goSpanish: Learn to Speak, Read, and Understand Spanish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur (Author), goPimsleur (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743596552 | ISBN-13: 978-0743596558 | Publication Date: August 4, 2009 | Edition: 8 Lessons + Reading

The Pimsleur® Method teaches speaking and understanding right from the start

For almost 50 years, in over 50 languages, the Pimsleur® Method has been recognized by experts worldwide as one of the fastest and most effective ways to learn to speak another language. With Pimsleur you will learn Spanish in the same way you learned your first language as a child, acquiring the vocabulary of the new language, along with the melody, rhythm, and intonation of Spanish as used in everyday conversation.

The Science of Memory

Dr. Paul Pimsleur's research on memory was one of his most significant achievements: he discovered that if reminded of new words and information at gradually increasing intervals of time, the learners would remember the words or information for increasingly longer periods. Dr. Pimsleur documented that the acquisitions would actually move from short-term into long-term, or permanent, memory.

The Reading Program

Pimsleur Language Programs use the same revolutionary learning Method to teach you to read, as well as to speak. You will start by sounding out Spanish, learning to associate the new sound system to the English alphabet you know. Gradually you will learn to look at the words and see them with "Spanish eyes." And you will learn to read Spanish without an English accent.

Learn on the Go!

goSpanish makes it easier than ever to use the Pimsleur programs by including the spoken lessons in two audio formats. Now you can listen anytime, anywhere: in your car or at home and on your MP3 player.

This package contains:

• Eight 30-minute language lessons on four audio CDs

• A reading book with more than 50 Reading Lessons

An iPod-ready MP3 CD that has:

• MP3 audio files of the eight 30-minute spoken language lessons

• An MP3 file containing three hours of reading lessons

• A printable PDF file of the companion Reading Book (Please Note: MP3 disc will not play on a regular CD player)

Bonus: a digital Ultralingua Spanish-English dictionary with 200,000 items, including colloquial terms and common expressions.

On the MP3 CD you'll also find a link to:

An Instant Credit of $100 towards the purchase of the Pimsleur Comprehensive Level 1 program directly from Simon & Schuster, with 30 lessons on 16 Audio CDs. Please see www.pimsleur.com/goSpanish for details.

Note: The purchase of this product alone does not qualify for an Instant Credit, or for the Proficiency Guarantee.

Pimsleur’s Proficiency Guarantee. We believe so strongly in the effectiveness of the Pimsleur Method that we will guarantee your spoken proficiency if you continue and complete the Level 1 Pimsleur program. For more details visit www.pimsleur.com/Proficiency-Guarantee

Editorial Reviews

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: 4 pages
• Publisher: Pimsleur; 8 Lessons + Reading edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743596552
• ISBN-13: 978-0743596558
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #669,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant - An inexpensive way to try their method, October 7, 2009

By 

Michelf "Pajama Lady" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: goSpanish: Learn to Speak, Read, and Understand Spanish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

Before I tell you what I think about the goPimsleur method of learning a language I want to explain what this particular product is and is not. Because even if I didn't like the method, I would still give this product 5 stars.

This particular product isn't a full on "How to become fluent in Spanish" program, it's more of an introduction. But it's not only an introduction to basic Spanish conversation, it's also an introduction to the Pimsleur method of learning a language.

Over the course of my life I've been interested in learning a number of different languages, but if I wanted to learn on my own time it generally seemed to involve a rather hefty financial commitment. A program can *say* they have a lot of success teaching people to speak a particular language, but everybody learns differently and I didn't want to spend a lot of money only to discover I didn't like the teaching method.

So this product is a way to try out the Pimsleur method at a reasonable price. If you discover you like the program, there's a coupon for $100 off the full version. (The "coupon" is on the disk and is actually a promotional code you use to get $100 off an order from the Pimsleur website.)

As for the Pimsleur method itself. I liked it, the way the information was presented worked pretty well for me.

Words and phrases are explained, they are spoken by a male and female voice and words are broken down into parts to be sure you're hearing the pronunciation correctly. (This helps to avoid situations like telling people "I have a man, I want a hamburger.")

As the lesson progresses and you learn more words and phrases, you are occasionally asked about words and phrases you learned earlier in the lesson. This helps to reinforce your memory.

Each lesson is a half hour long and they intend for you to do one lesson per day. (They discourage doing more then one particular lesson per day, which can be a bit of a drawback if you have a lot of driving in your life.)

I think if you're willing to play by their rules (speak out loud, only one lesson per day, don't skip even if you think you already know the lesson, etc.) this is a very effective method for learning conversational Spanish.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very effective method, October 15, 2009

By 

Ashley L. Sheppard (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: goSpanish: Learn to Speak, Read, and Understand Spanish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

In this package you get audio CDs, an mp3 CD, a paperback book, and a PDF booklet. The mp3s are great, because you can put them on your mp3 player. I listened to the CDs in the car on my work commute. The lessons are 30 minutes, and you're supposed to do one per day.

One of the techniques the program uses is Graduated Interval Recall, which means they will keep coming back to a word or phrase after you know it to keep it in your memory. They also use the Principle of Anticipation which gets you involved in conversations, and has you recall answers that you have learned; The narrator will ask you a question, and you will respond. The vocabulary learned is small but sufficient to communicate. The lessons also stress proper pronunciation.

Overall, I was pleased with the results. I would feel more comfortable going to a Spanish speaking country now, knowing the I could communicate enough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Does not feel natural, August 14, 2010

By 

Jeremy Storly - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: goSpanish: Learn to Speak, Read, and Understand Spanish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

I have been trying to learn Spanish now for the past year, and I thought I would give this a try. While I did learn some helpful phrases, the approach to Spanish study in this Pimsleur product feels unnatural to me. Many free and better programs exist, such as Byki, for those who want to learn simple phrases and conversational Spanish. I would not recommend investing in this product. Subscribe to Spanish magazines, read Spanish books, watch Spanish TV, subscribe to the free podcasts, and use the free resources found online, but save your money. While this is not a bad product, better free resources exist.