Spanish II [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0671315935 | ISBN-13: 978-0671315931

With Pimsleur Language Programs you don't just study a language, you learn it -- the same way you mastered English! And because the technique relies on interactive spoken language training, the Pimsleur Language Programs are totally audio -- no book is needed!

The Pimsleur programs provide a method of self-practice with an expert teacher and native speakers in lessons specially designed to work with the way the mind naturally acquires language information. The various components of language -- vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar -- are all learned together without rote memorization and drills. Using a unique method of memory recall developed by renowned linguist, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, the programs teach listeners to combine words and phrases to express themselves the way native speakers do. By listening and responding to thirty minute recorded lessons, students easily and effectively achieve spoken proficiency.

No other language program or school is as quick, convenient, and effective as the Pimsleur Language Programs.

The Comprehensive Program is the ultimate in spoken language learning. For those who want to become proficient in the language of their choice, the Comprehensive programs go beyond the Basic Programs to offer spoken-language fluency. Using the same simple method of interactive self-practice with native speakers, these comprehensive programs provide a complete language learning course. The Comprehensive Program is available in a wide variety of languages and runs through three levels (thirty lessons each) in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. At the end of a full Comprehensive Program listeners will be conducting complete conversations and be well on their way to mastering the language. The Comprehensive Programs are all available on cassettes and are also on CD in the six languages in which we offer the Basic Program on CD.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Pimsleur (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671315935
• ISBN-13: 978-0671315931
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 11.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,473,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More of the same (which is very good), June 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Spanish II (Audio CD)

If you liked Comprehensive I, you will like Comprehensive II. Interesting, interactive lessons add new vocabulary while reviewing the old. Conversations are at normal speaking speed. This helps your brain learn to cope with real speech, but if you need to pause and review frequently, it can make the lessons take much more than a half hour.

This set of lessons covers informal usage, the past tense, the conditional tense (could, would), should and must, and ends with the present progressive (am talking, etc.).

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get much better than this, September 15, 2002

By 

Steve D. Perkins (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spanish II (Audio CD)

The Pimsleur family of language courses is probably the best available in the English-speaking world. However, if you're even considering buying this it means you've probably already finished Pimsleur Spanish I... so you're already familiar with what the product is like and how it works.

The main thing I can say about Pimsleur Spanish II is that when I finished I actually started to feel like a Spanish speaker. Maybe not a fluent speaker, but proficient enough to survive (or perhaps drive a taxi!) in a Spanish-speaking country. It's a much different feeling than completing Spanish I... where I had learned just enough to grasp how much there was yet to learn.

If you haven't done so already, I would also recommend finding some basic grammar book to look over. A Pimsleur principal is that it's more "natural" to pick up grammar rules by osmosis as you listen to conversation. While that may be true, you also have to consider that as a child it took me 10-15 years to master my native tongue's grammar by osmosis... and that was being surrounded by native speakers and taking classes in school! While learning grammar from books alone is counter-productive, I can't count the never of times that something confusing me on the Pimsleur CD's was cleared up INSTANTLY by reading a rule in the grammar book. If you're investing this much time and money into gaining Spanish proficiency, you might as well go the extra few inches and read up on your grammar basics.

Another extra I would recommend is some basic Spanish reader. I don't mean a phrase book... I mean some sort of "Dick and Jane"-style reader where you can learn new words in the context of reading natural text rather than exercises or travel phrases. The reading exercises in Pimsleur courses are the only aspect that I found to be slightly disappointing. There is really NO correlation between the vocabulary in the reading exercises and that which you're learning in the main lessons. Most words you learn will never show up in reading exercises, while allot of words you see in the reading exercises are never taught! I suppose that the idea here is to teach you how to pronounce written Spanish even when seeing unfamiliar words. However, I enjoy learning Spanish by reading natural text as much by hearing natural dialogue... and there are countless readers out there for beginners.

All in all, you can't go wrong with Pimsleur's courses. Once you've finished the "Spanish II", you'll be itching to move on to "Spanish III". These courses may be a more effective (and affordable) option for those more serious learners that would otherwise consider taking night classes.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effective and therefor a good value, March 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Spanish II (Audio CD)

After working through Pimsleur I and II I can now with confidence have a conversation in Spanish, feeling like I am being not only understood but courteous. This has been useful in my work (legal) and in traveling. The 30 minute lesson length fit my attention span and ability to retain new material. It also, fortunately, fit my commute. Yes, it is relatively expensive, compared to other available books. It is very inexpensive compared to tuition at a local community college, plus it is much more interesting, and I was much more motivated to actually complete the sequence than I would have been had I signed up for a course across town two nights a week. A very fair price for the results obtained, in my opinion. The only downside is that I have not listened to NPR news for the last three months, because I have preferred to listen to these CDs in my car.