Spanish I - 1st Rev. Ed. (Pimsleur Language Program) [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Pimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0671521527 | ISBN-13: 978-0671521523 | Publication Date: February 1, 1995 | Edition: 1 Revised

The standard thirty lesson unit self-instructional Pimsleur course is designed to train professionals in any field to accomplish cost-effective, measurable levels of spoken-language proficiency at the rate of one daily thirty-minute lesson.

To enable individuals to succeed in today's global marketplace, Pimsleur programs make it possible to have a sufficient spoken-language competency in a considerable number of diverse foreign languages within a very short period of training.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Pimsleur; 1 Revised edition (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671521527
• ISBN-13: 978-0671521523
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,926,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

184 of 189 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best way to learn a foreign language!, January 8, 2000

By 

Mike Murray (Bay Shore, L.I. NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spanish I - 1st Ed. Rev. (Pimsleur Language Program) (Audio CD)

[Subtract one star if the inclusion of written material is essential to you.]

I've tried many methods over the years to learn Spanish including audio tapes from other trainers, but nothing has worked as well as the Pimsleur Method.

The Pimsleur Method is designed to teach you a foreign language the way you learned your native language: by listening, active listening. When you were a child and you learned your native language, you weren't reading books or writing phrases, you were actively listening to the people around you and learning to respond. These courses are structured in the same way.

I first encountered the Pimsleur Method with a small set of tapes (what's called on Amazon.com as the "basic" set) which I used once daily on my 35-mile commute to and from work. I found a retained more Spanish than at any time before in my many attempts. Since the basic set was working out so well, I went on to purchase the full, unabridged set that you're investigating right now.

I like the CD format because it's more durable and it gives me the ability to create tapes and MiniDiscs of the lessons for my use outside the home.

The lessons are a half-hour daily and the course is designed that you spend only that half-hour listening and responding. If you can stick to the program, you'll find yourself fluent and understanding in a short time.

I'm currently working on "Pimsleur Spanish II" and I'm hoping to become more fluent as time passes.

If you want to learn a foreign language, give these courses a try. If you're really unsure you want to make a heavy financial commitment, try the Basic Set first and see if Pimsleur works as well for you as it's working for me.

116 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fantastic *introduction* to the language, May 9, 2001

By 

Fred Schultz (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spanish I - 1st Ed. Rev. (Pimsleur Language Program) (Audio CD)

I know from reading other reviews of Pimsleur language programs that people are sometimes taken aback by the rather basic vocabulary the program leaves you with and the lack of written material. Bear in mind, the Pimsleur program is an excellent *introduction* to a language. It can't be beat for helping you with pronunciation and with learning the "core" of a language. If you want to become fluent that is going to take work on several fronts besides the Pimsleur course (or any other tape course available), but Pimsleur delivers on what it's designed to do. My experience thus far is with Pimsleur Mandarin Chinese I and with Pimsleur Spanish I, II and III. They are superb. When used in combination with vocabulary building work, a grammar book (preferably and old fashioned grammar book ), and practice with a native speaker, you will attain your goals of speaking the language in fairly short order. What can I say? Learning a language is a lot of work and if you're looking for a magic bullet that gives you fluency in "30 minutes a day for 3 months!" you're living in a dream world. But the Pimsleur program will get you well on your way. You will develop an ease for composing sentences, a great pronunciation and an introduction to the vocabulary with their system. After one level of Pimsleur Mandarin I, I've managed to astound a co-worker born and raised in Taiwan with my ability to speak her language. Granted my vocabulary is limited at this point since I haven't done much else besides the Pimsleur tapes in Mandarin, but what I do know, I know very well. Having completed three full levels of Pimsleur Spanish and having worked on vocabulary, grammar, and reading from other sources, my Spanish has reached a very conversant level in only three months. Living in Albuquerque, I have the opportunity to practice my Spanish frequently, and people have commented on how adept I've become. Pimsleur is one of the crucial language learning tools I have to thank for such praise.

To sum up, I believe that Pimsleur programs can be used effectively by several different types of language learners, from those just wanting to pick up a smattering to those that want to become very conversant or even fluent. If you want to pick up some phrases and learn a small but useful vocabulary fluently as well as set up a solid foundation for future efforts, then all you need are the tapes. If you want, on the other hand, to really attack the language and master it, then you'll need more than just the Pimsleur tapes; but the Pimsleur tapes will constitute one of the most helpful tools you have in your language learning bag of tricks.

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A painless start to learning a new language, June 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Spanish I - 1st Ed. Rev. (Pimsleur Language Program) (Audio CD)

There are three things that everybody who has taken a Pimsleur course says about it: 1) It's expensive 2) It works, and 3) I wish there was more. If it didn't work, the other two wouldn't matter (and if you are not sure it will work for you try an 8 lesson Basic set). But since for most it does work, it is worth considering the other two items. You will probably want to continue through Spanish II, possibly Spanish III. This costs real money. And even after the full three volume set you are not going to be able to follow the soaps. But it is amazing how quickly you go from saying "Do you speak English?" to being able to understand and express complex ideas in Spanish within a small, but well chosen, vocabulary.

Spanish I covers the present tense, the near future (going to see, etc.), commands, and the present perfect (have seen, etc.; actually more useful than the past tense, if you are only going to learn one), and ends with a brief introduction to the informal (2nd person singular; no 2nd person plural since this is South American Spanish). Plan on doing a lesson every day (even if you just repeat yesterday's lesson). And a small, pocket dictionary is helpful. This is very good. An interesting and painless way to learn a language.