Hardheim Diglot Newbie United States Joined 5212 days ago 34 posts - 78 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish, French
| Message 73 of 104 04 September 2010 at 8:06pm | IP Logged |
Juan M. wrote:
Urban_Sasquatch wrote:
I have a 30-minute commute at a minimum, so I play a lesson on the way in... |
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This is how I use Pimsleur (and Michel Thomas) as well. I load a course on an MP3 player and listen to it whenever I'm not home. That way I don't waste any time and always have something entertaining to do whether I'm in line at the bank, waiting for a bus, waiting for someone, walking somewhere, etc. |
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This is a very good aspect of Pimsleur that people that are critical of the program are missing; the convenience factor. Driving, waiting in line etc. are perfect opportunities to get in some quick practice. I notice I can do 2 lessons a day of Pimsleur on my ipod in the dead times during my day. No program by itself will get you fluent, but I believe this one should be in everyone's arsenal, if for no other reason to take advantage of dead times.
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oceankyle Newbie United States Joined 5254 days ago 28 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English*
| Message 74 of 104 05 September 2010 at 2:34am | IP Logged |
I agree, I can find lots of time for Pimsleurs driving or relaxing in the dark before bed
and I am getting through that program good. I bought Assimil but its tough to find time
to actually sit down and do some reading.
Edited by oceankyle on 05 September 2010 at 2:34am
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zekecoma Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5357 days ago 561 posts - 655 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish
| Message 75 of 104 05 September 2010 at 9:28am | IP Logged |
I wasn't happy with Pimselur, it was just too bloody boring, very slow, and no
transcripts. If I cannot see what I am speaking how you expect me to get any better? Sure
I learned quite fine but I also didn't want to lesson to old tracks because I couldn't
remember the word. I was using German at the time. I tried following the French version
and it was just huh. I wouldn't bother with it. I prefer Assimil over Pimsleur.
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lecorbeau Diglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 6033 days ago 113 posts - 149 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Serbo-Croatian, Turkish
| Message 76 of 104 07 September 2010 at 8:18am | IP Logged |
Not having read what anyone else said, I will add my two cents:
With the exception of Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur is the most overrated language-learning resource on the planet. I've
completed Italian I-III, German I-III, Portuguese I, and Croatian I. I tried to convince myself that I was using an
effective program (primarily to ease my concerns about how much $$ it costs!) but at the end of the day I learn a
whole lot more with other sources.
Edited by lecorbeau on 07 September 2010 at 8:18am
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Desacrator48 Groupie United States Joined 5321 days ago 93 posts - 127 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French
| Message 77 of 104 07 September 2010 at 6:55pm | IP Logged |
In my opinion, Pimsleur charges too much for not being a famous enough resource for language learning, unlike say Rosetta Stone.
If you live in the US, you definitely know about the brilliance of the Rosetta Stone marketing campaign and of how it's thought of as the first go-to language resource by uninformed language learners. You can see it's commericials/informercials quite often on TV actually, and in magazines. Therefore when a would-be buyer sees the high price, he might conclude that it is a fair price to pay to get a product so popular as Rosetta Stone. Maybe this is why the product is so high; because they must pay a fortune to advertise like they do.
But for Pimsleur to also be very expensive and have a almost non-existent advertising on the mass media here in the US, it's almost unjustifiable to get this program unless you get it for free...like I did. I have never seen any advertisements on mainstream media for this program, and have only heard about it because of one friend back in college used it for Japanese and then rediscovering it again when I found this website.
I use and am almost done with French III and am overall satisfied with it...but I would not have been if I had to pay top dollar for it. In general if a resource is terrible, I wouldn't hate on it too much if I didn't have to pay to try it out. In this case I stuck with it because it was an easy introduction to my language. It won't get me very far, but it would have prepared me well for my next step to Assimil, which is way more comprehensive and extensive, yet cost me only a fraction of what I would have had to pay had I done so with Pimsleur. Just my two cents.
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James29 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5388 days ago 1265 posts - 2113 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French
| Message 78 of 104 08 September 2010 at 1:38am | IP Logged |
I will add my two cents also. I did Pimsleur Spanish I-III. I am glad I did it. I was a multiple time false starter with Spanish studies and when I found Pimsleur I stuck with it. I felt it worked wonderfully for what it is supposed to do. I have very little language talent and it gave me a good solid base with which I could move on to other more in-depth programs. I concur that it is very expensive, however, I checked it out of the local library. Anyway, those are my two cents.
Unfortunately, Uncle Sam is making pennies out of zinc now instead of copper so my two cents are not worth as much as they used to be.
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bramsterdam Bilingual Hexaglot Senior Member NetherlandsRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5440 days ago 106 posts - 113 votes Speaks: Dutch, French*, English*, German, Spanish, Russian
| Message 79 of 104 09 September 2010 at 5:15am | IP Logged |
With every language I´ve studied/learned I started with Pimsleur. IMO best program hands down to get a basic knowledge and off your feet. Then when you want to perfect it or gain more knowledge buy a few books on intermediate+ level. I´ve finished Pimsleur Dutch, Pimsleur Spanish, and almost all Pimsleur Russian.. Helped me the most with Spanish, especially how I used it. Listened to 2-3 lessons while working, then went on break or lunch break and was able to practice with my co-workers.
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zekecoma Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5357 days ago 561 posts - 655 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish
| Message 80 of 104 09 September 2010 at 6:12am | IP Logged |
I did okay with Pimsleur German I. Because I did some with MT and another book. But when
I tried the French one just for pleasure. I could not follow it for anything. I wasn't
happy with it in French. I don't mind audio programmes as long as I can see what I am
reading, etc.
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