Pimsleur is an online language learning resource that focuses on assisting learners in improving their foreign language conversational abilities. Each session includes active participation, question-and-answer exercises, and listening activities. The classes encourage students to commit new words and ideas to their long-term memory rather than using repetitious memorizing techniques.
Simon & Schuster created the Pimsleur language-learning program. Pimsleur ranks as one of the widely known language-learning apps for learning new languages. Choosing the best language app and resource can be difficult for a beginner.
We decided to make the choice easier by reviewing the Pimsleur app. We also examined what Reddit users have to say about the app. Hence, the article dwells on Pimsleur and what Reddit users’ think of it.
Contents
Overview of Pimsleur
The Pimsleur language study method is an audio-based program that offers sentences in both the target language and the learner’s native tongue. Dr. Paul Pimsleur created the first Pimsleur language program in 1963.
He intended to design a comprehensive language course that could educate someone without needing a teacher. Pimsleur covers over 50 languages, including the most well-known ones like Spanish, Japanese, German, and Italian, and lesser-known ones like Punjabi, Twi, Ojibwe, and Tagalog.
Pimsleur’s desktop and mobile apps are intuitive and user-friendly. It has a range of information that combines vocabulary, real-world situations, and culture in a manner that is easy for beginners to understand.
With the Pimsleur approach, you would not have to memorize 30 vocabulary terms and their meanings simultaneously. Instead, you will learn the language in bite-sized sessions that will help you understand it better in context. Each lesson employs a progressive interval recall technique to help you retain and apply your new vocabulary and pronunciation for increasing amounts of time.
Instead of losing everything as soon as the class concludes, this method assists your brain in recalling the information more readily and for extended periods. Pimsleur recommends doing one 30-minute lesson daily to get the most out of its content. While most of the classes are audio, you will also have access to reading and pronunciation lessons, games, and flashcards to help you retain new terminology.
Features of Pimsleur
Some of the features of Pimsleur include:
● Optional PDFs
Along with its audio classes, Pimsleur offers free PDFs and booklets. Most of them are optional. You will not miss anything if you skip them since you will still need to complete all of the level’s essential lessons. You can listen to a companion audio track that guides you through the subject if you decide to utilize them.
● Lightbulb Moments
The Lightbulb Moments feature is not revolutionary by any means. Still, it provides intriguing cultural information as you learn a language. They provide concise descriptions of the language’s history and culture. For instance, if you take Spanish lessons on Pimsleur, you learn how Spanish individuals get their last names.
● Pricing
The cost of Pimsleur courses varies. The audio-only version is $14.95 per month, while the interactive workout version is $19.95 per month. The later version is called Pimsleur Premium. The Pimsleur Premium is only available for French, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Latin American Spanish, and English for Spanish speakers.
You can choose the one that fits your budget. The lifetime access option could be preferable if you want to use Pimsleur on an ongoing basis. As a result, you may finish the course at your speed and review the lectures or exercises whenever you need to. However, a membership plan is more cost-effective if you want to study for a few months.
If you are skeptical about the app’s suitability, you can take advantage of the free 7-day trial. You get to see how Pimsleur works before you pay anything. Pimsleur also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
● Pimsleur Coupons and Deals
Pimsleur provides a variety of coupons and discounts on its website throughout the year. You can check for coupons and deals around August when the school year starts or during significant holidays like Christmas and New Year’s. A 20% discount code is instantly sent to you when you sign up for a free trial.
Pimsleur Practice Exercises
Here are the four ways of putting what you have learned into practice after completing a lesson. They include:
● Digital Flashcards
You can review the words and phrases you learned in each session with the flashcards containing each lesson. Each flashcard has a native speaker saying the word; you can save challenging words for further practice. Also, you can decide whether you want your target or native language to be shown first. Each card includes an audio sample of the word so you can read and hear it.
Click on each card to discover the definition before notifying the app whether your guess was right or wrong. You will examine the cards you predicted wrong when the round is over. This exercise is helpful and will help you learn difficult words fast.
● Quick Match
This short multiple-choice test will test your knowledge of what you have learned thus far. You have to match a word or phrase with the correct response. One of the exciting aspects of this exercise is that each sentence in your target language has an audio clip that goes along with it. As a result, even if you can’t identify the written words, you can still respond depending on whether you understand the spoken words.
● Speed Round
This is the only exercise that resembles a game on the Pimsleur app. The speed round requires recalling the class vocabulary as rapidly as possible. You must quickly choose the correct translation of the falling words before they reach the bottom of the screen. While it is not the most challenging practice activity, it is still an excellent way to have fun and review the content you have already covered.
In the long run, this exercise will help you quickly recall words. The Speed Round is similar to flashcards but more fun and provides a different perspective on learning.
