Pimsleur Polish

Rating:
Summary: A Great Buy
Review: I have nothing but great things to say about this program. It was extremely helpful. Speaking even the most basic Polish phrases seemed impossible when I started, but each word was broken down so cleverly and the the lessons were structured so logically that it became quite easy. As with many of the other reviewers, my only regret is that there is not another series of tapes to move on to.

Rating:
Summary: Sharp! Strongly Recommended.
Review: I wanted to learn Polish since I already studied Russian. This course is excellent. I have also studied Spanish & German with Berlitz tapes, and this is as good as the Berlitz "Think & Talk" tape program,(except that the latter does not cover Polish.)

My only regret is that the course could not continue into more advanced language studies.

Definitely worth the money and time.

Rating:
Summary: Tak! This is the one.
Review: This is definitely the way to start learning Polish on your own. Like all Pimsleur programs its expensive and is not geared towards building a large vocabulary but it is unsurpassed in helping you develop a good speaking proficiency and you will remember what you've learned for a longer period of time compared to other methods of instruction. Use this course as a starter and follow it up with Boleslaw Mazur's Colloquial Polish (with cassette accompaniment) to further develop your vocabulary, reading, and grammar skills.

If you've used Pimsleur tapes before the format will be familiar to you. Among other things you'll learn some key words (please, thank you, etc), how to ask for directions, and how to set up a lunch or dinner date. Its not much but you'll learn it well. Polish is full of awkward consonant combinations and none of the other courses is better than Pimsleur in helping you deal with these. This is only a 10-lesson course (about 30 minutes per lesson) which is far too brief. Hopefully the Pimsleur folks will put out a Comprehensive Program (30 lessons) for Polish as they have for other languages.

Do not purchase this program if you are going to Poland soon and just want to know a few key phrases for the trip. There is little provided in this regard and youll be better off with a travel-oriented phrasebook. If you already know some Russian you should also skip this one and start with Mazur. But if you are keen on developing a speaking proficiency that, with some follow-up work, will impress a Pole, this is the place to start.