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

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0743550471 | ISBN-13: 978-0743550475 | Edition: Revised, 16 Lessons

German is the official language of Germany and Austria and is one of the official languages of Switzerland, Belgium, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg. Nearly 100 million people speak German as their first language: about 77 million in Germany, 8 million in Austria, and 4.5 million in Switzerland.

German, Conversational

• Sixteen 30-minute lessons of spoken German 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

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

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; Revised, 16 Lessons edition (December 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743550471
• ISBN-13: 978-0743550475
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Books on CD > Languages > Language Instruction > German
  • #5 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > German > Instruction
  • #6 in Books > Books on CD > Reference

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

161 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pimsleur - by far the best foreigh language teaching method, July 17, 2006

By 

Charlie - See all my reviews

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

I've been trying to learn the German language for 1 1/2 years because my parent company is based in Germany and I speak/correspond with them almost daily. I've tried Hueber, Langenscheidt, PONS and Rosetta Stone courses, but even though I was averaging 2 to 4 hours a day studying the language, I found these courses tedious and never came to the point where I could actually say anything beyond "Guten Tag" on the telephone. After a week using the Pimsleur method, I was able to hold simple conversations with my German co-workers. The best thing about this course is I am able to listen to it on the way to work, while getting dressed for work, sunning at the pool, etc. I am spending far less time studying but I'm learning at a much, much faster pace.

I liked this course so much that I gave away my Rosetta Stone course, which cost a great deal of money, and I purchased the complete Pimsleur method (levels 1, 2, 3 and plus). A couple of my co-workers have borrowed my Pimsleur courses. I am currently mid-way through level 2 and I'm amazed at how quickly my vocabulary and understanding of the German language has increased. I now consider the hundreds (possibly thousands) of dollars I've spent on other language courses a complete waste of money and effort.

If I could give this course 100 stars, I would! In all fairness to the other courses, I have to say I did learn many words, but I could not form sentences correctly. It would take hours to compose a simple e-mail before and I could only do so if I had one of my German dictionaries beside me. Trying to speak to someone in German was impossible for me to do. I would never have believed I could learn so quickly. I am amazed. If you want to learn a foreign language - skip the other courses until after you've tried Pimsleur. I think some of the others are okay, but do the Pimsleur first. You'll understand the others much better. Other methods try to teach grammar first. But when you first learned to talk, you learned to speak it first - then you went to school to learn grammar. Summary: Get this course!

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are ready to learn German, this is the course for you!!, July 26, 2006

By 

Kevin Deal - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

I took German in high school (30ish years ago) and was taught the way many of us have been taught...the ball, the bed, I am hungry,etc. but this course was a pleasant surprise. Basic conversational words and phrases are repeated and gradually built upon.

If you are sincere about brushing up on or learning German then this is the course for you! However, after doing the Conversational German, which is lessons 1 thru 15, I was hungry for more and bought the German 1 course. German 1 is lessons 1 thru 30+. So if you plan on getting serious, save your money and jump into German 1.

I was actually pleased with the fact that with the purchase of a German verb book, the Pimsleur courses really teach you basic conjugation without boring drills...ich bin, du bist and so forth.

With Pimsleur, you are getting what you pay for. An incrdible product!!

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good System, September 10, 2007

By 

John M. Patterson (Lampasas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

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

My last German language experience was the three years I took in high school back in 1969. The German language has always fascinated me and lately my wife and I have discussed taking a trip to Germany and I looked around until I found this course to help me brush up on the language.

The technique works. I was amazed at how fast what I had learned 38 years ago came back to me. Even had I not remembered any German, the lessons would still have been easy to learn. However, some lessons you will probably have to listen to a couple of times to be sure you master at least 80% of the lesson.

This particular short course is good for one reason and that is to see if you want to learn the German language, never having studied it before. Its an inexpensive way to "get your feet wet". However, if you already know you that want to learn enough to get you past ordering food, asking directions or dealing with vendors, get Level I of the Pimsleur oomprehensive course.

This Conversational German course is the same as the first 16 lessons of the 30-lesson Level I course. I wish I had discovered that before I ordered this shorter course but that's my fault.