Great, but only gets so far.., September 21, 2003

Having listened to some of the German and Japanese tapes just recently, I have to say that the way vocabulary is built up in these tapes is wonderful. The repetition is exactly what is needed. The suggestion about pausing the tape to give yourself time to come up with answers is a very good one.

I have to remember to thank my Japanese and German teachers, however! In listening to the tapes, I was amazed how much I had managed to recall from lessons of over 10 to 20 years ago.

But I've only had one year of college German, and I found even with that I was at least at the intermediate level of the tapes. So what am I supposed to do after level 3? These tapes are rather expensive for that reason. But then again, a college course isn't cheap either. Perhaps the best way to use these tapes is to treat this like you're taking a college course, and use the tapes as conversation practice, but then also supplement them with some good grammar books and a dictionary.

The speakers on the tapes are excellent. Very clear pronunciation. If only people normally talked that slowly and clearly! Just for kicks, I'm going to try the tapes in a language I don't already speak and see just how much I can pick up.

Really very good, but...., April 12, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
I used the complete Pimsleur course: I - III and German Plus. It gave me exactly what I needed--practice and confidence in conversation. It was all review for me, as I'd studied German before, a considerable amount of study on my own. I found that the cassettes were perfect for my long daily commute. I would listen to two lessons in the morning and listen to the same two in the evening. Although the course didn't really add a lot to my vocabulary and very little to my knowledge of grammar, the conversation practice was great. Especially for those like me, who have studied a lot on their own, conversation can be difficult. Practice is invaluable in breaking down what I call the brain-tongue barrier. (So many times listening to the tapes, I had the answer in my head but just couldn't get it out of my mouth in time!)

Having said that, I would hate for this course to be my introduction to German. I would hate to do this course without knowing some grammar and the principles of German pronunciation. In addition, I find that the words and phrases chosen for special help with pronunciation were not consistent. In effect, some of the simpler words were emphasized like this, but more complex words like "Dolmetscher" were breezed over in the conversations. And some of the basics in vocabulary were not covered--for instance, I don't think the complete list of months was covered, and learning all seven days took quite a few lessons!

a few tips, November 27, 2001

I'm currently using Pimsleur to learn Japanese and Cantonese, and I'm thrilled with my progress. Pimsleur has a truly effective system for learning language painlessly and effectively. ...Here's how to make equal progress on just one listening: Each time you're prompted to come up with an answer on your own, *stop the tape* and give yourself time to think before you get interrupted by the soundtrack. If the tape gives you the answer before you've come up with an answer yourself, you haven't learned anything...

After working hard to finish Pimsleur German I and II, I was looking forward to tackling the next big hurdle, Pimsleur German III. And while I did progress quickly, I found that all of the unique and interesting ways Pimsleur was getting me to learn in Pimsleur German II were not as prevalent in III.

After looking carefully at all of the packaging, I discovered that the recordings are most likely from 1994 (compared to I and II, which were last recorded in 2002), and it sounds like they had been transferred from tape to CD. Because of that, the sound quality, which makes a world of difference when you're trying to learn to pronounce things correctly, was only fair. Also, it seems as though Pimsleur German III follows a pattern closer than Pimsleur German II, so it was almost too easy to guess what was coming next.

Finally, because this is an older course, there are some words and phrases introduced as new in Pimsleur German III that were already covered in Pimsleur German II. Conversely, there are words in III that were not in II (but perhaps were in an older edition of II) that Pimsleur assumes you know. This isn't a big deal because it doesn't happen very often, but it is an annoyance.

To sum up, this course is very good, and you will find nothing else like it. However, once you're at this level, you may not need the "Pimsleur crutch" to learn. Try to find it used, if possible.

I've completed Pimsleur 2 and 3. Although I feel the programs have the right approach, Level 3 should have been more difficult. There was a considerable amount of redundancy between level 2 and 3...... IMO you can always go back and listen to level 2, level 3 should have moved on. Some of the dialogue should have even been covered in level 1, not levels 2 or 3.

New students NEED a grammar book.

what a ripoff, March 10, 2004

bought the german I tapes. I have some german couse experience about 30 yrs ago. I found the tapes extremely basic and the vocabulary rudimentary. I thought it was a waste of money to buy these expensive tapes for so little return. I have not listened to the german II tapes, but now I am not so sure that these would be any better. I have the Spanish tapes and they were just excellent so I am very surprised to see that the German tapes are such a ripoff!!!!!!!!