The most natural and effortless way to master a foreign language is the same way you acquired your native language as a toddler. You learned to speak before you learned to read, without ever needing to consult a grammar book or memorize vocabulary from a list. The Pimsleur Spanish program is an audio CD course that allows you to gain fluency as a child does, by simply listening to and imitating native speakers.
Each daily lesson lasts thirty minutes and follows a standard format. You hear a Spanish dialogue about a useful topic. A narrator introduces you to new words and expressions included in the conversation. You are then asked questions to which you respond with a Spanish phrase based on what you have learned. After a pause, a native speaker will give the correct answer. You repeat it after them to reinforce correct vocabulary and pronunciation.
Because you learn audibly, you won’t be tempted to mispronounce words based on their spelling. Your first encounter will a new word will be hearing it used naturally in a conversation between native speakers, not reading it from a list. Not only does this help you to achieve a better accent, it means you are more likely to be able to understand words used in context.
The program emphasizes the most important words and phrases that are likely to come up in everyday conversation. By concentrating on a core vocabulary, you can begin real communication after only a few weeks. A booklet included with the course lists all the words and expressions introduced in each lesson so there’s no need to look them up in a dictionary.
Because there are no manuals to consult and there’s no need to write anything down, it’s easy to fit language learning into your daily routine. Listen in the car on the way to work. Move a portable CD player into the kitchen and complete a lesson while you’re cooking or doing the dishes. If you have a personal CD player and headphones, you can even learn while you’re jogging or taking the dog for a walk.
The entire Pimsleur Spanish course consists of individual CD collections covering levels one to three. Each level has sixteen hours of audio and thirty lessons. After completing level one you should be able to communicate in typical situations you are likely to encounter as a tourist in a Latin American country. After completing level three you should be able to participate in Spanish discussions on a range of topics and speak with a near-native accent.
