<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: good foundation - but insufficient
Review: I have done the upgrade and longer Pimsleur 30 lesson course, and this set of 8 lessons is (I believe) a subset of it. The Pimsleur set of lessons (even the level 1 set of 30 lessons) is too basic and insufficient - will not really teach you what you need to learn. It also takes too much time.
Since then, I have tried to learn at a synagogue from a teacher using an excellent book with comic cartoon stories and cassette tapes and have learnt much more. The book is "Haveyeth Ushma" ("Express and Learn") by Judith Case and Paul Anokh but unfortunatlely is published in Israel - the copy my teacher has is in Russian and Hebrew. Is there an English edition? I wish some publisher here would publish it. Even so, we are able to learn with a little translation from our teacher because the cartoons are rich with clues. You learn the different verb forms almost subconsciously and the level of conversation is much higher than with other products. It is both visual and aural. The conversations in the book are also witty, warm and authentic (exactly the way real people speak, not 'staged'). It is better than Pimsleur.Learning a new language (especially with a non-English script), to the point where you are fluent in it, is very difficult. It takes a lot of persistence, motivation, time, sweat and effort. Most language systems boast that they deliver quick results easily - dont believe it; it is easy to over-estimate your progress (as I perhaps did when I was learning Pimsleur and others).
Rating: 
Summary: Learn Hebrew the Easy Way - It's So Much Fun
Review: I have nothing but praise for Pimsleur's Quick and Simple Hebrew. For years, many scholars have racked their brains trying to learn such a complicated language. Studying Hebrew with the Pimsleur method was such a joy and I was able to retain most of what I've learned after listening to each CD. It simply amazes me that after a few lessons, one would be able to carry a basic conversation in Hebrew. I found this language course to be very helpful with my biblical studies too. Also a couple of days ago, I spoke with a person who studied Hebrew for a whole year and I was still able to carry a better conversation. I told him that next time he should buy a set of Pimsleur CD's and save his money. So if your a beginner studying Hebrew, buy these CD's. You'll definitely see progress.
Rating:
Summary: you can't go wrong with Pimsleur
Review: If you're thinking of learning Hebrew but aren't ready to commit the big bucks for the 30-lesson course by Pimsleur, this 8-lesson set is just the encouragement you need. When I ordered mine, there was a $20 discount coupon inside toward the unabridged lesson set, so if you decide to upgrade, it's like you get this 8-lesson set for free. An English-speaking announcer introduces you to the program and two native Israeli speakers demonstrate the correct intonation and pronunciation of Modern Hebrew as it is spoken today. I am a visual learner and didn't think I would do well with an audio course, but it came so highly recommended, I gave it a shot. There is no comparison to the Pimsleur method of aural learning. I only hope that the publishers eventually come out with a 2nd and 3rd volume like they did with Spanish, German & French. With just the eight 30-minute lessons, I felt confident enough to know that if I was dropped off in the middle of Israel without a guide and even if I couldn't find an English speaker around, I could still communicate enough to get food, water and shelter, as well as to have a modicum of a conversation with the locals. This is an awesome, easy-as-pie system for learning Modern Israeli Hebrew.
<< 1 >>
| 
