russian Level 1 now).
¿puedes decir eso en español? :D
Your math is off. There are very few people that qre toing to remember qnd retain 80% of a Pimsleur lesson after hearing it only one time. Actually I think most people will need to listen to a lesson two or three times to retain 80% of what they have heard and practiced if they have no other experience with the language. It can easily take a couple of hundred hours to gain 80% proficiency if you are doing a multilevel Pimsleur course.
Daniel Stark Si, lo que dije es lo siguiente: Pimsleur no toma cientos de horas - 90 por 30 es igual a 45. Por lo que has dicho, dudo mucho que has completado los noventa lecciones de Pimsleur. He usad Pimsleur para Espanol y Arabe y he encontrado que es la mejor manera para llegar rapidamente a un buen nivel. Nativos han quedado asombrados que solo he estado estudiando algunos meses. Lo mejor de Pimsleur es que no hesito quado hable, no tengo que que parar y traducir en mi mente y comito pocos erores gramaticales. Luego de haber completado el programa pude avancar rapidamente en estos lenguas y ya estoy completamente "fluido" en espanol, proficiente en arabe (y estoy trabajando sobre ruso, nivel uno). Not perfect I know, but impressive none the less considering.
sciedpower I don't equate simple listening to a Pimsleur lesson with having completed a lesson. Completing a lesson means (according to Pimsleur) retaining 80% of the material. That is not going to happen for most people in one or two runs through a lesson, especially someone new to the langauge.
pmh1nic I did not take that into account. I have a very average memory and have found that a maximum of two repeats is necessary to reach 80% mastery. Paying full attention to the (excruciatingly boring) lessons really helps a lot.
Pimsleur really helped me alot with Japanese. I could not keep up with my college Japanese class due to my learning disability . For what ever reason when I started using the Pimsleur CDs my College classes became so much more easy. Some light build in my brain got turned on now that my classes were not able to do. Thanks to Pimsleur I passed my class. LIke you say though its what works and what you like to do.
@@jazmine9570 good attitude! Keep on keeping on!
I agree, Pimsleur is not basic, intermediate and advanced. In truth it's all beginner. HOWEVER, it's a great start at the language, if you're starting from zero knowledge. It's native speaking (so u learn to pronounce well), u learn basic casual conversation in an effortless way. And of course it's all audio, so u can do while going to work or whatever. I find that finishing Pimsleur, Duolingo and Mindsnack French (iOS app) are a great initial combo one can do in 3 months by studying only 40 minutes per day, using just your “waiting” times, like when going to work, or washing the dishes. That's how I've been learning french, I'm just finishing this combo and I've felt it's been a great foundation and immensely enjoyable experience, effortless and very natural. I'm starting to figure out phrases and understand small chunks of interviews, movies and songs.
Passing the first gate is big hassle in language learning. Pimsleur helps you get there. You can build from there from books, web, and real conversations with people. For that purpose Pimsleur is great.
The first few lessons in German Level 1 were pretty easy, because I had already taken a year of German a few years prior (and so those things were still deep in my memory). I didn't find it that terribly boring, though, only because I noticed how quickly I was improving. Rather than spending ALL of my time trying to memorize vocabulary flashcards or grammar rules, I was actually starting to speak. Something I rarely did in earnest in those courses. Surely it's not the only thing you should do, but I stand with Ikenna in saying that I find Pimsleur extremely useful.
Although I wish their review materials were better. So I'm making my own for each lesson.
@NickC5000 You have watched enough of my videos to notice that I often mention LingQ. Is this an accident or I want to promote LingQ. Which do you think it is?
If you search for lingosteve on youtube you will find a video about LingQ? Why? Guess!
In the future I will do even more explicit videos promoting LingQ. If you don't like it why watch my videos?
I hope my language learning experience interests others. My way of learning is the LingQ way. There are many other ways.
@voodoochills Where did the subjunctive come from? I am talking about acquiring vocabulary.
After 2 months of pimsleur spanish, I am able to have a 5 min conversation with my coworker on what he did over the weekend
"I listen and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand" - Confucius.
I like and I subscribe. -Lincoln
Might be a poor translation or can be misinterpreted in this case. “See” may be referring to experience, not necessarily visual input, and “listen” may be better translated as “hear” in this context.
