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

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 074355051X | ISBN-13: 978-0743550512 | Publication Date: December 26, 2005 | Edition: Revised, 16 Lessons

Greek is the official language of Greece and one of the official languages of Cyprus. Many modern scientific and technical words in English are derived from Greek, and it has been estimated that 12% of the English vocabulary is of Greek origin. This course teaches Modern Greek.

Greek (Modern), Conversational

• Sixteen 30-minute lessons of spoken Greek 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
• Publisher: Pimsleur; Revised, 16 Lessons edition (December 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074355051X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743550512
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Greek > Instruction

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

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start to learn to speak Greek!, July 15, 2006

By 

gyro maniac (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

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

These CDs are a great start to learning modern Greek. I thought I was hopeless! This is really helpful if you are planning to travel to Greece, but you will definitely need other books/tapes if you are trying to learn more than just how to ask directions, ask for something to drink, etc. One negative that a native speaker pointed out to me is that you only learn the "formal" version of a lot of things (I'm only half-way through though, so maybe they teach informal tenses later). Overall a great experience as long as you make sure to do it frequently and repeat lessons to make sure you know everything before you move on. Definitely worth the price and you can rip them onto your mp3 player so it's more convenient!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Foundation, May 11, 2007

By 

Mario Martinez (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

I spent about three months listening to the CDs in my car during the commute home from work. I was impressed at how the course would subtly teach Greek grammar. When I demonstrated what I had learned to Greek speakers, they were very impressed by my pronunciation. I found some of the conversations to be rather humorous too.

My only gripe is that sometimes I could not differentiate between some sounds such as "ven" as "then" and 'm' and 'n' sounds. A small book with phonetic spellings of all the words would be a welcome addition to the product.

By the way, investing in an English-Greek dictionary would not be a bad idea since the course does not cover that many nouns. The course does not focus on throwing as many words at you as possible - instead it only teaches what you are likely to retain in half an hour and focuses on repetition.

I went to Greece after completing the course and I found that I could pick out bits and pieces of what people were saying. I was able to tell a Greek woman what the time was after she asked me the time in Greek and was able to ask for the bill and understood the waitress when she told me "11 euros". I stayed with a Greek family and they seemed to like it when I would throw in a Greek word or two. Prior to listening to the CDs, I had absolutely no exposure to the Greek language.

After doing 16 lessons you probably will not be proficient in Greek but it is a very good foundation to build upon.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best way to start, July 26, 2008

By 

Carl W. Bergquist "Language Addict" (Sao Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

This course, as with all Pimsleurs courses, is the best way to start your study of Greek. After doing the 16 lessons you can jump into one of the other "learn yourself" type courses with a good head start. It also prevents you from creating bad habits sometimes formed by the wrong use of some transliterations or pronunciation explanations given in books. Go through it BEFORE you start any book and you will already have learned some of the basic structures. Very little vocabulary however. You may continue with Pimsleur's complete course afterwards. Highly recommemded.