Customer Reviews

Polish, Q&S: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs

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

 

 

If you want something that understands that it takes the repetitiveness of these words to get the language, then buy this product. I listen to it going to work and comming home and in that short time, I've learned enough to hold a conversation. This summer we are getting Polish exchange students at my Job, and I thought learning alittle would help in the long run.

I have a few Learn to Speak Polish CDs and CDroms and this is the best yet.

If you listen to the audio and repeat and attempt to speak when you are asked to, you will make progress.
There is nothing in print. It's a good idea to get a good dictionary.
You will get out of this course what you put into it. Attempt to speak as much as you can.
The authors should consider making a few changes in the next edition:
1. They should supply a transcript.
2. It is repetitious. It should not repeat easy things so much.
3. Lesson 5 suddenly throws a lot of new words at you and doesn't repeat them enough.
4. The words for "Castle", "eat", "something" are unintelligible.
5. There should be more explanations of grammar. For example, there are two ways to say "and": "i" and "a". The course should explain when to use one or the other.

This is the most incredible way to learn a foreign language! I have tried books, tapes and classes. With Pimsleur, after a week I can finally have an introductory conversation with the right pronunciation. And because of the unique system of repetition used on the CDs, I'm speaking quickly and retaining the vocabulary. The speakers have professionally trained voices and are a pleasure to listen to. I'm ready to buy the complete set of Pimsleur Polish Lessons on CD.

This is the best audio language instruction I have ever used. The lessons were so clear and the review was so comprehensive, I am ready to go to the next level. I would highly recommend this instructional CD for anyone attempting to learn this somewhat difficult language.

This audio CD is AWESOME! I purchased it before my first trip to Poland. I had absolutely no background in Polish. 'Couldn't find any classes to take. I purchased this series at the suggestion of a friend. Wow! I couldn't believe how easy it made the language.

The phrases are those that would be used in casual conversation... which is exactly what I needed. The people I met were convinced that I really knew the language! When they started rattling off things I didn't understand, I was able to express my limitations w/ the language.

I enjoyed Pimsleur for Spanish but Pimsleur for Polish is excellent!

Excellent and easy to learn and understand
I used my lessons so much when I traveled to Poland and the Polish natives thought that I was from Poland and not the USA
Thanks Pimsleur
I highly recommend this to all wishing to learn this most difficult language.

The Pimsleur Polish CDs are the absolute simplest way to learn to speak Polish HANDS DOWN. That's saying a lot, since Polish is one of the harder languages (harder than German for example). When I took several years of German in college, I learned all the correct grammar using a textbook; but you know what, I still couldn't speak much of anything, and now remember very little. When speaking, you simply don't have time to think about the correct gender, case, declension, etc. While you are thinking about such things, the other person is five sentences beyond you already!!! Speaking needs to be trained so that it is automatic, not based on thinking. Isn't being able to speak the language, usually the real reason you learn it? After all, when you are a kid, you don't learn grammar until you already know how to speak. Speak first, grammar later.

That's what you get with Pimsleur. A pure audio learning course, for someone with NO experience in the language whatsoever. When new words are introduced, they are introduced slowly . . . syllable by syllable . . . by native speakers. After the word is built and practiced, it is then spoken at full speed after that. Repetition is designed to make it automatic, so you don't have to think and you can build up speed.

Some critics here have pointed out that they repeat some basic phrases too often, but actually I think it is a tactic to give you a little break when learning some new phrase . . . and to distract you so you start to forget the new phrase, and then they can ask you the new phrase again to reinforce it. In some later lessons, some sentences seem too complicated and long, but I think the point is to get you to understand how to construct sentences. Conversation doesn't shift from man's perspective too often in the early lessons, mainly because the sentence structure is actually different from a woman's point of view (crazy Polish language!), and it would be too confusing otherwise (so this is actually a plus I think, not a negative).

NOTE: All the Polish CDs on Amazon by Pimsleur are, in fact, the same; you just get a different total number of lessons. You get 30 of them with Comprehensive I ( Polish, Comprehensive: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs ).

Quick & Simple ( Polish, Q&S: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs ), Basic ( Polish, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) ), and Conversational ( Polish, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation) ) are just the first 8, 10, and 16 lessons respectively of Comprehensive I.

If you know you really want to learn a lot of the language, just buy the Comprehensive I; however, if you are unsure, you can buy one of the smaller sets . . . good news is that if you do that and later decide on Comprehensive I, you can buy at a rebate that's included in the smaller set purchase.

No Comprehensive II yet (as of June 2011), but they will make it eventually if enough people buy Comprehensive I and pester the Pimsleur publishers via email about making it. Until then, supplement what you've learned with Michel Thomas Polish Beginning ( Michel Thomas Method' Polish For Beginners, 8-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series) ) & Advanced ( Michel Thomas Method Polish Advanced, 4-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series) ) and/or Rosetta Stone Polish ( Rosetta Stone Polish Level 1-3 Set ).

I purchased this program and found it to be annoying in it's redundancy. The Pimsleur method may work for some, but it didn't work very well for me. Your mileage may vary.

The more expensive Pimsleur versions contain readings which enhance the experience, but not much. For similar money consider Eurotalk's Talk Now! Polish which is a computer application using picture, written word, and spoken word association. I found it to be superior to Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone in every regard. See my review of that title.

The entire Pimsleur series that I have encountered is mind numbingly boring with endless repetition of the same basic phrases. I learned much more Polish with one World Talk CD than with the 5 Pimsleur CDs. I had the same objection to the Pimsleur Romanian CDs.