Customer Reviews

Danish

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

(My other review didn't seem to go through, so I'm trying again.) Pimsleur only offers a brief, basic introduction to Danish, unlike their programs for languages which are in more demand such as French and German. Their drills are excellent, some of the best I have tried, and teach you to spontaneously say the phrases. They focus on learning a few things thoroughly, rather than learning several things which you will forget later. They are especially good for an absolute beginner. But it is disappointing that they stop after only 10 lessons. The program teaches you to SPEAK Danish, NOT to READ it. The reading is limited, but also useful. It focuses on learning key phonetic spellings in Danish, which you can apply later when you learn to read and write the language. You will have to find other training materials if you want to go much beyond the "How-do-you-do's." I would like to see Pimsleur get philanthropic with us poor learners and offer the more obscure languages in more detail, even if there isn't a huge profit in it.

The one thing that bugs me is that this program claims that after you go through these tapes you will "comfortably understand and speak at a beginner level." Now maybe they have much lower standards for their definition of "beginner level" but I definitely disagree with this statement-- you only really learn how to say a few sentences. Put it this way: after finishing these tapes I went and watched "Italian for Beginners" (Danish movie) and only understood ONE phrase without the subtitles (it was "I don't know"). So, I definitely do not consider myself even at beginner level! The reason I gave it 3 stars is because yes, it does teach you good pronunciation (when they say the phrases one piece at a time especially), and gets you accustomed to listening to Danish at least. Here is another random thing that was kind of annoying though: the tapes totally assume you are a man. They have you try to ask a girl out to dinner, etc... every time you are talking to someone, it is a woman. Every time they play back what YOU were supposed to say to her, it is a man's voice. Don't know why but it got irksome after a while (me not being a guy). If I had to recommend a good beginner's program to Danish, it would actually be some of the software out there, not the Pimsleur method. Software on CD-ROM is way more fun, and the words stick in your head better because you have visual cues/reinforcement as well as audio. Do a search in the "software" section of Amazon and you will find some good stuff (I especially recommend "Talk Now!" by EuroTalk).

The Pimsleur method is very easy and rewarding. The drills are excellent, and I am able to remember the phrases and say them spontaneously. However, the Pimsleur Danish program is a scaled down, basic introduction, not the complete course available in other languages. I have contacted three universities within fifty miles of my home to see if they teach Danish. Two said "no," and the third said "we only teach obscure languages if we have enough demand. Then we will find a teacher. Fill out a request." (If you are reading this review, there are at least two of us who want to learn this delightful language.) So I was very glad to get a program like Pimsleur that actually has me speaking simple, common phrases. This is a good introduction. But I am disappointed that I haven't found a complete course. By the way, you need to listen to native speakers to figure out Danish pronunciation, and this set uses native speakers.

Thank you to the others who posted reviews! Your information was a huge help. Once I knew the male voice wasn't Danish, I was able to "model" the female speaker and resolve the aural discrepancy. There's a marked difference in the pronunciation between the male and female speakers.

A friend recommends the Rosetta Stone language learning series as very good. No "pick-up" lines. Honestly, what was the writer of the Danish series thinking?
It's a real shame because the Pimsleur teaching method is sound: I was very surprised at how much I am retaining from the Pimsleur lessons, not only the vocabulary but the rules that govern the Danish language.