Finally, a language program that progresses at a reasonable pace. Languages are very difficult for me to learn, yet with this program I'm moving along quite rapidly. The repitition is wonderful, allowing the words to implant themselves in your long term memory. No studying, just plain and simple verbal practice, which leads to long term memory and retention.
Other tapes focus on memorizing sentences and responses, without building on the fundamentals. This programs continues to build on itself so you feel confident in new situations, using new combinations of words and sentences. I can't wait to go to Italy and put it to good use.

I have tried so many other audio language courses that have left me nothing but confused! This is the absolute BEST audio instruction package I have found. My retention is near 100%. I can't wait to get my hands on the next level of instruction!!

It really works, I previously spoke almost no Russian aside from "yes" and "no." But wanted to learn more, so I checked out this set of tapes, and two others at the local library. Guess which one taught me better? No question, this one did. It really teaches you how to speak in an easy way, so with a little practice most people can pick it up. This is a great set of tapes.

Yes, the Pimsleur method does work! The eight lessons will give the listener a vocabulary of about 100 words, more than a few useful sentences, the ability to construct their own sentences, correct pronunciation (written Russian is not as phonetic as the books led me to believe), and a strong desire to find out more about this charming language.

I'm going on a trip, and these tapes have really given me a base of conversational Russian to use while in the country. I am, however, trying to learn the alphabet on my own. Not all that easy. If you want to be able to communicate and do so quickly, these are the tapes for you.

The tape series helps the learner with the subtle pronounciation aspects of the language that the books can't provide. While this tape series doesn't use any books, I recommend a companion book to help build vocabulary. It is amazing how a conversation at the beginning of unit 1 is not understandable, but 30 minutes later it is perfectly clear. If you are serious though, go for the whole set as the first four cassettes won't go too far.

Excellent for those that took a couple of semesters in high school and have completely forgotten all of it over 15 years from disuse. In just a couple of weeks my Swiss-German coworkers are amazed! Thanks Pimsleur for such an easy, friendly and effective learning method.

Great for use in your car. This is the first of several levels to learn from Pimsleur on German. Make sure you get the rest of them. This one took me about 10 days to get through.

This is an easy and effective way to learn Japanese at a great pace. HOWEVER, I didn't realize that this was a sample of the full course until I read the review here.

Excellent material but not enough to really function.

This was a wonderful introduction to the Japanese language. It was easy to follow, unlike other Japanese language tapes I've heard, and each lesson built on the material from previous units. I thought the methodology and pacing made this an easy way to learn a 'difficult' language, and I did the entire set in my car while driving around over the past six months. I am disappointed that the full course is not available here.

This is the best language-learning method I have discovered. The structure is well thought out and, even though it is audio-only, it provides an excellent base for learning written Japanese as well. The tapes require you to think and make use of the vocabulary and grammar that it teaches. It is not simply a memorization tool. However, there is one import catch that is not obvious until you complete the 8 lessons the package contains. What you have purchased is a SAMPLE not a course. The intermediate tapes begin with what is essentially lesson #31. The complete beginning course (30 lessons) is available only through Pimsleur and costs $250. I was hooked and will probably continue with the program. The comparitivly modest cost of the "sample" is deducted from the price of the full course. According to their telephone sales rep, one should only buy the intermediate package that is available through retail channels if you already have some knowledge of the language and are planning to start your "real" lessons at that point. In my opinion, this is an excellent product that doesn't need to be marketed in a way that borders on the deceptive. Ric Getter

The pimsleur teaching method is good, though I feel many words could have used more detailed pronunciation instruction.Unfortunately the sound quality is rather poor. The background "hissing static" sound on the cassettes makes learning all the more difficult. I don't appreciate having to study with my ear literally up against the speaker, to hear properly what's being said.The same applies for the hebrew course.

Ok. Pimsleur won't get you very far, ..., and is somewhat cumbersome to work with. So the rest of this review will be about how in hell did I get to giving it five stars. There are several ways to go about when wanting to learn a language in an audio-only manner. You can get the "Learn in your car" from Penton Overseas. You can get the audio-only course from Living Language. Or you can take Pimsleur. From the lot, Pimsleur would be the ONLY decent answer for the utter beginner, with the other options, you will find yourself replaying the tapes a couple of times. Does any language course that is a self learning course worth this kind of money? No. That's why we have the next paragraph.

Money. First of all, by all means get it used. It is an audio course that I recommend going through only once. So if you're lucky enough to find a CD version used, it will be exactly the same (of course - assuming that the seller is decent enough to sell unscratched CD-s). As for used audio cassettes, well, as much as we want to hear the correct pronounciation, we have to remember - this is not Mozart, it is only recorded speech. However even if you don't find it used, you can buy it, and after completing the course, sell it as used. As this is suitable for first time learning, and is too much for review purposes (perhaps the other audio-only courses will be better for review).

One last thing. Usability. I'll talk technology, but it's essential here. When I bought the heavy package, the first thing I've done was to move it to MP3. So then I had the entire audio collection on a single CD. In such a way you take a single disc to your car, play it with a mobile MP3 player, and stock the valuable course in your closet for backup. In that way, when you finish with the course, the originals stay in a good enough state to be sold as used. However, if you won't convert to MP3, the need to each time take another cassette/CD to your car would be a serious drawback, since storing the entire course in your car doesn't sound as a sensible alternative to me.

To wrap it up, buy it, MP3 it, learn it, sell it.

I think the CA dude needs new speakers!

These tapes have been a great way for me to learn, especially since I learn very well by listening vs reading!