● Speak Easy Challenges
You can take on the Speak Easy challenges to practice what you have learned in class. These activities include listening to both sides of a discussion and repeating what was said. There are pauses between phrases so you can focus on learning individual words.
You can choose to play the whole discussion or a specific sentence. Pimsleur includes this exercise to give you more practice communicating orally. It is a valuable tool for learning how to have simple conversations in a foreign language. The activities are straightforward and practical with its, simulating real-life scenarios.
Pros of Pimsleur
Pimsleur offers users numerous benefits. These advantages, as stated by Reddit users include:
● Bite-Sized Lessons
Bite-sized lessons are smaller teachings that are easier to remember and more suited to your attention span. The remarkable thing about Pimsleur’s courses is that they are just 30 minutes long or fewer. According to Reddit users, this 30 minutes is the core of Pimsleur.
This works best to retain your focus on the lesson and makes it simpler to fit it into your schedule. Pimsleur created the courses in a way that allows you to take them once per day for 30 days. After that, you may go to the next level.
● Organic Learning
You would not be learning words and phrases randomly. However, they are presented in the context of a conversation you could have with someone while traveling to a nation where that language is spoken. Doing this makes you more used to what you learn, making it simpler to recall later.
● Easily Accessible
Whether you are a student or a working professional, you can utilize Pimsleur in your home. Traditional offline courses do not need extensive travel or adherence to a strict schedule, and neither are they required of you.
For on-the-go learning, it even features a driving mode. Due to this, it is perfect for learning while commuting. Additionally, the feature allows you almost always to carry your language study.
● Effective Spaced Repetition Method
Space repetition refers to the number of times you need to see or hear something before remembering. This repetition method allows your brain to record the language and convert it to long-term memory.
They also integrated the earlier topics into the lessons as the course progressed. Additionally, you can always listen to the audio lectures again to review and understand certain vocabulary or grammar points.
Cons of Pimsleur
Reddit users listed the following as the downsides of Pimsleur:
● Not Suitable for Advanced learners
Pimsleur is ideal for learners who need conversational abilities at the elementary and intermediate levels. It is created primarily with certain learning groups in mind. For more advanced students, it falls short of expectations. For different levels, there are a ton of interactive courses.
However, students with prior knowledge or expertise need more classes. Therefore, Pimsleur is sufficient for people who want to learn to speak a language for conversation or survival. But sadly, it is unlikely that you will become very fluent.
● Boring and Repetitive
Pimsleur is effective and accomplishes the goal for which it was designed. However, after listening to them several times, learning with Pimsleur will seem repetitive and boring at the first level. You spend a lot of time waiting for questions while using Pimsleur.
Every time one needs to respond, there are brief pauses. There are also a lot of questions that are repeated, which you may already know the answers to. This could be advantageous for some, but it will seem absurd and monotonous if you fully understand it.
● Limited Vocabulary
Several Reddit users complain that Pimsleur does not teach enough vocabulary. This is true as the app only introduces a few hundred new words in each language series.
Since some languages only have one level and others have three, four, or five levels, the precise quantity a particular language has depends on how many levels there are. Hence, if you are learning a language with lesser levels on Pimsleur, you might need another resource to learn more vocabulary.
● Costly
According to several Reddit users, Pimsleur is costly compared to other language-learning resources.
Frequently Asked Questions by Reddit Users About Pimsleur
Is Pimsleur worth it?
If you want to pick up a new language rapidly and have a conversation, Pimsleur is worth the investment. You learn essential words and phrases through the audio courses, which aid in your ability to converse with native speakers. However, Pimsleur may not be the best option if you are studying a less well-known language like Egyptian Arabic since it is not very thorough.
A Pimsleur premium membership is worthwhile, especially if you are learning a well-known language, like Spanish or French. Pimsleur uses the repetition method to improve users’ conversational skills, and you can make a vocabulary list to practice terms that are important to you. Also, Pimsleur makes learning more convenient as you can learn on the go or while engaged in other activities.
Can you become fluent with Pimsleur?
Pimsleur will help you improve your conversational skills, but you are unlikely to become proficient. However, Pimsleur is an excellent resource that teaches you how to speak from the first session. Within 30 days, Pimsleur may help you achieve an intermediate speaking level.
Conclusion
Pimsleur is an excellent tool for learning a new language, improving pronunciation, and learning new vocabulary. By now, you should know if Pimsleur is suitable for you. The features, reviews, pros, and cons were gotten from Reddit users who have tried the app.
Nevertheless, if you are still unsure if Pimsleur is suitable for you, the resource offers a 7-day free trial. Hence, you can sign up and use it for free for seven days. By the end of the free trial, you will know if Pimsleur is suitable. Even if Pimsleur works well for you, a Reddit user advised that you use Pimsleur with other resources.