We sometimes recommend our competition. That may sound strange, but you should know why we sometimes recommend Pimsleur.

We sometimes recommend Pimsleur because their products really work, and that is rare among language learning products.

We do have other competitors we don’t recommend.  You may want to read our Rosetta Stone Reviews.

We have learned languages with Pimsleur and  their lessons are often boring, but they always work. Lessons are organized into 30 minute audio files that are sold either on CD or on book chips.

Get the lessons on CD and load them on to your .MP3 player. Don’t get the book chips because they are a hassle.

We Both Use the Same Concept

Pimsleur uses the same spaced repetition concept that we do.  Here’s what spaced repetition means.  First you will be told a foreign language phrase and asked to repeat it.  Then you will be asked to remember it and say the words out loud at time intervals that start very small and then increase.  This idea is sometimes called graduated interval recall.

For example, first you hear a word and then you will be asked to say it 15 seconds later, then you will be asked to say it 45 seconds later, then 1.5 minutes after that and so on.  The time intervals quickly grow until they are measured in days  and then weeks.

This is an amazingly efficient way to form new memories.  That’s why we use it and Pimsleur does too.

Outdated Technology

Pimsleur language programs are all based on the best available foreign language learning technology of the 1970’s.  In the 1970’s the best available technology was cassette tapes.

Pimsleur’s current lessons are exactly the same format that they produced a long time ago, but they now are available on CD’s and book chips instead of cassettes.

I usually listened to a Pimsluer lesson three to four times before I was ready to go to the next lesson.  You should plan on listening to each lesson several times.

We are Flexible – Pimsleur is Rigid

With Pimsleur you have to study the lessons in a fixed order, or you won’t get the benefit of the correctly timed reviews.  With our software, you can study in any order that that makes sense for you, because our software schedules your reviews at the proper time.

With Pimsleur you can only study the pre-made lessons.  With our technology we can quickly and cheaply make new lessons just for you.

Pimsleur is Better for the Blind

Pimsleur is a better program for blind language learners because it’s 100% audio.  Our program is better for anyone who can learn while looking at a computer screen.

Don’t Use Pimsleur While Driving

Learning a foreign language is supposed to make your life better, not make you have a car wreck.  Studying any foreign language while you are driving is a dangerous idea.

In order to learn well your attention needs to be on the language, and in order to drive safely, your attention needs to be on your driving.

Having said that, it probably is okay to use Pimsleur while you are riding in your carpool and someone else is driving.

If you had a laptop with mobile internet you could use our program too, but it is okay to use Pimsleur while you are  a passenger.

I found it very difficult to study with any system on an airliner because of background noise.  I found it moderately difficult to study while being a passenger in my car because of background noise.

If you absolutely have to have a system where you study while doing something like walking, then Pimsleur is what we recommend.

Pimsleur is Slower

With our program, you can review much faster because you don’t have to wait for the audio to play if you already know the answer.  You can just click to give yourself a grade, and then go to the next question.

I spent a lot of time backing up the Pimsleur CD to try and hear something again.

You can learn faster and learn more with us than you could with Pimsleur.  Both of us can teach you the basics of your language well, but we can keep you more interested with our movie clip lessons, song lessons any new lesson that you want!

Pimsleur Reading is Weak

Pimsleur does have a reading program, but it was obviously made by a different team than did the main lessons.

Their reading lessons have absolutely no relation to the content of their audio lessons. In other words, you are never learning to read, the material you have just learned to speak.

Our reading lessons are a central part of our speaking lessons so you will always learn to read the same words you are learning to speak.

Pimsleur is Sometimes Boring

Studying with Pimsleur lessons is fairly boring when they are brand new to you and really boring after you have listened to them several times.

With our program, you can keep adding new lessons so you stay interested.

Try Our Language Learning Program

If we have your language, we recommend that you skip Pimsleur and try our modern language learning program.

Here’s what to do:

1.  Click on your language and watch the video.
2.  Click “Try It” and watch the “How To” video twice.
3.  Learn for 30 minutes right now!

Spanish -  French – German -  Danish -  Irish -  Russian

What if We Don’t Have Your Language?

If your language is above, try it now.  If not,  please use the contact us form below to tell us what you want to learn.  We can add new languages very quickly.

We strongly recommend Pimsleur if we don’t have your language.  No we don’t get any money from them.  Their technology is obsolete, but it still works and most other programs don’t.  It’s also the best for the blind.

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Please Link to Us

If you found this review helpful, please copy and paste this URL into your web page.

Read a <a href=”http://language101.com/reviews/pimsleur/”>Pimsleur</a> Review.

This review is based on using Pimsleur Russian, 1, 2 and 3 in 2006.  Since the Pimsleur Program is very similar from language to language, this is also a review of Pimsleur French, German, Spanish, Danish, and Irish too.

Please tell us what language you want to learn. Feel free to ask a question. A friendly human will reply.

Last Updated:  February 23, 2010