Question about Pimsleur?

Question

It says on the box of the Pimsleur CDs, that it gives you "Guaranteed Profiency" after 3 levels. And 3 levels = 90 lessons = 45 hours of instruction. How can you be proficient in a language after 45 hours of instruction? I don't believe it. I already tried the Italian version and have the hardest time retaining the information.

Answer 1

I have had nothing but wonderful success with the Pimsleur approach in both Modern Greek and Polish. The system works as long as you follow the instructions and keep at the process day in and day out. If you expect to run through each lesson once and then move on, then you will fail. You must run through each lesson until you reach about 80% success at the repetition drills before you move on. That's the way the system was designed to work.

Answer 2

I learned Russian with Pimsleur, in the first place (I'm Italian); if you're really dedicated you can learn as much as necessary for every-day talking in Italian.
A foreign idiom is just that, foreign, no course as good as it could be can change that! If Pimsleur is good the same for any language, it's just up to you to be a good student.
I also tried language courses from Italian publishers with a different approach than Pimsleur's (96 lessons, 36 hours cassette/cd, but more about reading) and I found both very effective.

Answer 3

Very well article approximately Pimsleur in Wikipedia. It appears like a rapid option to be trained a language. I nonetheless choose to head the sluggish manner (writing, grammar and speakme even as. I have checked the Pimsleur's website online, I fairly might like to fulfill an FBI guy who discovered in 10 days a language I talk.. I have consistently distrusted language process dealers who present miracles. They consistently look to disregard that finding out a language is within the first location a enormous task, calls for area and tons, tons of time. Example: move into any book shop in a enormous the city in Thailand. Usually as much as 25% of the distance is fascinated with language approaches. That way it need to be a scorching promoting object. When you move in Thai properties, you'll normally uncover ingredients of a language finding out procedure. Question: how come just a few Thai talk english? And even folks who do are rarely comprehensible. Check the english of resort employees, air hostesses, you'll uncover out they've attempted a few approaches, however don't talk english. Last week I was once given a Thai process to be trained Thai for english audio system. It appeared well, however the Thai individual who speaks the english facet is rarely comprehensible. Just to mention: finding out languages is first-class a laugh, should you like tough paintings. The extra languages you realize, the simpler it turns into. The older you get, the extra fifficult it turns into. A well process could prevent 10% of the time. Good area will prevent forty%. A well website online approximately finding out languages is the nvtc website online. They believe as an english speaker you'll want approximately 1100 elegance/hours. my wager: A well process could prevent 10% of the time. Good area will prevent forty%. For me: a benchmark for a language process is: do they will let you choose one or 2 courses as an ordeal?

Answer 4

I used Pimsleur for french when I was going to travel to Paris. It was awesome! I only used the first level, but I was able to ask questions about where I was going, about food, about the train... all kinds of things and people were impressed (or at least the taxi driver was), and I'd only begun studying weeks before I went. I think Pemsleur is great, and I can't wait to get the more advanced lessons.

I also used the Italian ones with the same result, but I had also taken a semester of Italian, and I speak spanish, so it was similar. I can't credit pemsleur with my success entirely.

Answer 5

It's just a way to get people, like yourself, to buy their product.