Rating: 
Summary: This is the Best and Easiest way to learn!
Review: I just finished the 8-lesson CD course in Russian and in only 2 weeks have been able to speak basic sentences to my Russian friends in Moscow. They are impressed and think I have a special "talent" for learning languages! I have tried 2 other Russian courses that are difficult and simply do not work. This course will teach you proper greetings, asking directions, ordering in restaurants, and how to buy and ask for things. The Pimsluer method is the way to go, no doubt about it. Dedicate the 30 minutes per day and soon you will be conversing in sentences. It is still absolutely necessary you learn the Russian alphabet so that you can read signs, ride trains, and use the metro when you go to Russia. I went last May to Moscow and St. Petersburg and knowing the Russian alphabet saved me. If you are serious about continuing to learn, buy the complete Pimsluer Basic Russian 1 CD set. Note: when trying to learn a new language I suggest using CDs instead of tapes. It is much easier to rewind, stop, pause, etc..from a distance with a remote control than having to physically be if front of the tape player the entire time. Just a suggestion!
Rating:
Summary: A great start
Review: I purchased this set as sort of sampler, before committing the extra cash to the first of the complete sets. My incentive was simple. I have a girl friend in Russia with I communicate via email with the assistance of Promt translation program. Since we wanted to converse via telephone I wanted to start learning Russian. I generally listened to the lessons while I drove to and from work. By the time I had finished lesson 4 we were carrying on rudimentary conversations in her broken English and my broken Russian. Having just completed lesson 8, the last of this series, I am going to purchase the complete set 1. As well I am going to purchase this basic set's complement "English for Speakers of Russian" for her. The only difficulty I have experienced has more to do with the subtelties of Russian pronunciation. Sometimes I would consult a Russian-English dictionary to confirm or clarify a particular pronunciation. As I said, this has more to do with Russian than with these lessons. Considering where I am with these lessons, I am optimistic that at the end of the third set I shall be speaking very well and understanding equally well. One last note. The producers of the series suggest that you can progress at the rate of one lesson a day. I found that 2 lessons a week was more a realistic goal. Also listening to a lesson at least once a day is essential. Do that and you're on your way.
Rating: 
Summary: If You know some Russian, leave this on the shelf
Review: I was disappointed in this course. I knew some Russian before I tried it and found it to be of little value in increasing my own skills. I did not like their method of memorization by presenting the last syllable first and building towards the beginning of the word. I felt the vocabulary presented was quite small and would be of only very limited use. I will say this on behalf of the product. If you are an absolute beginner and wish to get a feel for the pronounciation and sound of the language then this isn't too bad for very limited conversation. Just don't expect to be able to read any street signs if you ever go to Russia.
Rating:
Summary: Pimsluer Language Program- Russian for English speakers.
Review: I would Highly recommend the Pimsluer method of learning any different language than that which you speak. These audio tapes teach a person how to speak actual sentences and not just one word which is very hard to try and put into a sentence of your own. With the Pimsluer method you start out right away speaking simple sentences and progress from there! The only down side to this is that the Pimsluer tapes are expensive. I would Love to find a source for used tapes to continue my studies. ...
Rating:
Summary: Not for the accelerated learner -
Review: This approach to learning a language was great, but only in theory. It was especially not for the advanced learner. If you expect to stay interested with numerous new things to say to all your prospective russian friends / aquaintances, forget it. If you were hoping for a quick way to learn a few sentences [per-disk] and study only those for the remaining hour, then enjoy this product to it's fullest; for this is all you will receive. Buyer beware, i was not satisfied, and to do this is normally simple.
Rating: 
Summary: Great refresher
Review: This is a great way to get back some lost vocabulary or to add onto a previous introductory course. After taking Russian for several years, I was finding myself victim to "use it or lose it". This gave me a forum in which to build my vocabulary back up by actually USING it. That's something a lot of programs don't incorporate. As a disclaimer, my friend who has never studied any Russian could not repeat correctly, showing that it can be somewhat difficult to know exactly what it's supposed to sound like without a knowledge of the phonetic system.
Rating:
Summary: Great refresher
Review: This is a great way to get back some lost vocabulary or to add onto a previous introductory course. After taking Russian for several years, I was finding myself victim to "use it or lose it". This gave me a forum in which to build my vocabulary back up by actually USING it. That's something a lot of programs don't incorporate. As a disclaimer, my friend who has never studied any Russian could not repeat correctly, showing that it can be somewhat difficult to know exactly what it's supposed to sound like without a knowledge of the phonetic system.
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