Rating: 
Summary: Even I managed to make progress....
Review: As probably one of the worst language students in the continental US i bought this package with a certain amount of scepticism. However, i read the review by someone who claimed they listened to it in the car each day as they drove to work and ended up speaking with relative ease so it seemed it might be worth a try. After the package arrived i tried this and found myself veering into oncoming traffic and running red lights as i tried to concentrate on what the speaker was saying. i gave this up fairly quickly and finally found the best way (for me) was to go for a walk as i listened to each tape. even then i was stumbling along in an erratic manner and muttering to myself which only helped to lowering my neighbours poor opinion of me.I had to listen to the first few tapes anywhere between 5 to 10 times before i mastered them. I followed the advice of another reviewer, picked up a copy of the Oxford English-Chinese dictionary and proceeded to write down each lesson. I am now towards the end of the set of tapes and it is definitely getting easier - I can master each tape in 2- 5 hearings, am stumbling less and speak mandarin in a clear voice, oblivious of the looks from the neighbours. I intend to get Mandarin II as soon as i am done. and now if you will excuse me, it is time for my next lesson...
Rating:
Summary: Even I managed to make progress....
Review: As probably one of the worst language students in the continental US i bought this package with a certain amount of scepticism. However, i read the review by someone who claimed they listened to it in the car each day as they drove to work and ended up speaking with relative ease so it seemed it might be worth a try. After the package arrived i tried this and found myself veering into oncoming traffic and running red lights as i tried to concentrate on what the speaker was saying. i gave this up fairly quickly and finally found the best way (for me) was to go for a walk as i listened to each tape. even then i was stumbling along in an erratic manner and muttering to myself which only helped to lowering my neighbours poor opinion of me. I had to listen to the first few tapes anywhere between 5 to 10 times before i mastered them. I followed the advice of another reviewer, picked up a copy of the Oxford English-Chinese dictionary and proceeded to write down each lesson. I am now towards the end of the set of tapes and it is definitely getting easier - I can master each tape in 2- 5 hearings, am stumbling less and speak mandarin in a clear voice, oblivious of the looks from the neighbours. I intend to get Mandarin II as soon as i am done. and now if you will excuse me, it is time for my next lesson...
Rating: 
Summary: Good supplement for studying chinese
Review: I found that learning by the more traditional way (ie book together with audio teaching grammar and vocab) works better. My problem with pimsleur? Everytime i listen to it I'd start to fall asleep 15 mins later. Even during daytime, i'd get really bored after awhile (from doing nothing but concentrate on someone speaking) and start doing some other task that after the tape was done playing I'd forgotten most of of the stuff. So now I only use it to supplement my primary learning method but actually mostly as a sleeping aid.
Rating:
Summary: The best there is!
Review: I have a Ph.D. in linguistics and taught the subject for many years. Pimsleur is absolutely the best system out there for learning foreign languages short of being dropped in another country. (In fact, I'd still take Pimsleur with me if I were going to be set down in a foreign land.) In 30 days you will have basic functionality in the language along with excellent pronunciation-- a real Pimsleur plus. Work through the entire three levels (90 lessons) and you will reach a solid intermediate speaking level-- something that might take 4 years or more of traditional study! I started the Mandarin program from scratch and could not be more pleased. The tones, which will seem impossible at first even if you understand the theory behind them, are much easier after only 7 days and almost natural in two weeks. At the end of the 30 day first course you will barely be thinking about them any more-- so automatic will they have become. Obviously, you will need to further your studies to become as fluent in your second language as you are in English-- but there is absolutely no other course that teaches you so much, so fast, and with so little pain as Pimsleur. (By the way, I have no vested interest in this company-- I just love the system.)
Rating:
Summary: Best way to learn to hear and speak Mandarin
Review: I have not found a better way to learn to hear and speak a foreign language than the Pimsleur series. I've used both Mandarin I and II, and they have been a big help in enabling me to conduct everyday conversations in China. The hard part about Chinese is that you don't run into any words that look even vaguely familiar. But the Pimsleur method is gradual. Each lesson begins with a brief conversation between two native speakers. The first time you hear it, you have no idea what's being said, but by the end of the lesson you'll be able to understand it and participate in the same conversation. But I found there's a lot of value in going through each lesson several times. The emphasis is all on listening to native speakers and responding to them in short conversations. The method forces you to learn how the language really sounds, and you get lots of chances to practice getting the pronunciation right. It also has the advantage that you can do the course while driving or exercising. There is a very small reading book, but it's not essential. If your goal is to read Chinese characters, you want a different course or a text designed for the purpose. The best introductory text I've found is "A Key to Chinese Speech and Writing" by Joel Bellassen and Zhang Pengpeng. It's very user-friendly, and puts a lot of emphasis on the history of each character, which helps a lot in learning them. Trouble is, it's hard to find. Hint: Amazon should sell it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent as usual
Review: I have used many of the Pimsleur programs before and believe they are worth every penny. However, I have found that the Mandarin language is most difficult to learn and find myself going over each lesson more than once. None-the-less, this is an excellent program and I am learning to speak and understand Mandarin. I reccomend this product and will be purchasing Mandarin 2.
