Pimsleur Chinese (Mandarin) Quick & Simple Course - Level 1 Lessons 1-8 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand Mandarin Chinese with Pimsleur Language Prog

by Pimsleur Language Programs

This course teaches Mandarin, also known as Standard Chinese. Mandarin is the official spoken language in Mainland China and Taiwan. It is also widely spoken in Singapore and Malaysia, and it is one... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Audio CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671790331
• ISBN13: 9780671790332
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Pimsleur
• Length: 4 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

Don't Waste Your Money - Behind The Wheel Chinese is Far Better

Don't waste your money on this rigid method. You'll find yourself limited for time like I did and have to review the same 10-15 minute segment over and over. There are no tracks and no flexibility. I returned this course and bought Behind the Wheel Chinese 8 mulit-track CDs instead. Far better course and I LOVE the way the interviewer gets right down to getting you to speak the basics in Chinese. Amazing how quickly I am learning to speak Chinese with Behind the Wheel Chinese and unfortunately how little vocabulary I liearned with the trackless Pimsleur Chinese course.

The best and cheapest way to learn Chinese Mandarin

The CDs are well prepared, practical and logical in sequence and are easy to listen to; they give the impression of a patient language teacher that not only teaches you Mandarin, but ensures that your pronounciation is accurate. Even current non-native Mandarin speakers can use the lessons on the CDs to brush up on pronounciation and style. This has to be one of the very best, if not the best way to learn Mandarin at home.

Good Introduction to Pimsleur

Anyone who thinks he can learn a language in four tapes is of course a fool. The real purpose for these introductory tapes is determining whether the Pimsleur method is going to work for you -- before dropping a couple hundred dollars on the Comprehensive volumes. Certainly, over the course of the four tapes you'll get some basic vocabulary, the ability to construct a few simple sentences, and good practice on pronunciation.I give these tapes five stars because 1) I had fun going through them, 2) I love the fact and the challenge that the course is purely audio, 3) I got to jump start my mainly book-learned and non-conversational Chinese, 4) and they confirmed that the Pimsler method works for me.If you already know that you like the Pimsleur method, then go ahead and get the Comprehensive I set -- which contains these four tapes.

A fun start to a challenging language

I'm over half way through the program now and can happily say that I'm not discouraged! I had heard from others who do speak Mandarin that learning outside of an immersive Chinese environment is not possible. I'm no longer convinced that this is true. Mind you, I haven't tried conversing with Chinese co-workers yet (I'm waiting to learn more), but I'm certain that this day will come. I'll be signing on for the 30-tape epic when I'm done with this mini-course.Oh, get a good book with pinyin in it as a companion. The Basic Chinese (I think -- tall & red) book seems great. I used Lonely Planet & I'm not impressed -- a lot of the terms differ from what Pimsleur is teaching.

Great for travelers short on time

This would be great for someone just going on a short trip to china; a few key phrases that should get you around fairly well. However, I'm going to be an exchange student in China in the next year and really wished I would have splurged and bought the comprehensive series (the extended Pimsleur program), and I think I just might regardless. The Pimsleur tapes are the best that I've come across (and I've tried nearly 10 others), the vocabulary-as they claimed-was given to you over again at just the right intervals so as to store them for the long-term. I would recommend the Pimsleur method for anyone going abroad with only a little time to learn the language.