Summary:
If you can stay awake, the Pimsleur approach to language learning does work. That’s important to know, because most language learning products don’t work at all.
Pimsleur. Boring but it works!
Pimsleur review summary: “Pimsleur is often a tad boring, but you’ll always learn something. However there are faster programs available for the most popular languages.”
I had my first language learning success with Pimsleur. I liked Pimsleur back then, and I still like them now, even though we are now competitors.
I have other competitors I never recommend. For example, you may want to read my Rosetta Stone Reviews.
The most important reason Pimsleur language programs work is that Pimsleur uses something called “spaced repetition.” I’ll explain spaced repetition in the detailed review below.
Pimsleur often makes marketing claims that are wildly unrealistic. For example, they often advertise, “Learn Spanish in Ten Days.” Yes, you’ll learn a lot of Spanish in ten days, but nobody would seriously say you spoke Spanish after that amount of study.
Pimsleur language programs definitely work, but they haven’t kept up with technology. There are much faster language learning programs available for all the popular languages.
Pick Your Language - Then Click “Try It”
Spanish – Danish – German – French
Irish – Canadian French – Russian
If your language is not on the list above, please continue reading the Pimsleur review below. There is a link to the list of languages they offer at the bottom of this review.
The Detailed Review Starts Here:
Why Pimsleur Language Programs Works: “Spaced Repetition”
Here’s what spaced repetition means. First you will be told a foreign language phrase and then asked to repeat it. Next, you will be asked to remember it and say the words out loud at time intervals that start very small and then increase.
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.
Spaced repetition was invented back in 1932 by Professor C. A. Mace, so it’s a very old concept. Pimsleur language courses were developed after cassette tape technology became widespread in the 1970s.
Bogus Marketing Claims
Pimsleur approach runs a lot of ads like this one: “Learn Spanish in Ten Days.” Yes, it’s true that you can learn a lot with Pimsleur language programs. However, there is absolutely no way that any reasonable person would say that you spoke Spanish after only ten days of using Pimsleur language programs.
No you won't learn Spanish in ten days with Pimsleur.
Each new Pimsleur lesson introduces four or five new phrases, and it also reviews the old material. When I was studying with Pimsleur, it took me two or three days to advance to the next lesson. Let’s assume you are much faster than I was and you do one new Pimsleur lesson every day.
At the end of ten days you will have learned 50 new phrases. Since they are well-chosen phrases, you will be able to have a really, really simple conversation in Spanish or the language you are learning, but no reasonable person would say that you know how to speak Spanish yet.
A more reasonable claim would be something like, “Learn a Little Bit of Spanish in Ten Days.” But that doesn’t make an exciting headline.
Technology From the 1970s
Pimsleur language programs are all based on the best available foreign-language learning technology from the 1970s, cassette tapes.
I really admire the people who made these lessons. It must have taken a huge amount of very skillful effort to make them.
Pimsleur’s current lessons are exactly the same format that they produced a long time ago, but they now are available on CDs and book chips instead of cassettes.
I usually listened to a Pimsleur 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.
You Have to Study in a Fixed Order
With Pimsleur language programs you have to study the lessons in a fixed order, or you won’t get the benefit of the correctly timed reviews.
With the Language101.com program, 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 Language101.com technology we can quickly and cheaply make new lessons just for you.
Pimsleur Is Better for the Blind
Pimsleur is probably the best program on the market for blind and visually impaired language learners because it’s 100-percent audio.
However, I got an e-mail from a visually impaired man who was able to use our program by using a very large monitor and zooming in closely. Our large buttons really helped him.
Don’t Use Pimsleur While Driving
Learning a foreign language is supposed to enhance your life, 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. Get someone else to drive while you study.
Language101.com can also be used while you are a passenger in a car, if you have an Android phone or a laptop with a good mobile Internet connection.
I found it very difficult to study with any system on an airplane because of the 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 I recommend.
With Pimsleur You’ll Spend a Lot of Time Waiting
When you are using Pimsleur, you spend a lot of time waiting as the instructor asks questions. With the Language101.com 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 re-winding the Pimsleur CD to listen to a phrase again. With Language101.com software you can simply click “Play Slowly” or “Play Normal Speed” to hear the phrase as many times as you need to.
Most people learn a lot faster with Language101.com software than they do with Pimsleur. Both programs will teach you the basics of your language well, but Language101.com can keep you more interested with our movie clip lessons, song lessons, and any new lesson that you want!
Having said that, Pimsleur definitely works, and I always recommend it if Language101.com doesn’t have your language.
The Pimsleur Reading Program Is an Afterthought
Pimsleur does have a reading program, but it was obviously made by different people than those who made 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.
Language101.com 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 Often Boring
Studying with Pimsleur lessons is fairly boring when the lessons are brand new to you and really boring after you have listened to them several times.
With Language101.com software, you can keep adding new lessons to keep you interested.
What to Study After Pimsleur?
If you have finished all the lessons that the Pimsleur approach offers, you may want to try Language101.com. We offer a much faster method of review for long-term memory retention. We also cover more material in different ways than Pimsleur does.
What’s Better Than Pimsleur?
If your next language is listed below then please . . .
Select Your Language - Then Click “Try It”:
Spanish – Danish – German – French
Irish – Canadian French – Russian
What if I Am Interested in Something Else?
If your language appears above, try it now. If not, Language101.com can still help. You will want to read our free articles on
or perhaps:
Rosetta Stone Reviews – Why It Doesn’t Work
Please tell us what language you want to learn and why. If you would like us to call you, please include your phone number.
Who Wrote This Review and Why?
This review was written by Brent Van Arsdell. I wrote this review because I am a wild enthusiast for language learning. While the Language101.com program is a lot better than Pimsleur for most learners however, Pimsleur approach offers a lot more languages than we currently do. You might need one that we don’t have, and we definitely want you to spend your time on a program that actually works.
Pimsleur iPhone App
In 2010, Pimsleur announced an iPhone app, which I haven’t had a chance to try yet. Since it’s their first try at software, it might have some bugs. If you have any experience with the iPhone app, please e-mail me using the form above.
Languages Pimsleur Offers
Click Here for:
Pimsleur’s list of languages.
No, we don’t get a penny from them.
This Pimsleur review is based on using Pimsleur Spanish, 1, 2 and 3 in 2010, and their programs are the same today. Since the Pimsleur Program is very similar from language to language, this is also a review of Pimsleur French, German, Russian, Danish, and Irish too.
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Last Updated: November 5, 2011
