Pimsleur or Linguaphone?

Question

Which one is better to learn English? Pimsleur or Linguaphone? Have you tried it? Did it work for you?

THANX!

Answer 1

In response to a previous question about the Pimsleur method, I researched it and I would definitely say that I do not recommend this method. It uses techniques that have proven very ineffective in teaching language. Stay away from Pimsleur.

I wasn't able to find much information about Linguaphone online, but it appears to be somewhat good and somewhat concerning.

I'd recommend a class where you actually get to interact with your teacher and fellow students. A community college would be best. If you have to learn on your own, search back in my answers to see some recommendations for individual language learning. And feel free to send me an e-mail.

Answer 2

Pimsleur Technique

Answer 3

I would not recommend either one. Pimsleur is based solely on listening. Linguaphone is almost based solely on listening but some books are involved.

The best system out there is called Rosetta Stone. It uses the technique used by all people when they learn their first language: through visualization and association. Like your parents taught you, you saw a bicycle and they said bicycle. Visualization and association. I have both the Arabic and Spanish courses. Both are excellent. The only thing is that the courses cost a little bit of money. The Arabic was about $200 and the Spanish was about $300. Worth every penny though.

Answer 4

Best Answer? This is a surprising answer to see in this day and age, after all it is 2015, you are seriously "old school". Classroom method may be best for certain people, but probably most people are better off with another approach. I'm currently witnessing yet another train wreck in progress as I watch my daughters go through Chinese school. Sadly few of the kids in that school will ever be fluent. Meanwhile, those of us doing audio-only courses such as Pimsleur have gone way out in the lead and are bursting with confidence in the language. My daughter admits she has little to show for it, with broken pronunciation and zero confidence. We both know she would have been better off with Pimsleur.

Answer 5

It really depends on what type of learning are you:

1. Visual
2. Audio
4. Kinetic

If ou are #2 then Pimsleur is for you, I had used the italian and japanes version and it worked ok for me. I was able to get by with no problem in Italy and in Japan. if you are more visuar or a combination of the above, then a different system may be better for you.

you will not be a very god reader/writer with pimsleur, but it sure will make you undestand and get by.

The rosseta Stone is ok, if you want to learn a lot of vocabulary, but it will take much longer to learn a languaje.

All of these systemas are expensive, but check your local library and they may have them for you.

Answer 6

A lot of the answers here are based on hearsay not actual experience with these methods. There is no one way of learning a language, but if you are going to spend time trying to learn one it is important that you at least research your options to find out which method will sync with your way of learning. The following three systems are well known, though there are many other.

The Pimsleur language method is based on the concept that language is first of all speech and that speech is sound. Humans have their first experience with language while they are still in the womb and it is experienced through the sensation of sound and not much else. Pimsleur is organized to emphasize this subconscious principle. It is similar to the ancient way of learning a language by having a tutor behind you drilling you in the particulars of a language. It uses the principle of graduated interval repetitions to emphasize the element of memory and the principle of anticipation to imprint the the connection between words and meaning. it removes other cognitive distractions such as graphics and visual prompts in order to concentrate on these principles. It is one of the most effective language systems out there because it gives the learner a strong foundation on the chosen language. You will not find many people that have completed this course complaining about its effectiveness, but what you will find is many people who have not completed or taken the course complain about how boring it is-which it is.

This method is very boring because it does not contain graphical distractions such as graphics and graphical games. It is solely based on learning a language by speaking it and this subtlety is lost on many people who come across this method.


The Linguaphone method is another method based on traditional learning techniques. It uses speech and narrations by native speakers as the Pimsleur method does. It does not follow the structured method of language imprinting that Pimsleur does, but it instead uses the learning of vocabulary and the learning of phrases as the main method of teaching a language. This method has proven effective for many people and even though it is not one of those flashy computer courses with lots of graphics
prompting built in it is worth considering.


The Rosetta Stone method of learning a language is not the most effective way to learn a language. What it is is a phenomenal example of how marketing can inplant a brand in the minds of consumers. It is sparse in material and slow in presentation so that after a while you will realize that you have not absorbed much material in the chosen language. It is setup like that because of its commercial formula. It is limited in what it presents as learning material because it is not a course based on speaking or immersion through sound as it is with methods such as Pimsleur and Linguaphone, but a computer program.

Although, you can use the computer as a resource to assist you in learning a language-let's say on the web- you will not find many people claiming that they learned a language using a computer program that required them to be seated in front of the computer. In fact, this method of learning a language has now been around since PC first appeared but it has not proven itself to be effective at all. So be aware of people that tell you that this expensive marketing offer is the best way to learn because it is not.


Short of physical immersion inside of a culture for sometime, the best way to start learning a language is to put emphasis in hearing it. Before immersion, it is the system that has assisted me in learning five languages four of them fluently.