How to use Pimsleur for Best Results [and what to avoid at all costs]
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Content
What is Pimsleur?
What Pimsleur will not do for you
What results can you expect to get?
What to avoid at all costs
The ONLY thing you need to do
Should I go through the lessons more than once?
Buy the course or get the subscription?
Do I need to finish all the lessons?
“I finished Pimsleur, now what?”
To sum things up
So you’ve just gotten Pimsleur. Or you’re thinking of starting it. You want to figure out how it can give you the best results. Or maybe you want to figure out if this program is right for you. So that you can learn quickly and avoid wasting time.
If that’s you - you’ve come to the right place.
First of all, I like Pimsleur. Let’s just get that out of the way. I have used it as a resource to start learning two languages - Finnish and Spanish. It’s a great “warm-up” when learning a new language.
The program is best suited for beginners. If you’re already an upper beginner or lower intermediate in the language then there’s little need to use Pimsleur (don’t worry, I will point you in the right direction on what to do once you’re finished with Pimsleur later in this post).
Pimsleur is a very popular (for a good reason) language learning method. It has been used by thousands of people for decades.
However:
Not all of the content in it is worth doing.
Through coaching people in learning languages, and through my own personal experience, there are certain questions that pop up on how to best use it.
This post aims to answer those questions. To show you how to get the most out of it without wasting time.
What is Pimsleur?
Pimsleur is a language learning method created 50 years ago by Dr. Paul Pimsleur. He saw a need for self-study material for learning languages. This was the basis for creating the Pimsleur Method. It’s one of the most tried and tested language programs around (beware though, there are quite a few fake Pimsleur programs out there. You’ll be safe using any of the links in this post though).
The method is based on principles such as Graduated Interval Recall, Principle of Anticipation, Core Vocabulary, and Organic Learning.
Without going into specific details about each of these, the main idea with Pimsleur is to mimic real-life situations where you’re having a conversation with someone.
To learn vocabulary in context.
Each lesson has the same structure. You hear a short dialogue twice. This dialogue is then broken down into easy-to-digest pieces for the remainder of the lesson. You’ll then hit the vocabulary from different angles to fortify it in your mind. This is helpful when you’re just starting out. When it’s the most difficult for new vocabulary to stick.
Pimsleur also has a unique and brilliant way of training pronunciation, starting with the last syllable of a word and working backward. It makes pronouncing new words a lot easier.
Pimsleur activates you as the learner to participate. You’ll right away be prompted to say words and sentences out loud. It’s done very methodically, making it very easy to follow along.
The vocabulary you’re learning is applied to different situations You’ll imagine yourself being at a restaurant, asking for directions on the street, etc. This makes it feel more life-life, vivid, and practical. It’s great for those of you who are more visual as you can imagine these situations in your head.
The vocabulary you learn will be repeated in future lessons with decreased intervals (using Graduated Interval Recall, i.e. “Spaced Repetition” ). So even if you don’t get it right away, you’ll have many chances for the vocabulary to stick throughout the course.
The number of lessons available varies depending on the language. They range from 1 to 5, with 30 lessons in each level. Each lesson is 30 mins long.
While I favor an input-based approach to language learning, I believe getting some speaking in right at the beginning is a good idea.
Using Pimsleur, you will let you practice speaking without having to feel embarrassed (since you’re only speaking to yourself).
If you’re in the US, Canada, UK or Australia, you’ll get a 7-day free trial through the above link.
For any other country, the first lesson is free.
What Pimsleur will not do for you
Pimsleur promises you will be able to speak a language in 30 days.
Does it deliver on this promise? Is it realistic?
Well, kinda.
“Being able to speak a language” is not a very clear statement. Everybody has different definitions of what that means. Is it to speak uninhibitedly about just about any topic? Or just to say some basic sentences or phrases in the language?
The spectrum of being able to speak a language is huge.
So I mean to me, you’ll even be able to speak a language in 1 day using Pimsleur. It gets you to speak some simple words and phrases right away. To me, that’s speaking. And there’s value in that.
How well you’ll be able to speak, is a different ball game.
