Customer Reviews

Swiss German, Compact: Learn to Speak and Understand Swiss German with Pimsleur Language Programs (Pimsleur Instant Conversation)

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every chapter is around 30 min. when i learnt 5 lessons, i tried to speak to my Swiss friend. He thought my Swiss German was taught by a Swiss!!

Yes, some of the sentences is pretty FORMAL. But my Swiss friend is already impressed.

It is better to know basic German before you learn, as the program doesn't include any book for you to read. And they won't tell you the reason why you speak this way this time; and that way that time.

My wife is Swiss-German, and I've learned plenty of Swiss-German words over the years. While I appreciated the effort, learning how to order two beers over several lessons didn't quite work for me. Since there are so few Swiss-German language resources available, this CD series is better than nothing, but I would have like to have learned more than saying I am from America and would like to order "gschnatzlets mit rosit" and a beer.

I love this product! I am a Swiss American who unfortunately was not taught Swiss German by my mother. I learned standard German in school. I listen to the program in the car and I have also saved it to my itunes on my mac. It is so helpful: The repetition, broken down pronunciation, and build up. The fact is that Swiss German is almost nothing like German. Without this methodical method, I don't think I would be making the transition so well. I am actually retaining the information. I can't wait for my next visit!

I have studied about ten different language programs and this one is by the far the best one I've ever used! I learned more in a fast amount of time and retained more then anything else. I would recommend this product not only to travelers but also homeschoolers as an excellent learning tool in any language!

Feedback from native German speakers is that I have learned a lot in a short time. They all question the very notion of learning Swiss German, however, because it is "just a dialect". I hope that it will get me started in my upcoming year of living in Switzerland. The program was great, although, I have the same critique that I remember reading. The male and the female speakers frequently pronounce words quite differently, and in close promimity to a lesson to pronounce it a different way. Also, it seems at times that they spend an inordinate amount of time on simple phrases, and gloss over some more difficult ones. All-in-all, I thoroughly enjoyed it, although it took me a LOT longer to go through the lessons than the prescribed "one/day"!

I disagree with those in this thread who are discouraging people from learning Swiss German. Language learning isn't always about practical aspects of communication. Some people just love language for its own sake. Also, some people have a personal connection to a language through their family or otherwise.

I learned German while living in southern Germany for two years as a Mormon missionary. Because my ancestry on my mother's side is Swiss, I have always been very interested in the Swiss dialects. But it can be difficult to be taken seriously as a speaker of Swiss German without reaching a certain level of proficiency first. For example, in my case, when people understand that I understand standard German, they tend to automatically shift to standard German when they speak to me. I think this course is a good start to reaching a level where one can actually begin to participate in Swiss society in the local language.

As others have pointed out, it's true that Swiss differs from canton to canton and, in some cases, from village to village. Nevertheless, people from different areas of Switzerland can and do communicate with each other all the time. And, sure, sometimes they laugh at each others' expressions. Na und? That's all part of the fun.

I particularly recommend this course to people who already speak German and are interested in getting a better handle on the Swiss dialects, but I don't think it's necessary to know German to benefit from these lessons.

Finally, hats off to Pimsleur for being willing to invest in languages like Swiss German and Ojibwe even though there will probably never be a big market for these products.

This book is a great introduction for those who have some German language exposure already. However, for those who want to actually make progress in speaking in conversation beyond the usual, "I live in Zurich" and "I'm doing well," go with something like the video course called "Der Schweizermacher" or the few Swiss German movies out there.

On the other hand, this is a good introduction to some of the most basic structures. Very, very basic, but still a good intro.