Comprehensive

by Pimsleur Language Programs and Pimsleur

With Pimsleur Language Programs you don't just study a language, you learn it -- the same way you mastered English! And because the technique relies on interactive spoken language training, the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Audio Cassette
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671572865
• ISBN13: 9780671572860
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Pimsleur
• Weight: 2.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 10.6" x 13.0"

Customer Reviews

Great begginers course for learning to speak Portuguese

This audio only lanuguage tutorial is highly effective. The course is broken into thitry 30 minute lessons plus two 'reading courses'. Each lesson gets progessivly more advanced moving from learning individual words, to phrases and finally complete sentences. I found the lesson length of 30 minutes ideal for learning on my commute to and from work each day. In addition to learning and repeating stock phrases you are challenged to put together phrases and sentences from words you have already learnt but in unique combinations not previously tried. This makes you 'think' about what you are going to say rather than repeat by rote. This mirrors what you'll be doing when communicating to someone on your travels. This approach is key to eventually 'thinking' in a foreign language. The pauses in the audio for you to respond can be rather short for the more unique and thought provoking phrases. As a beginner one still 'translates' before speaking. I'd like to see longer pauses for new material and shorter pauses for material you should know well. Pausing the CD manually is not appropriate while driving or doing some other activity. This course is complete enough for an extended business or leisure trip. You will learn enough to get around as a business visitor or tourist in Brazil. It will not teach you enough to understand TV or radio or fast conversations. For that you will need to purchase Pimsleurs level II and III language program(s). For the reviewer that said this course is too basic and you can go straight to level II. I totally disagree. If you are a TOTAL beginner this is the course for you. If you already have a grasp of the basics, then yes it may appropriate to jump to level II. It's a shame that a decent phrase book is not included with the program, reading basic words is a requirement when visiting a foreign land. You will need to supplement this course with 'Portuguese in 10 Minutes a day' or something similar. Note that it's important to 7 or 8 lessons in this course before opening a phrase book. The sounds of the language are so different to what an English speaking person will expect from the written language, looking at the written word too early will encourage you to add a strong accent. I found at the age of 46 I did not make progress at a pace I had anticipated. I certainly could not keep up with one lesson per day even though I studied twice a day. Younger students and those good at languages should have no trouble keeping up. I perservered, completed the course and I have started level II lessons. My friends in Brazil frequently comment that my Portuguese keeps on getting better. They are tickled pink that I am learning their language and all Brazilians I have met have been great in helping me with my Portuguese. I am quite shy and tend to have a 'mental block' when speaking foreign languages (a fear of make a fool of myself I suppose). This course has given me the confidence to speak Portuguese in public with those fluen

An Americana in Brasil

There's a significant amount of really bad language programs out there, but this isn't one of them. The money invested (at auction) has been indispensible. I'm living in Brasil now and I'm so glad I bought these. Just a few thoughts: 1) In addition to the program, here are some necessary books to buy: A good dictionary, 501 Portuguese verbs, and the Dover publication of Portuguese Grammer. 2) In regards to finding a good dictionary, I look at two words that are often confused in Portuguese/English. "Decepcao" in Portuguese means disappointment, but if it's a weaker dictionary, they'll translate it "deception" as it's so close to the English word. The other word "compromisso" means "committment" in Portuguese, but a weaker dictionary will translate it as "compromise" which is the opposite meaning, again because this is what it sounds like in English. When I find a dictionary that translates these words correctly, I feel confident about the other translations. I have the Larousse dictionary and while good, it does make mistakes as mentioned previously. Probably the better dictionary is the one that comes with "Living Language" but it's small and you have to buy the program that comes with it, a program I'm not crazy about (see next). 3) On other programs: The "Living Language" program is definitely not for me. Skimps on interaction and auditory elements, although the books that come with it are good. The Language Now computer program had me so stressed out in 10 minutes just trying to figure out the program. De jeito nenhum (no way)! I do have Rosetta Stone as well. I like parts of it, although I'm not 100% sure I'd buy it again. For me the word/picture association is good, but it just isn't stimulating enough. I get bored with it so easily. It's strong point is probably the vocabulary is more extensive. So if you can find it cheap it can serve as a supplement. 4) By far the best in my opinion is Pimsleur because it forces you to recall from your mind. You're not just recognizing words but you're forming sentences and responding to questions out of what you're learning. It's impossible to get through a program with your mind being idle and unchallenged. Yeah, it may be pricey, but I can study on my own time and I'm not hearing a classroom of foreign accents and picking up other students' mistakes. I'm hearing only Portuguese from a Portuguese speaker which trains the mind. Hope this is somewhat helpful. Definitely Pimsleur is worth it. But again, complement with the books mentioned in Part 1.