Pimsleur is great! I've used it for Japanese, Italian, and Russian. The stuff actually sticks when you are required to recall and produce the language with only a short time to think about it. Great for learning to speak, but not very useful to learn to read or write. One of the best things about it for me, is that it is all audio so you don't have to look at a screen or sit at a computer. I've done it while driving, running, cleaning, or any task that doesn't require much concentration, so it doesn't take any extra time out of my day. Other audio programs where you just hear a phrase or word and repeat are practically useles to me because the material doesn't stick in my mind. Those are only good for review of material I already have learned. And guess what...I've done three Pimsleur courses for free because they are at the library!
I agree and I share the same experience. The Mandarin phrases I came across in the very first lesson still stays in my mind. I can just close my eyes, visualize what is happening in the audio and the flow is right there. Learning language from books or computers is only a short term thing and disappears quickly.
Daniel Baird
Daniel Baird did you get to level b2 or c1 in any of the languages?
" I've done it while driving,...or any task that doesn't require much concentration" LOL
Spanish 4, Japanese 3, Russian 3, German 2-I love Pimsleur, wish they’d have 12 x 30 per language.
I prefer to focus on understanding and vocabulary and to wait until I can engage in genuine and meaningful communication.
I completed all 3 levels of Pimsleur Japanese comprehensive and it gave me the confidence to start using the language compared to everything else I tried (even taking Berlitz school classes). My Pimsleur skills allowed me to get by "o.k." during a week's vacation in Tokyo. Still, your review is 100% fair (Liked) and it depends on your learning style. I can declare that the two biggest problems with Pimsleur are: 1) you will be illiterate (this can be a big problem), and 2) you primarily only learn the very polite levels of speech which accounts for a fraction of the Japanese you will hear on a day-to-day basis.
Right, I have no understanding of non extreme politeness Japanese speech as a result.
@Subfightr but as one who's learned a couple languages, one of them to fluency, I can say that once I became really good in that first one, I became highly aware of many situations where formality was actually the right touch, especially for me as a foreigner coming into a new room. For me, only in the street would I say informal is the better option. Arriving at my lodging, renting cars, bank transactions etc, I noticed I get way more respect and better treatment by simply knowing these well spoken formal things.
Both have merit
@@ispeakmuchothank you for taking the time to share that.
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about LingQ.
Steve, I agree with you. I started learning Russian with Pimsleur. I do think it's a good start. It's especially useful in the early stages to help a person develop a somewhat accurate sense of pronunciation, but aside from that it's far too slow and narrow to spend much time on.
Vondur did you do all 5 levels? 180 lessons?
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This was a very interesting view of Pimsleur. For me, Pimsleur is great and I learned to speak a language with that helping me start off. I was more interested in speaking than reading and writing. I later learned that but, if you travel, reading and writing doesn't help much when you need to ask someone a question. I would agree with you that everyone needs to find the method that they feel most comfortable with. I loved the fact that I could walk up to someone and have a basic conversation in less than 10 lessons. That motivated me to continue. I believe that people gain more by having conversations....
Your review made me buy Pimsleur. Thanks you.
Your review better not be sarcastic.
He said to not buy it
steve, i find it extraordinary that your views on language learning coincides exactly with my own experience and my theory of what works when it comes to learning languages. Actively accepting vs passively taking in is the highlight of this video.
@voodoochills No I do not think speaking right away is important. If that is what you want to do, then fine, but I tend not to do so. See my recent efforts over the last 10 years with Cantonese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Czech. At my channel I mostly talk about how I study languages. Some may find my experience useful, others may not. That is why I made this and other videos.
I actually like Pimsleur a lot because it focuses on pronunciation. Of course even if you do all three levels, that doesn't mean you'll be fluent. But it helped me a lot with Italian. I have been studying Italian for about 8 months now and I am very comfortable with it.
Obviously I study a lot everyday, I watch movies, read books, etc... But Pimsleur was of great help. But it's like Steve said, to each their own.
Pimsleur got me across Italy. At the train stations the "Help Desks" only spoke Italian. I actually went up to the engineers and confirmed where that particular train went to and at what time.
Pimsleur is my number 1 resource for any language. It's not enough but it's the best thing to kick-start a language in my opinion. Give me so much confidence and motivation needed on the beginning.
@3dsc4d I have not seen this problem. I suggest you post about it on our Forum to see if anyone else has any ideas or has experienced this.
@voodoochills No I do not remember saying that we should speak early. I have always said that we should speak when we want to and feel confident. And whenever that is, and that point will vary for different people, we should just speak and not worry about making mistakes.
Very well said and explained. I agree with You.
