Pimsleur

The Russian invasion of Ukraine made me want to revisit my learning of the Ukrainian language, which I first started in 1997 after reconnecting with distant relatives over there. I personally like the Pimsleur language programs and have used it previously for a trip to Turkey, and was studying German prior to a trip there that didn't happen due to the pandemic. What I greatly appreciate about the Pimsleur Ukrainian 1 is it encompasses the conversational aspect of it that I need, especially show more now that everyone in my more-immediate family who spoke it has now passed on. Having a good grasp of Russian and having had some previous familiarity with the language I found that listening to it on CD while commuting to and from work was rather easy and my ability to get over some of the hangups I had previously pretty much disappeared while listening to native speakers pronounce the words. There was an odd moment where they introduced the familar ви form and then did no follow-up. My only criticism is that, like everywhere else, there just not a lot of resources to learn the language and Pimsleur stops at Level 1. show less

NO OF PAGES: 0 SUB CAT I: Hebrew SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: If you're thinking of learning Hebrew but aren't ready to commit the big bucks for the 30-lesson course by Pimsleur, this 8-lesson set is just the encouragement you need. When I ordered mine, there was a $20 discount coupon inside toward the unabridged lesson set, so if you decide to upgrade, it's like you get this 8-lesson set for free.
An English-speaking announcer introduces you to the program and two native Israeli show more speakers demonstrate the correct intonation and pronunciation of Modern Hebrew as it is spoken today.

I am a visual learner and didn't think I would do well with an audio course, but it came so highly recommended, I gave it a shot.

There is no comparison to the Pimsleur method of aural learning. I only hope that the publishers eventually come out with a 2nd and 3rd volume like they did with Spanish, German & French.

With just the eight 30-minute lessons, I felt confident enough to know that if I was dropped off in the middle of Israel without a guide and even if I couldn't find an English speaker around, I could still communicate enough to get food, water and shelter, as well as to have a modicum of a conversation with the locals. This is an awesome, easy-as-pie system for learning Modern Israeli Hebrew.NOTES: Donated by Bill & Debbie Springer. SUBTITLE: Modern Hebrew show less

The Pimsleur Method is well-structured and should provide a noticeable improvement for the learner, but like any language learning program if you want results, you have to do most of the hard work yourself. This will include extra practicing, internalizing and getting contextual exposure to the language so that it becomes less foreign. If you're expecting a comprehensive knowledge after only using the Pimsleur Method, then expect to be disappointed.

Learning a language is an active and show more ongoing process—plenty of new words, sounds, reading, writing, and above all else, speaking, speaking and more speaking. show less

I have had good luck with Pimsleur programs in several languages, including Vietnamese. I've found them easy and better for learning basic phrases through repetition than other materials. Further, since the vast majority of the program is auditory, I was able to listen in the car or on a portable device and learn phrases without having to follow in a book.

My big concern with the Pimsleur programs is that they are pitched to male travelers and there is a certain amount of sexism in the show more dialogues (for example, dialogues where "you are an older American man talking with a younger Vietnamese woman" and the dialogue concerns drinking beer or wine "at my place").

In the case of the Vietnamese CDs, the pronunciation is Northern, which is somewhat different from the Southern.

I'm not sure why an Amazon reviewer was told that "chi" was impolite or incorrect for a female; while it literally means "older sister," it is used to a "youngish woman" (Rough Guide Vietnamese Dictionary-Phrasebook). It is how I was addressed by my native Vietnamese language instructor, a woman somewhat younger than myself, and how I am addressed in Vietnam. I am a woman who is too old for "co" and too young for "ba." I note that "ba" with an accent (low falling tone) is used for an older woman, where "ba" without an accent (and pronounced with a mid-level tone) means "dad." Perhaps this is the cause of the confusion. show less