An Outstanding Approach to Language Acquisition

If you are serious about communicating orally in a foreign language, you'll want to consider the Pimsleur Language Program. My own experience with the program has far exceeded my expectations: after learning two foreign languages in high school and college classroom settings, I decided to tackle Portuguese on my own, and was told to purchase the first "course," which consists of sixteen CDs and a short reading booklet. After having completed it, my feeling is that I've made more progress speaking the language over the course of a month just by listening and responding to the thirty hours of recorded conversations than I made in a year of formal classroom instruction. The premise is simple: each thirty-minute lesson consists of a series of conversations between a man and a woman, and occasionally you're asked to anticipate the response of one or the other and in that way participate in the conversations. By introducing new vocabulary and sentence structures slowly, and reiterating old material in each subsequent lesson - and above all, by frequently asking you to REPEAT ALOUD the native speakers in order to make the physiological connections required to reproduce the language and make sense of it by yourself - you are supposed to feel comfortable speaking in a range of more-or-less basic social situations by the end of the first level. Granted, the program may not work for everyone, although one of the advantages it has over a classroom is that you are able to set your own pace, revisiting older lessons for review ("live," rather than from notes) as many times as necessary until you feel ready to proceed. Thus even the linguistically impaired can feel comfortable learning an admittedly daunting language. I believe that the most significant and effective aspect of the program's innovation is that it introduces the written word only after several lessons of introduction to the pure articulated sounds of the language. The idea behind this method seems is to give primacy to what is said and heard, so that learners in difficult speaking situations are prevented from trying to translate the written word instead of generating sentences from actual prior conversations. It makes sense given that speakers of language all over the world, including the United States, begin to speak well before learning to read and write (if in fact they do the latter at all). For me, the approach has worked brilliantly. That said, if learning composition or trying to read in a foreign language rather than communicating with other Portuguese speakers is your primary concern, you should know that this program may not be for you, or at the very least you would want to consider a good textbook for written exercises to complement the Pimsleur program. I can say without hesitation, however, that Pimsleur beats hands down the other audio programs currently on the market - Living Language and Teach Yourself don't touch it. Especially for a language where books of verbs, good dicti

Great System; Clarification re: Level I

The Pimsleur system is really wonderful. It is enjoyable, well-paced, and because you can tell you're making progress, it is self-reinforcing. I highly recommend it. Today I am on Portuguese II lesson 22, and already have Port III on my shelf ready to go. A few caveats, though:(1) The "30-min per day" claim is misleading. I do cover one lesson per day as Pimsleur advises, but I need to listen to each lesson about 3 times to really feel that I've mastered it.(2) I also sometimes review the previous day's lesson. (3) For myself, it has helped to "cheat" on Pimsleur's audio-lingual approach (with a small Dover publications $. grammar book and a Port-English dictionary). In total, I probably spend about 2 hours per day on Portuguese.(4) My neighbors probably question my mental stability, as I talk to myself while jogging or walking the dog!(5) NOTE: A mistake I made was starting w the older Pimsleur comprehensive Portuguese tape set (16 tapes) for about $... created before they had the whole 3-level series. Nothing wrong w it, but it isn't quite consistent with I-II-III (that is, it's not the same as Portuguese I). If you think you want to do I-II-III, that is what you should buy. Some reviewers have complained about the price. But really, when compared to the value of the time you'll invest, or the cost of a reasonable alternative (like college tuition) the price isn't bad. If you put in the effort, this product works.

Brazilian Portuguese (Pimsleur)

I ordered this course because I married a brazilian girl and knew that I would be vacationing in Brasil with her, etc. After receiving the tapes, I think I listened to the complete course 2 or 3 times in about a 3 month period. Since then, I have been to Brasil, and have had many opportunities to speak portuguese with my brazilian in-laws. They've all asked why I am the only gringo in the family that can speak portuguese! My "Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese Part I" tapes are now sitting on the shelf collecting dust, because I have moved onto "Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese Part II", which is the follow-up course to Part I. Part II builds on everything that you learn in Part I. I went to Brasil about 2 months after I finished listening to Part I. I was able to practice my portuguese in Brasil for 3 weeks. I called cabs, ordered food in restaurants, talked to the brazilians about os Estados Unidos (the United States), etc. I am very pleased with both Pimsleur products that I've purchased. I have to go now and listen to my tapes......I am going to Rio de Janeiro in 2 months!