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| | |  | |  | | | Conversational Mandarin Chinese: Learn to Speak and Understand Mandarin with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's) | | SKU:
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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | "Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed."-- AudioFile Magazine
"EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE...each section within the lessons is short enough to hold our attention, and there is enough repetition to teach even those who consider themselves slow learners...Pimsleur [programs] are extremely thorough and easy to use -- quite lively!"-- Boston Herald
"Learn French while commuting, German while jogging, Spanish (or Russian, Italian, and Japanese) while cooking all with NO WRITTEN MATERIALS!"-- New York Daily News
"Designed for the ear and not the eye...the lessons provide PERFECT 30-minute bites of work."-- St Louis Post-Dispatch
"Learn to habla español or parlez français before your next trip aboard. The interactive LESSONS CHALLENGE STUDENTS to use new words in conversation instead of memorize them."-- American Way (American Airlines inflight magazine)
"I tried other language programs with little success...This is the best by far!"-- Pamela A. Mitchell, Pilot, International Society of Women Airline Pilots | | | |
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| $49.95 | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Pimsleur | | Publisher: | Pimsleur | | Publication Date: | November 01, 2005 | | ISBN: | 0743550498 | | Package Length: | 9.6 inches | | Package Width: | 7.9 inches | | Package Height: | 2.2 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 23 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
 Golden for beginner with some knowledge Sep 01, 2008
Good product because it is easy for the beginner to learn. It will have you speaking a little Mandarin after a few sessions but you do need to have some sense of the sounds. You have no visual so some words may be difficult to follow despite hearing it many times. I had my son who is also a beginner but with some college coursework in Mandarin under his belt help me with the listening. He says for him, the lessons rate 5 stars. For me, once I got the hang of it, it's the best I've heard so far in my attempts to find learning material that is reasonably priced. Since the lessons are short and build on one another it is not difficult to practice, but like anything you do have to practice.
Sheila Sidney Bender, PhD co-author The Energy of Belief: Psychology's Power Tools to Focus Intention and Release Blocking Beliefs
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 worth the time & money Jul 20, 2008
I've used Pimsleur materials before for German. As a foreign language teacher (French, Japanese, English) I value the thoroughness of the method with regard to pronunciation as well as to the methodology which drills/reviews vocab. and phrases while incorporating new structures & vocab. Especially for a language which a learner may find difficult to pronounce, this is in my opinion the best available short of a native speaker. Pimsleur will likely not be useful for someone who seeks a quick review or overview of a language.
Still a thorough and effective system Jul 18, 2008
Even decades after its creation, the Pimsleur system for learning a spoken language continues to be a quick and effective way to attain basic spoken fluency. Using a system of graduated intervals that reminds you of a previously-learned term just as you are about to forget it, Pimsleur's Chinese program will have you speaking and understanding at a basic conversational level in less than 30 hours of study. While the lack of written instruction may be difficult for more visual learners, this CD set remains an extremely effective, albeit somewhat expensive, introduction to the language.
Nathan Dummitt
author of Chinese Through Tone & Color
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
I love Pimsleur's method, but NOT FOR STARTING Mandarin. Needs more explanation, not "listen and repeat". Apr 14, 2008
I love Pimsleur's method, but NOT FOR STARTING Mandarin. Needs more explanation, not "listen and repeat".
For an English speaker, Mandarin requires more up-front explanation of how the pitched syllables work.
I've used Pimsleur's audio CDs for learning basic Japanese and Spanish and *LOVED* it.
But when I bought Pimsleur's Mandarin, I was stumped. I couldn't even imitate the very first sentence, no matter how many times I went back and tried again. My mouth just didn't know how to make that sound. And there was no explanation, just "listen and repeat".
After an hour of trying one sentence of this Pimsleur Mandarin, I had to give up. Knowing there must be a better way, I was about to take private lessons.
Instead, the brand new "Michel Thomas Method" to Mandarin has just been released by Dr. Harold Goodman and it made all the difference in the world. A completely different approach that I feel needs to come FIRST, BEFORE you get into the Pimsleur method.
In the Michel Thomas method, someone really takes the time to explain the sounds and grammar. No memorization, just explanation then experience. It gets you really understanding the basic building blocks of Mandarin first, so that when you're done with its 10-hour audio CD program, THEN you can come back here to Pimsleur's Mandarin and it'll all make sense.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Good but could be better Apr 07, 2008
Let me first state that I recommend this product to anyone with no prior experience with Mandarin or someone who wants to casually learn a little. Here are the pros and cons.
Pros:
1) CD format is great
2) Lessons are short and easy
3) You can learn very quickly IF you dedicate the time
4) Lessons learned in the previous section are reinforced in the next.
Cons:
1) There is no pin yin to go with the CDs. I had a hard time distinguishing between, for example, "ni" and "yi". This is probably because I listen in my car instead of at home. Your best bet is to listen through your home stereo system or walkman.
2) The words and pharases you learn are not necessarily the ones you want. For example, in Lesson 4 you are taught how to say "Where is Long Peace street?" Who needs to know this??
3) There is no discussion of sentence or phrase structure so that you can form your own. For example, the sentence "You speak Mandarin very well" is structured "You Mandarin speak very well". The serious learner needs lessons on sentence structure.
Overall this is a good beginner product. If you're a serious learner, you'll need additional resources like a dictionary, phoenitics guide, and phrase book.
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