Practicing with Pimsleur
By Kristi Molina
Learning a language is a huge undertaking. It may seem impossible at first, but from everything I’ve learned along the way (I am conversational in Spanish, French, and somewhat conversational in German) the best way to do it is to just bombard yourself with the language in as many different ways as possible. This includes textbook/workbook/vocabulary practice, reading, writing, listening, and of course speaking practice.
All the reading and writing practice, however, doesn’t automatically mean you can have a conversation. That requires an entirely different skill set. For me, apart from actually being with people and having conversations, Pimsleur is the biggest help with this skill set.
I first heard of Pimsleur a few years ago by a language lover who said it was the best way to practice your listening and speaking skills. Unfortunately it’s not free, but at approximately $22 per month, it’s less than $1 a day. The lessons consist of listening to people speak the language, and being asked constantly how to respond or how to say something to them. It’s repetitive which is helpful in making your brain come up with sentences and speaking them. They will always tell you what you should have said, so you can see if you are correct. There are five levels, and each level has 30 to 31 lessons. They also have flashcards and a variety of other practice activities included in the app to reinforce what you are learning.
Pimsleur is something I can do while I’m already doing other things around the house. I often do my 30 minute lesson (they recommend one lesson a day) in the morning while I’m getting ready for work. I’ve also listened to it while cooking and cleaning, and while driving. Therefore, it takes no extra effort or time during my day to do this. I’m currently using Pimsleur to practice my German, and I’m going through the German lessons for the second time (I’m considering going through the French ones a second time also). The second time through is so much better for cementing the grammar and vocabulary that may have gone over my head the first time through.
Of course Pimsleur is just one piece of the puzzle, but for me it’s the best piece for improving my speaking skills. I would suggest having some experience with the language before you start (at least knowledge basic words and phrases) otherwise it might be too frustrating. For me, this is truly an invaluable part of my language learning journeys!