What results to NOT expect after finishing Pimsleur:
To be anywhere near fluent
To be able to remember everything you’ve learned
Even though Pimsleur is mimicking everyday conversations, you will probably not be able to hold a very deep conversation after completing it. Other than exchanging a few phrases.
You will however be able to communicate to an extent with people. Which is something that is going to give you a huge boost in motivation. It will make you want to continue to learn more.
I went through all of the 150 lessons in Spanish and my conversational skills were not exactly fluent (check out this, this, and this video to see me speaking Spanish during the time I was going through Pimsleur).
The biggest barrier between understanding and being able to speak a language is - vocabulary. To know a lot of words.
You won’t learn a lot of words with Pimsleur.
What results can you expect to get?
To have a “deep and meaningful conversation” is not very realistic in 30 days by only using Pimsleur. Does that mean that Pimsleur isn’t effective?
Not at all. I still think it’s a great course.
The key to getting the most out of the program is having the right expectations. Having the expectation that you’re “gonna get everything you need with Pimsleur” keeps you using the program longer than necessary. It will only slow down your progress.
Having the right expectations sets you up for success and helps you avoid frustration and disappointment. Instead, you can confidently enjoy the program knowing exactly what you are getting.
Results you CAN expect to get from Pimsleur:
A foundation for pronunciation
A feel for the general flow of the language
Basic and useful vocabulary
Speaking practice (without having to speak to anyone but yourself)
Pimsleur will give you some practical vocabulary. Words that will be useful for your next trip to the country where the language is spoken. So if you want to order food and do some basic things then Pimsleur is probably going to be one of the best programs to learn how to do that. You’ll still have tons of holes in your language ability, but it will help you get by (I definitely did in Spain).
The good thing about Pimsleur is that it lets you focus on listening and speaking through the dialogues.
It sets the priorities straight right from the get-go. Because if you’re like most people you’re learning the language to be able to speak it with people.
For me, it gave me confidence in talking. Sometimes it even helped solve some issues we had in Spain (like getting a sim-card) when people couldn’t speak English.
There’s definitely value in being able to speak a language way before you’re fluent. Even if your language ability is very basic.
What to avoid at all costs
As Pimsleur has moved from the CDs onto a web-based version and app, more things have been added to the program. Things like quizzes, flashcards, speed rounds, and different types of mini-games.
My advice to you is that you will stay far away from these. All of them. It might seem like you’re getting “more bang for your buck” through their inclusion. But in my opinion, you’ll only end up spending more time while getting less results.
They will also keep you clinging to Pimsleur longer than necessary. Which only delays you in taking the next step in your language learning. It’s important that you “look beyond Pimsleur” and to have that in mind from the beginning.
There are also “Reading Lessons” that are intended to help you get started reading in the language. There are way better and more effective ways to learn to read in a foreign language (that I will share at the end of this post).
So my advice is:
Skip them altogether.
Pimsleur is not where you will get fluent. It’s where you’ll get started on your journey toward fluency. It’s where you’ll start to form a relationship with the language. A very important part of the journey. It’s a lot like the falling-in-love phase of a relationship.
The ONLY thing you need to do
Where you will get the most bang for your buck (or even more importantly, your time) is in the audio lessons.
This is where you’ll hear the language (the most important thing in language learning) and learn useful vocabulary in engaging situations.
When I started learning Spanish I wanted to learn as much as I could as fast as possible (since we were going to Spain in less than two weeks!).
Pimsleur recommends you only do one lesson a day. I think this is generally a good goal to have. But to see faster progress I would recommend doing more than one lesson a day.
I did at least 2 lessons a day. Sometimes 3 or 4. I was just trying to bombard myself with the language to progress quickly.
This is very easy to do since the course is audio-based. Which means you can literally do the lessons wherever you want. Pimsleur even has a driving mode so you can easily do the lessons in the car while driving to work. You also can do the lessons when doing house chores and things like that.
Just make sure you’re able to engage and pay attention to the lessons.
I did quite a few of the later lessons when doing a workout program. This was definitely not optimal in terms of focus, but at that point, I just wanted to get to the end of the Pimsleur program.
At the end of all the 150 lessons, I didn’t remember everything I had learned, but I had a good foundation that prepared me for the next step in my language learning.