Pimsleur's point is "the feeling of accomplishment" or ... being proud or confident, but if You try to speak with a native ... You become aware of how many words you lack(!) and that You have built up Your confidence on repeating a few dozens of phrases over and over again. And not by also understanding something alongside and besides the phrases. No. Just repeat and repeat. That is my biggest remark on Pimsleur.
But don't get me wrong. I write this from a point of view of an intermediate language learner perspective. For me, Pimsleur is an excellent way for learning beggining, to grasp and get familiar with the voice of that language. Subtleties, accent etc. And Pimsleur is at begginers' point the best source.
But once You've done that (30 first lessons), and You have the foundation, it is ignorant to stay at that level, like You can't learn anything else except in that primitive, although very efficient way. Because, after Pimsleur, when You try to put words or phrases on the paper, or read the new language - wow. You have nothing (!). It looks like something You didn't do right.
So: if You like Pimsleur, stick to it but do use other methods with the Pimsleur to build a proper foundation of the language You are learning. Be also educated after You learn to speak.
Obviously you cannot only use Pimsleur you need to also build vocabulary and have other sources of learning
I love Pimsleur! In fact, I only learn Thai in a month, and my Thai friend is so impressed by my Thai conversations with her.
I think Pimsleur is good for someone that needs a jump start on being able to speak basic phrases like greetings, courtesy, simply request, numbers, etc. I don't think they claim anything beyond helping learn basic vocabulary and pronunciation so it would be unrealistic to think that you can spend 100 hours with Pimsleur and read anything.
Of course if you're serious about becoming fluent in a language Pimsleur is only one possible starting point that gets you speaking fairly rapidly.
I was trying to learn german with pimsleur, my roommate who was raised in germany until he was 12, and he heard me practicing and he was saying that the grammar was incorrect, or some phrases had un-needed words in them that just made it harder than it needed to be. This guy is correct in that it only goes over basic conversation. And if you are spending that amount of time and money, you might as well use something more focused on fluency like rosetta stone.
Thanks for sharing, well explained point of view and so many valid ideas you brought up. I agree with you on hand-picking topics that you're interested in. That makes learning new vocabulary a fun, not a burden. Plus having a very specific goal (knowing why I'm learning a new language) helps too. I started with Spanish from ZERO and within 5 months I have no problem understanding about 60% normal speed talk (on the street or radio/tv/movies). What did it for me was 1-on-1 lessons with a teacher who patiently explained all grammar step by step with lots of practice with translating sentences, then came learning new words with flashcards and using them in sentences, finally doing a lot of role-play when you speak (we'd pick a situation that's funny/interesting/entertaining). Finally, the time you put into matters a lot, at least 1hr a day is a must in my opinion to make a steady progress. If someone tells you can learn to speak fluently in any language within 3-6 months and you're not a linguistic-genius-savant then they're lying to you. Any modern language consists of thousands of words and you'd have to have super-memory to memorize everything that quickly and not forget it.
Is actually one of best learning methods i ever see,simply genius
@Babybluebird1 Good luck. If you have any questions I suggest you post on the forum there.
@BobtheMoneythedbr My video only really talks about why I do not like Pimsleur.
I'd like to point out the wonderful grammar from lingosteve. "thumbs up i am realize". Just amazing.
I could listen to this man talk for hours on end. Brilliant.
Steve, you surely know that people like you , that learn so intensively languages mostly for pleasure are extremely rare. I guess i'm part of them and I'm still far to have your level of enthusiasm and continual motivation. The type of will that 99% of people don't have. So for most folks, Pimsleur is the best way they could get introduced to a language and acquire a good pronunciation and a very natural feel of the language. I don't know if or which way it has been patented but it could surely be reinvented by a great start-up with fresh ideas to make the same concept, which make a lot of sense, more interactive, adapted to different kind of users and modern...
Bottom line is, Pimsleur is good to get started, nothing more, nothing more. And sure, if there was a pimsleur with 3 level of Czech, so 90 lessons and 45 hours, it could never compare to your first 45 hours with Czech but because almost nobody is as passioned as you are then almost nobody could have done it your way anyway. And your Czech added up to 2000 hours of Russian; so much much easier to learn once you already know a slavic language and with Czech you don't even have to use a different alphabet. Chinese and Korean are a different story though...
You are probably right.
If you open the library you will see a large import button in the top right-hand corner. Click on this button to take you to the import page. If you click on help in the importation you will get all the information you need on importing. You may also want to take the import bookmarklet which can be found in the library, and put it on your toolbar. Importing with the import bookmarklet is in many ways easier.
