Customer Reviews

German I - 2nd Ed. (Pimsleur Language Program)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I already speak more German in FOUR WEEKS than I have been able to speak French in FOUR YEARS of classes using this method.

For the first time, I am actually learning to speak and understand another language (rather than just reading and writing). I thought I was a dunce at languages! Turns out, it was the education system. I recommend getting a few books to supplement what you learn in this method, but I would wait until you begin Pimsleur German II to do this. Get the spoken language down first, and then learn to read and write.

I have tried many of the various language courses that are out there and none of them even comes close to comparing to the Pimselur language courses. I never in my life thought that I would be responding to German questions without having to first translate them into English. This course has given me something that I will keep for the rest of my life.

The only bad thing that I have to say at all about this course is that it doesn't provide you with the spelling of the words that you are learning. But this course isn't meant to focus on spelling, it's meant to focus on hearing and responding so I was not too upset to let that slide. I'm 100% positive that, after I finish volume II, that I will purchase volume III. Thanks Pimselur!

We've tried 5 other audio language programs for our family, and I took a conversational German class at a community college. I wish I'd found this program before I'd wasted so much money on other programs (and before I lived in Germany for several months!)... In just a few lessons, we are UNDERSTANDING the language better than we ever could have with other programs, are more confident about speaking, and excited about learning more. Everything is introduced in context, making it easy to remember. The program continually builds on what has been learned, so review is built in but not boring. The question and answer format forces one to THINK about what they have learned instead of just repeating phrases without figuring out what each word means and how it should be used. We'd like out children to have mastery of several languages, but with the next language, we won't be floundering trying to find a good program. For spoken language, we'll go straight to Pimsleur!

I have worked with the Japanese and Chinese comprehensive series, and so far (I've only finished German I) I have to pick this as the best of the three. I have always been attracted to the elegance and clarity of the German language, but I never thought that learning it for the first time could be so pleasurable and easy as it had been. The speakers are warm and lucid, the script is very efficient and very logical, and the whole package has a playful and pleasing quality to it. I cannot rave enough about the speakers. They are genuinely attractive, and their flirty bantering imbues this production with a pleasant and humorous atmosphere missing from most other foreign language programs, which are usually flat. Also most of the lessons are under 25 minutes and easily zipped through.

I admit, I was skeptical. I've never believed that tapes or cds of someone droning phrase after phrase actually had any use to someone learning a language, but my friends told me that the Pimsleur Program was different. I'm fluent in German so I checked the first level out of the library. I figured that since its a language I already speak I would be able to tell if it was actually teaching anything worthwhile. I was completely amazed! The pimsleur program doesn't just tell you how to ask where the train station is, it gives you a knowledge of the language that can be expanded on. You're not just mimicing, you know what you're saying. I was so excited about "discovering" Pimsleur that I went out and bought the Norwegian course and am having much success with that!

The Pimsleur programs are well structured and well-paced, and the instructional techniques appear to work. A big plus to this program is the 'conversation' that occurs completely in German at the beginning of each lesson. Not only do these conversations provide the user with confidence in their comprehension, but they provide a realistic example of 'conversational speed'. The pedagogical conversations in which the student participates are highly amusing, and one might rename the course "How to hit on, and get shot down by, German girls." (There's really more to it than that, but the entertainment value does keep ones' interest up.) I penalized the Pimsleur course one star because it's not quite as good as the Michel Thomas course (though it covers more), and parts of it are redundant to the point of making the student insane. (About the 50,000th consecutive time you've started a sentence with "Ich mochte...", go back and check your pronunciation...) All-in-all my second favorite for pedagogical style, and first for comprehensive content. (I am taking into account that there are two more series available.)

I have tried many methods to teach myself German. I bought intro to German books, I bought advanced books, and I watched "Run Lola Run" about 20 times. I have also tried some other all-audio programs, such as Living Language's -- and nothing else compares to the Pimsleur program. I have been listening to the first four CDs while I'm at work, and I'm feeling confident that I am really learning Deutsche (German) at an extremely rapid rate. In just 50 hours, you can practically be fluent in a whole other language!

Wonderbar!

I have been using this program for about 2 months. After a couple of weeks I kind of forgot to listen to the cds for about 2 weeks or so. I thought I would have to start all over again from the beginning, but I was surprised when I realized that I had remembered everything I learned.

I think the reviewer(s) who gave this program 4 stars instead of 5 only because it didn't cover all of the months of the year and/or days of the week is being a bit unfair. Maybe it is fair if you have had a German course elsewhere and have somewhat of a head start. But seriously, how many of us are there out there that can read and write in a foreign language [at least a bit] feel completely lost listening or at worse trying to converse in that language?

This program is easy and it works! If you only want to learn the grammatical structure and/or expand your vocabulary obviously this program is not for you. If you want to begin [a very good head start] to learn German then you are very well on your way.

A general problem with audioCD courses is the lack of good feedback on pronunciation. (I already had some background in French and Spanish when I went through the Pimsleurs for those languages, so I already had an "ear" for pronunciation there.) I don't know if it is the mastering (technical audio production) of the German CDs themselves, or my two CD players, but many of the consonant sounds were "cut off" at the beginning of words (e.g., was it "prauchen" or "brauchen"?). In several cases, I did not hear the correct pronunciation until the word was put into the middle of a sentence. Having a dictionary on hand and occasional coaching from someone who had already taken German helped a lot.

Other than the minor pronunciation problems, I found the 3 Pimsleur German CD sets extremely useful in learning to speak a brand-new language rather fluently, and I want now even English words in different order to speak.