“Pimsleur is not where you will get fluent. It’s where you’ll get started on your journey toward fluency.”
Should I go through the lessons more than once?
This is a common question that comes up.
“What if there are still a lot I don’t understand? Should I repeat the lessons until I do?”
In general, no. There’s no need for you to repeat the lessons.
You’re learning a new language so it’s completely normal that you don’t understand everything. Not everything will click at once. There’s a reason this language has felt “foreign” and “exotic” to you. Some things take a lot of repetition until they get assimilated into your mind. Until you know what they mean. Some words might take 50-100 repetitions until you understand them. This is completely normal.
Instead of trying to memorize and force yourself to learn the things that are difficult for you, it’s much better to just learn what’s easy and natural right now. What’s difficult and doesn’t make sense now, will be easy and make much more sense later.
However, if you’re learning a language that’s quite far from your native language, and you feel you might benefit from the repetition, then you can go ahead and repeat the lessons more than once. I did this when learning Finnish. The Finnish course only has 30 lessons, so repeating makes more sense if the language is trickier and has fewer lessons.
If it feels boring and like a nuisance to repeat the lessons that’s a good sign to move forward and only do each lesson once.
The best way to use Pimsleur is to simply go through it. To have the mindset that you learn what you learn, and what you don’t learn you don’t.
Buy the course or get the subscription?
One Pimsleur course of 30 lessons is $150 each. To buy the whole Spanish course (which has 150 lessons) is $575.
Luckily, there’s another much better option - a monthly subscription.
In short:
Get the subscription.
It’s just way more affordable. You’re most likely going to through it once and never go back to it. So there’s really no need to buy the courses.
Prices may vary slightly depending on the country. But using the US pricing as an example will give you a ballpark idea of the cost of the monthly subscriptions:
“All Access” - access to all languages ($20,95)
“Standard subscription” - access to one language ($19,95)
“Audio only” - only the audio parts of the course ($14,95)
Based on what we’ve talked in this post I suggest you get the “Audio only” course for $14,95. There’s no need to buy any of the other subscriptions. The audio lessons is all you need anyway.
You’ll probably only use it for 1-2 or maybe 3 months. After that, you can just cancel your subscription. So you’ll only pay for what you actually end up using. Let’s say you use Pimsleur for 2-3 months. That’s $29,9 - $44,85. That’s a good deal for a beginner course.
Try out the free trial first:
If you’re in the US, Canada, UK or Australia, you’ll get a 7-day free trial.
For any other country, the first lesson is free.
Do I need to finish all the lessons?
This depends on what language you’re learning. If you’re learning Swedish (which only has 30 lessons) then for sure go ahead and complete all of them.
But what about languages like Spanish that has 150 lessons? The more the merrier, right?
Not necessarily.
If you’re learning a language like Spanish that has 5 level of 30 lessons each (total of 150) I would recommend only doing the first 90 lessons or so (the first 3 levels).
That’s more than enough to get a foundation to move forward from.
Sure you can finish all of them. I personally did. But as a language coach and content creator, I wanted to finish it to see if it was worth doing all of it (to spare you the trouble of having to figure that out).
I found that there was quite a bit of diminishing return after having done the first 3 levels of 90 lessons. The lessons are good, but they do follow the same formula so it does get repetitive eventually. For me, it made it more difficult to engage in it. I found myself spacing out more and more during the lessons.
My advice:
Do at least the first 2-3 courses of 60-90 lessons total. Only do more if you feel you’re still engaged with the content.
Remember, Pimsleur is just a starting point to get yourself warmed up. It’s not where you’ll get all your language needs met.
So if you find yourself zooming out for being bored of the repetitiveness, it’s better to move forward on your language learning journey.
“I finished Pimsleur, now what?”
Once you’re done with your intro course to your new language it can be easy to feel a bit lost.
To know what to do next.
There’s a certain comfort and simplicity of going through a set course that has a set number of lessons. You know exactly what to do each day. You feel a sense of accomplishment as you move from lessons 1 to 2, from 15 to 16, etc. The fact that the lesson number is going up tells you: “Hey, I’m improving!”.
It’s motivating and that’s a good thing.
Once you’ve completed your beginner’s course then all of a sudden this world of possibilities opens up. