Overpriced part of a complete Italian course

Would you try another book from Pimsleur and/or Pimsleur?

Yes

If you’ve listened to books by Pimsleur before, how does this one compare?

n/a

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narration is fine.

Could you see Pimsleur Italian Level 1 Lessons 1-5 being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

n/a

Any additional comments?

This language series is good, but over-priced. One credit for 2.5 hours is very expensive. I much prefer the Paul Noble series (also on Audible), which is a fraction of the price, but slightly better. Both series use the same pedagogical principles, but target somewhat different vocabulary. Both will get you ready to converse at a basic level in Italy. The Paul Noble series has a shortcoming in that for some bizarre reason, he completely omits basics such as “Good morning, Sir.” However, that shortcoming can be made up for within one hour on YouTube. Other than that, he uses the same principles as this course, but in a much friendlier way that makes his courses more fun to do. Both focus on conversation, of course. This was the third language I taught myself (after French and Spanish). I found that the best way to learn Italian was this:

Step 1. Start by watching the three videos called “Italian Pronunciation: Learn How to Pronounce Italian Vowels” on the YouTube channel ItalyMadeEasy. This gets you pronouncing the vowels correctly from the start, which is vital for speaking Italian in such a way that Italians can understand you. Neither the Paul Noble series nor the Pimsleur series addresses this vital need. In three months of learning Italian so far, nothing has helped me more than these three videos.

Step 2. Then do all three parts of the Paul Noble Italian series, which will only cost you about $15 (pay for it rather than using credits, as each of the three units is only about $5). I love his language courses, and so does my wife. These three parts give you about 12 hours of instruction, and will on their own be enough to get you started in conversing in Italian.

Step 3. Then, if you want to spend a fortune to learn even more and fill in some of the gaps in the Paul Noble course, get the Pimsleur courses.

Step 4. In the meantime, all along the way, keep watching the ItalyMadeEasy videos on YouTube. These are excellent, taught by an extremely likeable Italian teacher called Manu. I especially recommend the video on vowels already mentioned, plus a video called “Learn Italian: Learn Basic Italian Greetings.” This is much better than any other video on this topic I have ever found, and is vital for learning how Italians actually use greetings in real life. For example, I was astonished to learn that foreigners in Italy should almost NEVER use the greeting “Ciao” (it’s only used for close friends and small children; using it with strangers or hotel clerks or waiters is impolite and disrespectful). Also, check out his Playlist called “Essential Italian Expressions” – small chunks of vital information about how Italian is really spoken. Apart from that, there are lots of other useful videos on this channel. These videos really fill in the gaps left by the more traditional language courses.

187 people found this helpful

Best audio for learning Italian

Having completed the first five lessons of Phase One of the Pimsleur Italian lessons, I can say, "eccellente". I've been listening to another set of audio lessons to learn Italian and I very much prefer the Pimsleur. The very thorough pronunciation and slow pace make it easy to do something else such as drive, fold laundry or do dishes and listen and learn.

That said, this might be too slow paced for someone who just wants to learn a few phrases for travel, or who picks up language very quickly. Sometimes the "Italian for Idiots" type of series seemed like a good name.

I have enjoyed and learned quite a bit already and will download the next five lessons. I checked to see how many more lessons there are in the series and was amazed to see there are three "phases" with about 30 lessons per phase. I should be pretty good by the time I complete all that.

63 people found this helpful

The best language audio course I've found

We are preparing for a trip to Italy and I wanted to get some familiarity with the language. The older I get, the harder learning a new language seems to be. I am totally amazed at how comfortable I am becoming with simple conversations. I am enjoying learning Italian, and find this instruction to be totally non-threatening and interesting. The approach challenges me to think in the language in a new way - it isn't just listen and repeat - it engages you in a conversation. There is a very appropriate amount of review and recall, but you can't get bored because new words and conversations keep occurring. This course is comparable to, or maybe even better than, having a live instructor! Now that I've found Pimsleur, I hope to be able to explore more languages, too.

36 people found this helpful

Disappointed

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, because for almost one hour and forty-five minutes I heard the Introduction etc.. The introduction is on the FREE Unit 1 as well. So why waste our money and time by putting it on the paid version. Why would we listen to it again, After (trying) to listen to the Free version?? In other words, it being on there was a waste of time, when they could have given us more newer words to learn. Another thing is in the Free Unit 1 version, they teach you simple sentences. About 5. Then in the paid version they teach the same 5 sentences & introduction for the 1st one hour and forty-five minutes. When they know probably most people would have listened to the Free version 1st. So in the beginning of Lesson 2, they start with reviewing those 5 sentences again for awhile! Don't they think that after teaching and us memorizing 5 sentences for One Hour, that we would know the sentences by now?? The magic of Audio is we can Rewind and Forward the audio to rehearse on our own. So the authors could have moved on and taught us some more words. So in reality, if I remember correctly I have only 1 hour left to listen to them teaching me other words. If they teach you about 5 sentences in 1 hour, then how many more words are they going to you in the next One hour.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I was learning a Language.

How could the performance have been better?

Please read the 1st question.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not likely it would be made into a movie.

Any additional comments?

It has a very good concept but you learn too few words in the time they give you. With Rewind and Forward buttons we could go over the words in our own time.

25 people found this helpful

The Easiest Way to Learn a Language!

Would you consider the audio edition of Italian Phase 1, Unit 01-05 to be better than the print version?

Not applicable. This is designed to be a listening experience, not a written one.

What did you like best about this story?

Learning is almost effortless, as I imagine it must have been learning a first language as a toddler.

What does the narrator bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not applicable.

Any additional comments?

I have used Pimsleur for Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese, and I still remember each other tme even though I haven't used the French or Spanish for years. It is an excellent method for learning while driving or working around the house, since it is all audio-based. Pimsleur's understanding of how language memory works is revolutionary.

11 people found this helpful

Not enough content or vocabulary

While repetition is fine, there needs to be a little bit more content and vocabulary so one leaves this first level with something other than hello how are you do you speak Italian.
From what I can tell, there is no story

7 people found this helpful

Too Expensive to Be a Realistic Way to Learn

What would have made Pimsleur Italian Level 1 Lessons 1-5 better?

it is excellent

Who was your favorite character and why?

all good

Which character – as performed by Pimsleur – was your favorite?

all good

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

it works for learning

Any additional comments?

The problem for me was that there are only 5 lessons per purchase and there are dozens and dozens of lessons, thus it use up so many points to actually learn a language this way. Maybe it would still be less than hiring a teacher. I did learn a lot in even a few lessons, however, and I recommend it if you feel you can afford it.

7 people found this helpful

Fun and Fast Moving

I've only done 10 units of Pimsleur's Digital Italian but I've enjoyed it because it's fast moving and makes more sense than something like Rosetta Stone's Italian version which often takes too big of a leap between one lesson to the next for the student to fully grasp the meaning of words and grammar. In Pimsleur's there is a good variety of new words and phrases introduced with each unit, interspersed with a review of ones already learned in a logical sequence.

6 people found this helpful

Too formal

It is not clearly explained that you are learning ONLY how to speak formally to someone.

5 people found this helpful

Not good value for credit

Not very good value for money. Expected to learn more. Would stick with hard copy books and duolingo to learn languages

5 people found this helpful