French, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743550420 | ISBN-13: 978-0743550420 | Publication Date: October 3, 2005 | Edition: Unabridged

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, Conversational

• Sixteen 30-minute lessons of spoken French language instruction. These sixteen lessons are the same as the first sixteen lesson of Pimsleur's 30-Unit Comprehensive Program.
• Each lesson includes an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures and includes practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons.
• Essential grammar and vocabulary. Topics include: greetings, numbers, meals, shopping, telling time, scheduling activities, and asking and giving directions.
• 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 $150 to trade up from the Conversational to the full Level 1 Comprehensive CD course.

Pimsleur® equals success. Just one 30-minute lesson a day gets you speaking and understanding like no other program.

Editorial Reviews

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: 8 pages
• Publisher: Pimsleur; Unabridged edition (October 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743550420
• ISBN-13: 978-0743550420
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Books on CD > Languages > Language Instruction > French
  • #2 in Books > Books on CD > Reference
  • #3 in Books > Books on CD > General

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

126 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product, September 11, 2006

By 

Daniel G. Cockrell "Language Geek" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: French, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

This is a fantastic product, and one of the best ways to really get an early handle on grammar, and an outstanding way to practice speaking and pronounciation at any level. However, please do not do not get disapointed when you don't speak perfect French in 8 hours. This will give you basic tools to build on, but then you need to spend some time in a French country, or take several years of university classes.

When considering the investment in a foriegn language, consider that it may take 1000 hours (for an extremely easy language like French) to feel very comfortable in the language. That's one hour of serious study each day for three years. Or you can go sit in a Parisian cafe and talk to people who are willing to tutor you (extremely hard to find without some pretty good skills to start with) and you might get there in a few months.

I like this product because it's the very best available for naturally teaching you the grammar basics and for helping you to build the core vocabulary (stuff like and, but, or, many, few, the, a, an, whowhatwhenwherewhy), the core language structure (negation, word order), and it's outstanding for it's ability to teach language sounds...

A side note...be willing to sleep between lesson times. Something happens when you sleep, and you'll be better at it by the next lesson. That's why it's important to do this every single day, so that you have the maximum number of study-sleep cycles.

61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for beginners......, July 9, 2008

By 

nolagirl (new orleans, lousiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

This is the first French language product that has been an effective tool for me to actually learn French. I've taken local classes, used Rosetta Stone, and purchased Smart French audio CDS. Yes...I am an old dog and its very hard for me to learn new tricks. Pimsleur was effective because of the reviews that occur throughout the audio set. You just don't memorize it one time and then never hear it again. The next session builds on the previous session with a some "new material" and by the end you've built a "small" but effective vocabulary. I also learned specific language rules that were omitted or assumed common knowledge in my French class. I understand that other users may want a written book or guide. However, I've found that with French, it is better NOT to know how the word is spelled because it doesn't sound anything like the way it's spelled. It's definitely better to learn the correct pronounciation FIRST. I highly recommend this audio series. It was much more effective than the Smart French Audio CDs.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Convenient to use and easy to transport, March 17, 2008

By 

S. Dominick "paintlady" (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) (Audio CD)

Pimsleur's Conversational French CDs are very easy to use and convenient. We keep them in the car because we are there often. Everyone joins in repeating the phrases. Most of the sentences are ones that you would use in getting about a French speaking area. However, I would have liked having a written booklet with it, because it is difficult to determine b or v and some other pronunciations. On the whole I feel it is worth the reasonable we paid for it. The lessons progress from one to the other so that there is a continuity in learning.