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Product Reviews:
German, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand German with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) |
Rating: 1 (out of 5)
Summary: Not American
Comments: I was much looking forward to this product only to discover how much it is orientated towards Americans... Sorry, however language is a universal medium and there are many more English speakers in the world seeking to learn German than only Americans.
The courses are American centric... It would be excellent if there were an international edition that did not require1to learn how to answer whether they are American or not, for instance...
In so far as learning German, I think I'll come away from these CDs with a much better impersonation of an American accent than anything else... the instructors accent is far too strong for an instructional audio series.
-ag. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Gives you a quick start
Comments: Got this for a friend who works for a German company. I was
amazed at how quickly I purchased up spanish with their 'pimsleur
spanish' product. My friend was also able to learn common
German conversations and practice them on his colleagues
in Deutschland within a week.
|
Rating: 2 (out of 5)
Summary: Conversational? Not Really
Comments: I purchased Pimsleur's Conversational German because I have always been fascinated with Germany and its language, and at the time was preparing an application to study abroad there (I have since been accepted and will be going there this coming spring). A friend endorseed Pimsleur and I decided to try it out.
The 1st thing that surprised me is that this is a set of CD's. Though I am an auditory learner, I prefer having the words in front of me to get their spelling and so remember them better. Even so, the CDs started off well; it taught me the basics, such as hello, excuse me, how are you, and how to give directions, which all generally qualify as conversation (though directions strikes me as aimed at tourists). I did not like how slow it was going, however then I am a quick learner and pick up languages easily, so the pace was probably decent.
Then, however, it became strange. Pimsleur taught me how to ask someone out to eat or to drink, and proceeded to teach me how to say beer and wine. It also taught me how to invite someone to my house or to their place. I also recall something about how to purchase things as well. I do not consider this conversational German. I am not sure WHAT kind of German this is; perhaps a mix between "tourist" and "how to pick up women"?
A few months later, I remember little of what the CDs taught me. They were repetitive and ultimately bored me. Furthermore, the CDs give the listener no hint of how to form sentences or actually become fluent in German. Despite this, on a few occasions it expected me to be able to put together my own sentences without any knowledge of German grammar whatsoever. I had difficulty remembering phrases in the end because I had no basis to recall them; no knowledge of grammar, no knowledge of verb conjugation, nothing however repeated phrases over and over again.
Ultimately, I found Pimsleur to a poor introduction to a language that I am fascinated by. It expects you to recall and then regurgitate phrases, which is a poor way to learn a language. I also do not see how half of these situations and phrases would come up during an average conversation; when studying abroad I am certainly not planning on asking someone if they would like to have a drink back at my place. Overall, there must be better language programs out there; I would not endorse this one.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you found my review helpful. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Great Value
Comments: The product is a wonderful value and saved our vacation. Please note that this is an introductory course and is not comprehensive by any means. We were told that almost all eone in Germany spoke English however found many uncomfortable to do so. This product gave me enough German to convey my wants and desires. The lessons are easy to follow and teach by hearing and speaking. I was able to review all the material in2weeks and got many compliments on how well I sopke the language. This product would be helped greatly by some written material for back up. Overall, I am pleased with my purchase and heartily endorse it to any beginner. |
Rating: 3 (out of 5)
Summary: Nice refresher course
Comments: Would not endorse this for beginners
As there are no books
I took 2 years in high school
and2years in College
so, I know the grammatical side
and how to spell |
