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I HAVE TRIED MANY WAYS TO LEARN ITALIAN AND THIS IS, BY FAR THE BEST. PURCHASED THROUGH AMAZON.COM
Soon, you sound like you know the language well enough to order a beer with your meal and ask simple questions and hopefully understand the answer.I did this set a while ago and I still remember so much of it that when I listen to opera, I can catch a lot of the meaning. This is a great way to learn another language. While many tapes have you repeat phrases, seemingly at random, Pimsleur builds on what you know, making you recall previous phrases. Great set. Great method.
Well done for teaching speaking and listening comprehension, particularly to beginners who cannot go to a class. It appears the series was written in about 1950 with the theme of American men who go to Italy so their wives can shop or so they can try to date Italian girls. Believe me when I say not only would the scenarios above not actually happen these days, but some of them would greatly offend the Italians. Younger people would probably just find them silly and stupid.I've lived in Italy off and on for about a year and I've been working with an Italian firm for almost 6. We get to hear a wife ask her husband for permission and money to buy a hat.3. This makes it almost painful to listen to in some cases.
The examples provided, while mostly accurate from a linguistic standpoint, are so outdated as to be either funny or offensive, depending on your point of view.Some examples.1. We get to follow a gentleman persistently trying to 'pick up' a woman (ok, he keeps asking her for dinner over and over and over again after she says no, but it's still nauseating).2. This product gets a mixed review (the same review applies to Italian II, which I bought before I got all the way through I, or I would not have purchased the second one).First, let me say that the technique used in the Pimsleur series is excellent. My Italian friends are astonished that this type of thing would be possible to purchase still and they cannot believe this is what Americans come over here thinking.The bottom line is that, while the technique is quite good, with something that is so outdated and offensive it's difficult to get past it to just focus on the language learning. We get to listen to an American insist that a shopkeeper should accept dollars and a wife go out shopping saying she doesn't have any Euros, but she has plenty of dollars.And this sort of thing goes on and on. It would appear that the only updates that have occured in the last, say 40 years, have been that they replaced all references to the Lira with the Euro.I'm not a kid and I found the scenarios more than a little offensive. Particularly when you know that you won't ever use the language in the way of the examples or that to do so would greatly offend your Italian hosts.I would maybe still have considered buying the first series of this even knowing this, but not any subsequent ones.
There is a very entertaining segment where a man comes to a hotel room for a business meeting with another man, but only his wife is there. In some ways it's actually better than a class at the beginning because it's more structured and consistent.However, and this is a big however for some people, the course is very dated. Why would they ever be expected to accept dollars just because you're an American. We get to hear a husband and wife speaking to each other in the 'formal' mode.4. Please.5. This is not 1945. I'll move on to a more contemporary product for any intermediate or advanced learning.Initially I had thought to use this series for work on French too, but based on this I would have to hear it first to ensure it was much more recently made.
Love the tapes. I drive quite a bit and the tapes provide continual stimulation and repetition. I am half way through the complete set and I am looking forward to ordering Pimsleur Italian II. I also own Rosetta Stone Italian CD's which I also enjoy but I must be on my computer to utilize them, which is a problem.
To get a reasonable working level of proficiency you really have to do all three levels, which makes the cost of the complete package almost as much as a round trip ticket to Italy. By "functional proficiency" I mean being able to shop, travel, and socialize in a given language.The Pimsleur Italian program uses native Italian speakers, giving it a big advantage over language books in teaching you to pronounce words correctly. To gain a functional proficiency in a foreign language as quickly and painlessly as possible, nothing beats the Pimsleur system. I would strongly suggest getting a used copy, which can be had for about half the cost of new. It also is better than any other audio course I've tried in the way it presents new material and drills you on previously-covered material. The constant review is a big confidence booster.The only problem I have with the Pimsleur system is the cost. Also, bear in mind there are 30 30-minute lessons per level, which means 90 days to complete the whole course.This isn't a college course; you won't be learning to write the language and you won't gain a level of proficiency that allows you to debate politics or negotiate a complex business contract. However, if you're planning to vacation to a foreign country and want to get up to speed on the language as simply as possible, nothing beats the Pimsleur system.
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