Croatian Compact (Compact) [CD]

Rating:
Summary: Excellent starting place
Review: I found the style and content to be very easy to follow. Maximum learning with minimal effort. The subject matter was largely based in a traveler's mode, but essentials such as sentence structure and pronunciation are stressed. The lessons are easy to assimilate and retain. I highly recommend this course, and hope to find the next sequence soon.

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly effective
Review: I have all of the Croatian tapes on the market and none can compare to the Pimsleur tapes. Before getting this series I had despaired of ever learning this language. I was astonished at how quickly I have learned and retained the information presented here.

I just returned from my third trip to Croatia. For the first time I was able to get the sense of conversations as well as communicate with some confidence. I only wish there was an intermediate level. The Pimsleur method is a remarkable approach to learning a language. It is the first language series that I have used that really lives up to its hype.

Rating:
Summary: A taste is all you get
Review: I have to give Pimsleur Croatian program five stars for the excellence of the product, but as good as the course is it may not be for you. The Pimsleur method is the only self-taught system I have ever used that actually works. The method of verbalizing, constant review and slowly working in new words and grammatical uses is effective and enjoyable. The pronuciation lessons are so good that my Croatian friends were amazed, although they quibbled that I was learning a Slavonian accent instead of a Zagreb accent. Within this excellence lies a major problem with this one-volume set. It is not nearly enough. The Pimsleur method, as is any really effective method, is time consuming. The ten half-hour lessons only add up to five hours of instruction. Repeat every lesson and still you only have ten hours. This barely scratches the surface. At the end of this course you will really only know a few words and phrases, not nearly enough to even communicate on a survival level. If you are looking for a course so as to learn enough Hrvatski (Croatian) to communicate basic travel needs, it's not here. If you are looking for a course that gives you a solid understanding of some basic Croatian words and grammar as well as excellent, contemporary pronunciation, then this is the place to start. But I guarantee you will be left wanting more.

I have to question why Simon & Schuster even publish the one-volume sets. They have the comprehensive three volume series in many major and minor languages; for them to issue all of their series in a comprehensive form would not seem to be much of an investement.

Rating:
Summary: Vrlo Dobro
Review: The great strength of Pimsleur materials is due to the fact that because they work only on verbal skills, you are actually able to SPEAK and UNDERSTAND the target language when you've finished. This set is designed for the complete beginner, so if you already speak some Croatian it may be too elementary. Nevertheless, it's great for providing survival Croatian.

(...)

One more thing: I haven't had a chance to use the Croatian here with Bosnians. Whether you see Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian as dialects of one language or as individual languages in their own right is up to you, but the material presented here is probably generic and simple enough to communicate with people from virtually anywhere in the former Yugoslavia. Heh heh... I've already been complemented on my beautiful Serbian!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great set for travellers!
Review: The Pimsleur Language Program gives the student a thorough grasp of basic vocabulary and expressions through an interesting style of memory work. Working through the tapes in chronological order truly does provide the best results, as each tape builds upon the one prior. Vocabulary and phrases from previous tapes are reviewed at varying intervals throughout the course to trigger the memory's alertness and focus.

As the title of this review states, this set is most appropriate for travellers. It is also; however, an excellent introduction to the Croatian language for anyone with an interest in the language. The amount of knowlege contained in this course is somewhat limited: I found myself wishing for another few tapes to really 'complete' the course.

Rating:
Summary: Great set for travellers!
Review: The Pimsleur Language Program gives the student a thorough grasp of basic vocabulary and expressions through an interesting style of memory work. Working through the tapes in chronological order truly does provide the best results, as each tape builds upon the one prior. Vocabulary and phrases from previous tapes are reviewed at varying intervals throughout the course to trigger the memory's alertness and focus.

As the title of this review states, this set is most appropriate for travellers. It is also; however, an excellent introduction to the Croatian language for anyone with an interest in the language. The amount of knowlege contained in this course is somewhat limited: I found myself wishing for another few tapes to really 'complete' the course.

Rating:
Summary: a place to start
Review: This is good place to start if you have absolutely no knowledge of the language. It boosts the listener to learn the language through application and it sticks in memory.Just repeat what is said on the tapes and your good to go.I would not recommend this to anyone who already has some knowledge of the language,but for the beginner it's a place to start.

Rating:
Summary: BUY IT!
Review: Truly, these tapes were wonderful. As a language teacher myself, I found it an eye-opening experience. Pimsleur has just the right length in his pauses for you to recall the right word or phrase. Its an excellent, easy way to learn a language. I would add, however, it really is for the beginner to gain a measure of small understanding for Croatian, not anywhere near fluency. Still, the pronunciation is quite good, according to a native speaker I know.