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Why is Pimsleur such crap? | ||
Tags: Usefulness | Pimsleur | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| Euphorion Hexaglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5122 days ago 106 posts - 147 votes  Speaks: Slovak*, Czech, EnglishC2, GermanC1, SpanishC2, French | Message 1 of 62 18 May 2010 at 1:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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I appologize for my impertinence, but I just wanted to find out how many of you share my opinion that Pimsleur is one of the most useless things Ive ever seen. I really dont believe anyone can learn even a beginners level of a language from that. To me it is only a loss of time and I doubt it can teach you any vocabulary (speak nothing of grammar). All you can lear from Pimsleurs is a couple of phrases just like the parrot Ive seen the other day :) But Im not sure if you would understand anything beyond.
I only used it a couple of times to check the pronounciation and the melody of a language. But thats all and thats too little. Please share your opinions and thoughts, Im really curious. Thank you 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 6928 days ago 1152 posts - 1818 votes Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto | Message 2 of 62 18 May 2010 at 2:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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No, I don't like Pimsleur courses very much but I do find them useful. I get frustrated that it takes so long to learn so little. But, it can be a good introduction to some languages. I have used Pimsleur in a few cases to get me started on a language that was completely foreign to me, that is, a language totally unlike any other language I knew.
In each case I have bought the introductory 8 lesson program or a larger program second hand. I wouldn't consider paying full price for a complete Pimsleur course. The 8 lesson course gives me the start I need and I can learn while I am driving. My favourite courses are entirely in the language I am learning. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Aquila Triglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5263 days ago 104 posts - 128 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German Studies: French | Message 3 of 62 18 May 2010 at 2:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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Pimsleur is not bad for comprehension and pronunciation in the beginning of learning a new language. And you learn also some easy grammatical structures and usefull vocabulary.
Although it's really not worth the money. The course is way too expensive in comparison with what you actually get, so try to get Pimsleur from an alternative source. You don't learn much more with the 2nd and the 3th course, when I speak about the French courses. Furthermore, listening one unit every day is very dull. I find Michel Thomas and Assimil much more valuable. Edited by Aquila on 18 May 2010 at 5:08pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Euphorion Hexaglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5122 days ago 106 posts - 147 votes Speaks: Slovak*, Czech, EnglishC2, GermanC1, SpanishC2, French | Message 4 of 62 18 May 2010 at 3:18pm | IP Logged | ||
That is exactly what I meant. But I must agree with you that it can help you a little with completely exotic languages, but just in the beginning. Thank you for your comments. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| GREGORG4000 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5305 days ago 307 posts - 479 votes Speaks: English*, Finnish Studies: Japanese, Korean, Amharic, French | Message 5 of 62 18 May 2010 at 3:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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It's designed for confident American men who want to take foreign women to restaurants and drink beer and water
34 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| AlexL Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6866 days ago 197 posts - 277 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Italian | Message 6 of 62 18 May 2010 at 4:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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I disagree. It is absolutely untrue that you can't learn vocabulary or grammar from Pimsleur. It's a little slow-
going, but still much faster than the average high school language class. I not only learned a lot, but also got a ton of production practice, which helped my pronunciation, automaticity, and comfort speaking. 14 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| robsolete Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5167 days ago 191 posts - 428 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, Russian, Arabic (Written), Mandarin | Message 7 of 62 18 May 2010 at 5:15pm | IP Logged | ||
Ahahahaha, so true. Somewhere between Lesson 3 and Lesson 8 there's always the "how to invite **** ladies out for dinner" lesson. I basically just use Pimsleurs from the library for "language shopping." If I'm vaguely interested in a language but don't want to spend any money or concentration on it, it's a good way to get a general feel for how the language sounds. I could also see it being useful if you drive a lot--just a way to reclaim otherwise lost time. But I don't drive, and I get bored quickly. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 5793 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 8 of 62 18 May 2010 at 5:16pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've only ever done the short courses, so I don't know how it progresses over time, but my frustration with Pimsleur isn't about speed but breadth of coverage.
It does seem to cover a reasonable amount of grammar, but it feels like each point is covered in a very narrow fashion. What I mean is that you cover the forms but only in a very particular context, so although it teaches "how" to use, it doesn't really teach "when" to use. My other problem with Pimsleur is that you are talked to by a native speaker using sounds you've never heard before, and in languages very different from those you already know, two different sounds can sometimes sound identical. The Pimsleur teacher doesn't say that these different sounds exist, so my ear happily just assumes they're the same thing. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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