French, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743550676 | ISBN-13: 978-0743550673 | Publication Date: September 6, 2005 | Edition: Revised, 10 Lessons

French is an official language in 44 countries. It is spoken by 55 million people in France, 3 million in Belgium, 1.5 million in Switzerland, 6.5 million in Canada, and 5 million in former French + Belgian colonies. It is also an official language of the U.N.

French, Basic

• Ten 30-minute lessons of spoken French language instruction (the first ten Units of Pimsleur's 30-Unit Comprehensive Program).
• Essential grammar and vocabulary that teach you greetings, numbers, how to order food and drinks and to give and ask for directions. Learn to speak with near-native pronunciation.
• No mindless repetition! Converse with native speakers in natural (and useful!) conversations.
• Easy, fast, fun and effective language acquisition.
• Completely Audio - anytime, anywhere. No computer necessary! Unlike expensive software programs which tie learners to a computer, Pimsleur courses are available in CD or mp3 format to meet your needs.
• Receive an instant credit of $50 to trade up from the Basic to the full Level 1 Comprehensive CD course.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed."-- AudioFile Magazine

"EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE...each section within the lessons is short enough to hold our attention, and there is enough repetition to teach even those who consider themselves slow learners...Pimsleur [programs] are extremely thorough and easy to use -- quite lively!"-- Boston Herald

"Learn French while commuting, German while jogging, Spanish (or Russian, Italian, and Japanese) while cooking all with NO WRITTEN MATERIALS!"-- New York Daily News

"Designed for the ear and not the eye...the lessons provide PERFECT 30-minute bites of work."-- St Louis Post-Dispatch

"Learn to habla español or parlez français before your next trip aboard. The interactive LESSONS CHALLENGE STUDENTS to use new words in conversation instead of memorize them."-- American Way (American Airlines inflight magazine)

"I tried other language programs with little success...This is the best by far!"-- Pamela A. Mitchell, Pilot, International Society of Women Airline Pilots --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world’s leading experts in applied linguistics. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed The Pimsleur Method based on two key principles:  the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called “Graduated Interval Recall.”  This Method has been applied to the many levels and languages of the Pimsleur Programs.

Product Details

• Audio CD: 5 pages
• Publisher: Pimsleur; Revised, 10 Lessons edition (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743550676
• ISBN-13: 978-0743550673
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Books on CD > Languages > Language Instruction > French
  • #25 in Books > Books on CD > Reference
  • #76 in Books > Books on CD > Nonfiction

More About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur (b. 1926, d. 1976) devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world's leading experts in applied linguistics. He was fluent in French, good in German, and had a working knowledge of Italian, Russian, Modern Greek, and Mandarin Chinese. After obtaining his Ph.D. in French and a Masters in Psychology from Columbia University, he taught French Phonetics and Linguistics at UCLA. He later became Professor of Romance Languages and Language Education, and Director of The Listening Center (a state-wide language lab) at Ohio State University; Professor of Education and Romance Languages at the State University of New York at Albany; and a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Heidelberg. He did research on the psychology of language learning and in 1969 was Section Head of Psychology of Second Language Learning at the International Congress of Applied Linguistics.

Dr. Pimsleur was a member of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), American Educational Research Association (AERA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and a founding member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

His many books and articles revolutionized theories of language learning and teaching. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed a new method (The Pimsleur Method) that is based on two key principles: the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called "Graduated Interval Recall." This Method has been applied to the many levels and languages of the "Pimsleur Programs."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful. Save money, learn "Something = Quelque Chose", August 20, 2007

By 

J.F. "John" (Bala Cynwyd (Phila Area), PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) (Audio CD)

I have used several different language programs in the past and this one is hands down THE WORST. On the first 9 of 10 lessons (I just couldn't listen to the 10th) I have learned maybe 50 words: the numbers 1, 2, 8 and 9 (3? 4? 5?) and have been asked to repeat the phrase "quelque chose" approximately 750 times - not an exaggeration - since there is no vocabulary to practice (I'd like to eat SOMETHING. I'd like to drink SOMETHING. I'd like to buy SOMETHING). As for the somethings - eating has no vocab, drinking eventually got to "some wine" and "some beer" (where's the water?) and, you guessed it, nothing to buy. It consists of 2 conversations - "Do you speak or understand French or English?" and "Would you like to eat or drink something?" I don't know the pronouns yet, nor the conjugations for the verb "to be." If I need to ask for directions, the only responses I will understand is "It is here, it is not here, it's down there, it's not down there." How about if it is down 2 blocks and turn left and across the street? I guess I will just get lost. Incredibly frustrating to use if you have any aptitude or pressing need to learn French. Essentually, I can express the basic pleasantries when I walk into a store, but that is about all. THERE ARE NO TRAVEL REFERENCES - words like tickets, train, airport, etc. are completely missing. Instant Immersion DESTROYS this program.

45 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Pimsleur, November 29, 2006

By 

Melodee Monroe "Read 'm All" (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: French, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) (Audio CD)

I got the basic tapes to see if I would even care to learn French. I can now greet people, ask for things, and have a enough basic understanding to be able to have a very simple conversation. Now I want more. They make my one hour commute through Los Angeles fly by. Once you've learned a few phrases find a dictionary to look up how the words are spelled. (maintenent sounds like mahntnah spoken through your nose; aussi sounds like o,c) I think it's amazing that anyone learns to read French, but I'm learning to speak it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There are good and bad ..., September 30, 2007

By 

G. Lyster "glyster" (Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) (Audio CD)

there are definitely strength and weaknesses about these CDs. first of all, it does not come with any written material. If you can't see how a word is spell, how can you memorize it efficiently? The syllabus is very restricted. There are you and I, but how about he, she and they? The strength is that they repeat themselves over and over again, so by the end, you've heard it enough times that it does start to stick. They do emphasize on the correct pronunciation, which is very helpful. I'd give it a 3 star at best.