I've been using this kind of book since I've started learning German and I also think that it doesn't help very much. I really learnt a lot of grammar rules, but after 9 months I realized that my vocabulary was no very good. After a bit of suspicion I decided to check LingQ. Now I see that it's really good, not just like other sites of language learning.
Thank you Steve
@EscapeMonotony No I was unable to continue with Pimsleur because I did not like listening to the English and having to speak when prompted. I only do what I like to do, and what I find interesting when it comes to language learning.
I really appreciate this video. I had just watched a video put out by the company that makes the pimsleur products and I was all fired up to find it for free on youtube, lol, then I saw your video in the search results and you really put a perspective on this that I hadn't considered. Thank you so much. I now know what I have to do to learn celtic!
I used Pimsleur last year and it's improved A LOT from 11 years ago ( I would assume, I didn't know what it was like by then) could you make a new video review on Pimsleur? I believe it's improved a lot. There's audio, reading+audio, flash cards, sentence review now there's a new "voice coach" you try to pronounce something and they rate you.
I just feel that for the time invested you end up with very few words. To me words are the key to language learning.
I know this is 8 years late, but how do you go on about learning a language? I heavily use Pimsleur, I was wondering some alternative media you recommend for language learning?
Have a Question: Have you tried the program judge the program when you try it
For Russian and Czech I used the materials created by our members at LingQ for the first few months and then went on to audio books, and excellent content I found on the Internet, Echo Moskvi for Russian and Ceskyrozhlas for Czech. I import the transcripts to LingQ, study them once and then have lots of interesting listening. Once I am strong enough I have less need for the transcripts. They key is the interest. In other languages there are other great podcast resources.
Hi Steve, i agree_ what exactly do you listen to when language learning in the car? cheers.
I had a good experience with Pimsleur. It helped a lot and being short is kind of a virtue. That would make the main issue price.
@voodoochills I do not find that just speaking to people about simple things helps me to build vocabulary. if I have a small vocabulary I cannot say much and I cannot understand much of what is said. I prefer to reply on my input activities.
I agree the biggest problem is it goes too slow but it is nice to have a listening resource for basic, simple conversation. I wish that there were more beginner and early intermediate resources that focused on basic listening and simple conversations. To me all the textbooks usually come with vocabulary Cds or you are watching tv shows which you can't understand.
Hello Steve ,
First of all I would like to thank you for the video you have posted . It is very informative and useful . I have question : what do you think of Rosetta Stones program ? Or Perhaps what do you suggest from softwares or programs that can help me to learn Spanish ?
I completed the language course for pimsleur german and i'm not even close to understanding the language; mainly cos the instructor does not explain anything.. He tells tells you how to say a phrase and doesnt break it down.. It's so frustrating.
rojmonti did you do all 5 level? 180 lessons?
Michel Thomas's method is better at that, have you tried it?
@Taricus Is it so difficult for you to understand that I do not believe you can master the "basics"? For me, I just keep on learning and gradually different bits of how the language works fall into place. You have a different perspective. Good for you. You are not going to convince me. I have a lot of experience learning languages.
Could you explain how to import any article into LingQ? I would like to give it a try.
@zzukizzz agreed. Everyone is free to express their views, and share their experience here./
Thanks for your thoughts, I'm considering starting to learn my second language, and looking at pimsleur and clicked on your video prior to watching lesson 1, to see a different viewpoint other than the salesman promotion.
I like Pimsleur very much .After couple lessons I was able to speak and get basic informations from natives.I listen to my Spanish while driving to work and this is most amazing thing with Pimsleur.
I think that all of us respond well to massive input, lots of reading and listening. Then when we are ready we need to speak a lot.
Hi Steve,
I was wondering if you could give me some advice? I'm an English born Chinese who used to be fluent in Cantonese. Growing up I could only speak Cantonese (up until age 5) after which I was enrolled in an english speaking school and over the years, gradually started to lose my Cantonese as I became fluent in English.
I'm now 22 and am quite sad that I can't speak fluently however can understand quite a lot still.
If you were in my situation, would you recommend Pimsleur or Thomas?
Hey,Steve.Since I have not tried Pimsleur yet ,I just wanna ask is it true that Pimsleur is more effective than traditional language courses or computer softwares like Rosetta Stone?
@Taricus You learn the basics anyway if you do enough listening and reading using content of interest. No need to concentrate on them.
