Italian

Rating:
Summary: Good teaching method, but content inadequate for travelling
Review: Before travelling to Italy last year, I used this program to learn a little bit of Italian. I had no previous experience with Italian. I found the CD's very well organized and easy to follow, and I thought the Pimsleur method made it easy to learn the material. While I was in Italy, my confidence was improved markedly because I had done this course before I left.

However, I wish it had focused more on topics I was likely to encounter as a tourist. I did supplement this program with a very simple Berlitz program for travellers that taught me more of the vocabulary I was likely to need.

Also, while I liked the Pimsleur method and found it to be a useful way to learn Italian, I think the prices they charge for the full version of their courses is too high. Cynically, I suspect that this product is part of a marketing strategy to get you enthusiastic about their program so you'll buy the full system. After getting my feet wet with this product, I would have enthusiastically purchased Pimsleur Comprehensive Level 1 for $75, but not for $300. However, I would probably purchase a full Pimsleur system, even at the prices they're asking, if I were going to be moving to a country where I didn't speak the language.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money on this
Review: I bought the cd version after hearing great reviews about Pimsleur. I don't understand how learning the words broken down backwards helps anyone. I have learned so much more with less cheaper audios that included books to follow along.
It must be Pimsleur employees who write the great reviews. I'm just glad I didn't purchase the really exspensive version.

Rating:
Summary: Go with the 16 tape set "Italian [Abridged]" edition
Review: The Pimsleur method is great for learning a language: Listen and repeat in your car on the way to and from work. I like the cassette version better than the CD, easier for me to back up and repeat.
This edition is a very basic 8 tape introduction to see if you like the language and the system. If you are going to Italy and want to learn enough to get around, go with the 16 tape set, the Italian Abridged edition, for only a little more in cost. Much more practical and rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: Absolute Beginners ONLY
Review: This series of tapes is a great concept - learn by hearing, break language down into its simplest part(the syllable), and lots of repetition from the syllable to the sentence level.

It must be a great method for English speakers who have never tried to learn any foreign language before. However, I found it so simple that it was frustrating and annoying. If you have any background in romance languages this method will probably be too simple for you too.

For instance, the entire 1st tape (both sides) is devoted exclusively to learning how to say, "I understand Italian." "I don't understand Italian." "Do you understand English?" "I'm American." Tape 2 begins, of course by repeating what you've already learned. In a half hour I expected to learn more.

Part of the problem is that I had already bought other tapes first and then moved on to these because I had heard they were so good.

While I would hihgly recommend this if it's your first time learning a foreign language, if you've had high school Latin, Spanish or French, move on to something a little more advanced like The "Listen & Learn" or "Berlitz" methods.

Rating:
Summary: Regular Pimsleur Course Re-Merchandised
Review: While I heartily endorse the Pimsleur method for learning Italian, potential buyers should be aware that this set of eight tapes, marketed "for travelers," is nothing more than the first eight tapes of the regular Pimsleur course, as I found out to my cost (having already bought the 16-tape Pimsleur Beginning Level Italian), and does NOT focus on specific travel situations. The "extras" (postcards and luggage tags) are purely Pimsleur marketing material. Since the 16-tape course is $210 and this is $45, it's a bargain IF you only want to learn how to ask someone to dinner, ask directions, tell time and ask prices, and don't intend to actually learn Italian to the point where you can hold a conversation or even check into a hotel without resorting to English. Otherwise it's a rip-off.