Rating:
Summary: Works for Me!
Review: I must admit that having lived in the PRC for six months, without benefit of speaking Mandarin ("a stranger in a strange land"), I am motivated to learn Mandarin. While I am not particulary strong in languages, Pimsleur has met all my expectations. I am using the CD's as one part of my efforts to learn Mandarin. The good Dr Pimsleur states that his intention is to teach Mandarin solely through audio means. It works.
However, I am augmenting the CD's by writing the lessons out in Pinying and by being coached by a native Mandarin speaker. To date, I have covered the first set, part of the second set and have ordered the third set of CD's. I am not a speed daemon, presently I am doing roughly two lessons per week. I listen to each lesson twice. The third time I use Pinyin to write down all new words and phrases. The the forth time, I again just listen to the CD's. The fifth time through, I transcribe the entire lesson in Pinyin in MSWord (complete with tone marks...these documents make great review notes). The sixth time through, it's just the CD's again. With roughly six hours spent listening and transcribing the CD lesson, I'm ready for a two hour session with a live Mandarin speaker. The coaching session discusses any unusual or regional expressions that might have been used on the CD's, augments vocabulary with related words and discusses differences in Chinese and North American culture as related to the lesson contents.
Results so far are encouraging, the CD's prepare me by getting most of the "heavy lifting" of pronounciation and phrasing out of the way. I am not wasting the coach's time with extensive pronunciation practice.
The Pimsleur Mandarin CD's, along with a Pinyin dictionary (Oxford Starter Chinese Dictionary) and a native Mandarin speaker have worked well for me! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The best method there is
Review: I'm married to a Taiwanese woman, and I've been trying to learn her language for ten years! According to CNN, Mandarin is number one on the list of "Ten Most Difficult Languages to Learn." Japanese is number two on the list; and English is number three (no surprise here). I salute anyone who even attempts to learn Mandarin Chinese. Let's face it. Learning Mandarin Chinese is hard no matter what method you use, even Pimsleur's. But this is the best method there is. Believe me; I've tried them all: Transparent language, Berlitz, two semesters of Mandarin at college. With the Pimsleur method the phrases are methodically timed for the best optimal learning & recall. And you are required to put your own sentences together instead of tediously parroting back phrases like a Berlitz course. The Chinese know how hard it is for us Westerners to learn their language. And I must say it is satisifying to see their eyes widen in surprise when I speak a little Mandarin AND be understood. Believe me, it makes a good impression. This latest edition of Mandarin I is head over heels better than the first edition. And now Pimsleur finally released Mandarin II & III. I've just ordered Mandarin II, and I can't wait to start using it.
Rating:
Summary: The best method there is
Review: I'm married to a Taiwanese woman, and I've been trying to learn her language for ten years! According to CNN, Mandarin is number one on the list of "Ten Most Difficult Languages to Learn." Japanese is number two on the list; and English is number three (no surprise here). I salute anyone who even attempts to learn Mandarin Chinese. Let's face it. Learning Mandarin Chinese is hard no matter what method you use, even Pimsleur's. But this is the best method there is. Believe me; I've tried them all: Transparent language, Berlitz, two semesters of Mandarin at college. With the Pimsleur method the phrases are methodically timed for the best optimal learning & recall. And you are required to put your own sentences together instead of tediously parroting back phrases like a Berlitz course. The Chinese know how hard it is for us Westerners to learn their language. And I must say it is satisifying to see their eyes widen in surprise when I speak a little Mandarin AND be understood. Believe me, it makes a good impression. This latest edition of Mandarin I is head over heels better than the first edition. And now Pimsleur finally released Mandarin II & III. I've just ordered Mandarin II, and I can't wait to start using it.
Rating:
Summary: The Easiest Way to Begin Speaking Chinese
Review: If it weren't for this program, I would've quit the idea of learning Chinese - but this program made it so easy and effortless that even after this first level I was able to exchange few words with a waitress in a Chinese restaurant in Chinese and be understood. That was a tremendous confidence booster that motivated me to keep going and the whole process of going through this program was so easy and enjoyable that it seemed entirely effortless. It has transformed learning Chinese from impossibility into something easy to accomplish.
There are many other cheaper programs for learning Chinese, but unless you are familiar with pronouncing Chinese words, you'll only find yourself frustrated. I tried some other programs before Pimsleur and was getting nowhere. The prospect of learning Chinese still seemed impossible.
In this program each word is broken into syllables which are easy to pronounce and then they are linked into words and sentences and another wonderful thing about this program is that it begins by teaching you some very useful things to say, so that no matter how many words you have learned, what you've learned you'll be able to use because it deals with fulfilling your basic needs and finding your way around.
| 