@qzchris I started Russian before we had it at LingQ and used what I could find. I tended to finish what I started with a few exceptions. Assimil is one that that I quickly got tired of. With Czech I rely mostly on beginner content created by LingQ members and now online newspapers and radio programs with transcripts and some audio books for which I have the text.
I have lived in China for six years. Pimsluer has been a fantastic way to connect with local people. No one speaks English for the most part. With Pimsluer being great for sentence structure and Living Language for vocabulary there are a great many things I can both understand and simply ask. I took the program and also created transcripts in Chinese to develop my reading. I can read menus and even take the bus all over. With Chinese the writing is crucial to get the deeper meanings. I have found it easier to write characters than to speak at times. Even Chinese people have difficulty understanding one another, since there are 8 major dialects of Chinese.
What camera are you using. I only use a webcam but new to do something else is the reason I am asking. Thanks
The built in camera on my Mac.
just started Pimsleur Russian audio CDs today, and it seems like great supplemental material to help me focus on listening and speaking while I'm driving, getting on apps to scroll through screens of text seems is useful but tough to start, being forced to slow down, thinking about what you're listening to and saying, and then repeat out loud was interesting and useful so far, and it already touched on nuances of words I already knew but mispronounced, felt like the brain was soaking it in
@NickC5000 Si no te gustan mis videos porque mirarlos?
I agree, specially with the part about the numbers, and maths, it's discouraging, and I honestly don't think you could be fluent with Pimsleur, you could learn the basics, but once you go out and try to understand the people talking in that language you'll be lost, I guess that the thing about pimsleur that is so appealing for so many people is that you are immediately understanding and talking some small sentences
Most Chinese whom I have met who claim to read well, in fact read very little in English, and listen even less. Those who do learn well. In Malaysia and Singapore English is a common language of communication between different language groups. But more important, just as in Sweden and Holland, the people there expect to communicate in English and to speak it, while the Chinese really don't think they can learn, in most cases. So really I don't see your point at all. Can't speak for Thailand.
Learning the words you need for intelligent conversation and to understand books, radio, movies, etc. is the hard part, the long road. Learning to say a few words is much easier.
Massive input prepares you for output. You need a large vocabulary and good listening comprehension to engage in meaningful conversation. I have made lots of videos in the languages that I speak, although I speak some much better than others. French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, to name a few.
The repetition is not deliberate but natural through lots and lots of reading and listening. To learn more visit LingQ.
Do you think the Pimsleur method would work if you aren't in a area with native speakers of the language you are learning? For example, I live in America and want to learn German,
hello I am actually learning dari a language from afghanistan and I find that pimsleur does a great job for those who just want to learn a language for a vacation. As someone who wants to be fluent in a language one must immerse themselves on how to write, read, and speak. I believe that pimsleur does the speaking part, but Dari dictionary would have to be my secondary source.
Is there any likelihood of lingq allowing imports from unsupported languages any time soon? I don't understand the programming in the background, but just being able to import dialogues from estonian or another unsupported language and mark them would be a really nice feature.
And weren't the dictionaries for the Beta languages fairly simplistic at the beginning..I don't know, just really like the site and can't use it for Estonian haha
So, if I'm interested in learning something interesting like Russian, German or Arabic or Chinese, or maybe all of the above, are you recommending LingQ over both Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur?
Truther SevenxSeven Definitely but it is up to you. Try them out.
I am not a fan of the way Pimsleur teaches and therefore I created LingQ, to suit the way I learn. I have learned 4 languages at LingQ and could not have achieved that at Pimsleur. Why is it unacceptable to you that I don't learn the Pimsleur way? Strange.
Well, for one thing Pimsleur is purly an introduction - most courses aren't more than 45 hours.
What it's for, in my experience, is getting a basic introduction to speaking so that you can say many common phrases. It helps later when you are learning vocabulary to have a feel for speaking fluently, and I find Pimsleur really provides that. No, it's not fun, but it does work and it's not a massive time commitment compared to the other activities involved in learning a language.
Pimsleur is a great way to get pronounciation and the basics of language quickly and easily. You are right, it lacks vocabulary, but once you are comfortable speaking at a basic level it is a simple task to increase your vocabulary, by asking questions in the language you are trying to learn.
I have been trying to memorize some Hindi with Pimsleur for the last year... I learnt some phrases, but not that much. My problem is that I'm very visual and rule oriented, and if I cannot imagine how to write it down or I cannot understand the grammar, I have a hard time remembering the sound bite, even repeating it... So for me it's definitely only an additional tool, not working too well stand-alone.
