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Pimsleur

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hp230
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30 posts - 63 votes 
Speaks: German, Arabic (classical)*, French, English

 
 Message 1 of 9
10 November 2014 at 4:33pm | IP Logged 
Well, I started this summer learning German using Pimsleur German and I finished Pimsleur 1 and 2; But then, I was forced to stop learning because of my engineering studies.
My problem is that I don't know if I should continue the third part (listening only on weekends while it should be daily) or wait until I find a large space of time to do it.
The good thing is that I'm keeping my German active (or kind of) during all this period.
I don't know if anyone has been before in this dilemma but I appreciate all your answers.     
1 person has voted this message useful



Xenops
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Studies: Spanish, Japanese

 
 Message 2 of 9
10 November 2014 at 5:17pm | IP Logged 
It does not need to be daily; for myself I repeat a lesson until I can give the correct answer before the native speaker does. The daily thing is a *suggestion*. :)
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Mohave
Senior Member
United States
justpaste.it/Mohave1
Joined 4006 days ago

291 posts - 444 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: French

 
 Message 3 of 9
10 November 2014 at 5:39pm | IP Logged 
I've had a break in Pimsleur a few times. Normally I start where I left off and/or back up a few lessons. I
might have to do the lesson 2-3 times before moving on though. Also, if you could do something in your TL
daily, even for a few minutes, such as music, podcast, quick review of a prior lesson while walking to class or
getting ready in the a.m., you will be surprised at how much better you retain.

Edited by Mohave on 10 November 2014 at 5:40pm

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hp230
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TunisiaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 3692 days ago

30 posts - 63 votes 
Speaks: German, Arabic (classical)*, French, English

 
 Message 4 of 9
10 November 2014 at 5:55pm | IP Logged 
Well, I don't know if that might influence the effectiveness of the program. Personally I didn't do it daily (and even got more than one lesson on the same day sometimes). I know that's not the problem. The problem is not having the same space of time to assimilate the lesson and deal with the new vocabulary. Everybody knows that consistency is a major factor to learn a new language.
So, in the end , it's all about spending a specific period to learn it. That's what I'm asking; how can you make time to learn effectively the language while living your normal life? I'm looking for the best "Recipe" or schedule to do it.
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Xenops
Senior Member
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Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Japanese

 
 Message 5 of 9
11 November 2014 at 5:18am | IP Logged 
hp230 wrote:

So, in the end , it's all about spending a specific period to learn it. That's what I'm asking; how can you make time to learn effectively the language while living your normal life? I'm looking for the best "Recipe" or schedule to do it.


Wouldn't we all love to know what the "recipe" is. :) While only you can rearrange your schedule, the only general advice I can give you is to make a list of priorities, and cut back on items that aren't on the list.
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hp230
Tetraglot
Newbie
TunisiaRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 3692 days ago

30 posts - 63 votes 
Speaks: German, Arabic (classical)*, French, English

 
 Message 6 of 9
11 November 2014 at 6:24am | IP Logged 
Xenops wrote:


Wouldn't we all love to know what the "recipe" is. :) While only you can rearrange your schedule, the only general advice I can give you is to make a list of priorities, and cut back on items that aren't on the list.


I totally agree :) ; I just wanted to see how other people dealt with a similar situation, so I can follow successful experiences.
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Mohave
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291 posts - 444 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: French

 
 Message 7 of 9
11 November 2014 at 7:18am | IP Logged 
I think the secret is finding time to "sneak" your target language into your day, find the dead or unproductive
times, and then make it a habit.   As I mentioned above, listening to podcasts, music, etc walking to class or
while you are getting dressed in the morning. Listen to podcasts while taking a bus. I do my Pimsleur while
getting exercise walking around an outdoors track. I read in my TL before ever getting about of bed in the
morning. It's difficult, but find ways to make it fun and a habit. You will progress faster and retain more if you
are consistent.
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soclydeza85
Senior Member
United States
Joined 3906 days ago

357 posts - 502 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: German, French

 
 Message 8 of 9
14 November 2014 at 7:14am | IP Logged 
hp230 wrote:
Well, I started this summer learning German using Pimsleur German and I finished Pimsleur 1 and 2; But then, I was forced to stop learning because of my engineering studies.
My problem is that I don't know if I should continue the third part (listening only on weekends while it should be daily) or wait until I find a large space of time to do it.
The good thing is that I'm keeping my German active (or kind of) during all this period.
I don't know if anyone has been before in this dilemma but I appreciate all your answers.     


I'm in almost the same exact boat (mechanical engineering student, self studying German, had to severely cut down my language studies since the semester started). I finished all of the Pimsleurs a while ago, but am currently chipping away at FSI. Instead of doing one lesson per day maybe you can do one lesson over 2 (or more) days. I don't think doing two lessons a week (on the weekend) would be a bad idea, but you can probably do more if you manage the time correctly. Also, Pimsleur suggests doing the lessons everyday but you won't be at much of a loss if you only do a few lessons a week (other than it taking longer); when I did it I took a break every few lessons, sometimes for a week, and it was fine.

Another thing you can do is check out Warum Nicht? on the Deutsche Welle site (dw.de), their lessons are all listening/reading, so you can use them on headphones during your walks around campus, downtime between classes, before you go to sleep, whenever.

You can also check out Slow News (http://www.dw.de/deutsch-lernen/nachrichten/s-8030) and Slow German (http://slowgerman.com/). I listen to them when traveling between campuses. Even if you don't understand everything they are saying (they have transcripts on the websites), it's still good to immerse yourself in the sound and they speak slow enough that you can pick things out.

There's also Duolingo (if you have a smartphone). It's a good vocabulary/exposure tool.

All of those sources are free, by the way, and (assuming you're around people all the time) won't require you to speak (Duolingo has a speaking feature, but you can turn it off). I would still keep going with Pimsleur though, even if just twice a week, to keep practicing your speech and pronunciation. Good luck!

Just curious, which discipline and college are you going to?

Edited by soclydeza85 on 14 November 2014 at 7:18am



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