I always sometimes get upset when people proclaim a language learning system is designed to be like learning your first language, just by hearing and repeating... well, I had a hard time even in my first language (German) until I started writing, and until I learnt the grammar rules. So the audio-only approach is not the best approach for everybody.
The point is that we do not try to understand or remember or drill into our minds the various rules of grammar. That does not mean that we should not look at grammar books from time to time. I do. But I don't expect to remember much. I pick up more from lots of exposure.
You make a great point Steve, I think what's appealing about Pimsleur is exactly what you criticized... The "bark now" now I am "learning". It has a decent amount of instant gratification to where it can appeal to alot of people. Included in the alot of people are those less inclined to critically examine how "organically"? They learn language. Regardless I do think Pimsleur a very good way to show beginning language learners that learning can be fun and easy.
@Taricus I don't believe that we become "comfortable with the basics" and then move on. Some of the " basics" take a long time to sink in. We need lost of exposure and gradually the fog lifts.
I have trouble understanding the mind set of people who offer no opinions on the subject at hand but just deliver grauitous insults. Where is the satisfaction in that?
I'm starting to learn russian with pimsleur, and the French teacher at my school is trying Greek. But my question is that I want to go farther in the language without much money out into it. Any tips?
If you do all five levels of a Pimsleur course you will spend about 75 hours. Not a hundred hours, much less hundreds. And you don't have to output, you can just listen. I only output "in my head", and am far more concerned with being able to understand than with giving correct answers. It may seem boring but the thing is, it sticks, and you need those basics to stick in order to try and expose yourself to more interesting stuff.
I do speak English fluently, however I adopted over the years bad grammatical habits.
I need to get used to speak properly and get rid of my accent.
What do you recommend?
You said everything! I listened to 15 minutes and it seems that 10 days won't be enough at all. They repeat so much the same thing!
Pimsleur is good for pronunciation. The problem is that so little vocabulary is covered. One would have to study with Piimsleur for a long long time in order to be able to carry on meaningful conversations in a language. However, to train oneself to say a limited number of phrases well, Pimsleur is certainly effective.
Were any of those language you learned with Pimsleur Russian? Just curious. And what other resources did you use besides Pimsleur?
Steve, what do you think about Busuu, Babbel and other language-learning websites such as LingQ?
Yes LingQ has a mobile app, it is called iLingQ and is available for iPod, iPhone iPad, and Android. I do most of my reading on my iPad and iPhone, after having used QuckLingQ to update my unknown words and add them to my database.
I think it all depends on our goals. I am not so interested in learning phrases. I want to learn the language, to understand, to read in it, watch movies, have meaningful conversations etc..
Pimsleur helped me a lot starting out in Japanese. The material it covers is definitely not much, but one thing I can really admire them for is getting you to start speaking the language from the get go. A lot of language programs are really lacking in that department sadly. It also really does help you with the accent if you have no native speakers to speak with. The one thing that really annoyed me though was the awkward pauses and how the majority of audio was so dry and spoken in English.
how do you learn to speak correctly with books?
@MrOregona230 I am not sure I understand but I will take it as a compliment. cheers!
Im a truck driver . What is the best cd program to listen while im driving ..
In what language?
Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve Spanish
Pimsleur is in fact one, if not, the best way to learn a language. It won't make you fluent but put you in a good position to start USING IT and that is the best way to learn for a self learner
It sounds like you're saying Pimpsler ... I like this :)
I love Pimsleur. It's only half an hour a day and it's great for a complete beginner. I used it with Language Transfer. It's great for pronunciation as it says words very slowly and in parts. After 3 months the course is over and it gives me a bit of a kick for LingQ. Used it for Greek and now Arabic.
I’m a hyper-polyglot ten year old, and I’ve achieved a c1 fluency within 4 levels of German. Not even on the fifth. Even though I may disagree with your take here - I will say your points are quite valid. And, your software works pretty dang good too! I could definitely see myself being fluent with your software - I’ve used Lingq for a year with Greek and achieved a C2 FLUENCY. It is a great app, too. Good work, Steve!
i feel that after Pimsleur i will be stuck in between speaking simple things and not being able to read in the language without any foothold left for me. Do you think that is so?
Pimsluer works great for me. Of course you need more than just that to learn a language but its a good place to start.
From what I'm reading in comments alot of people agree.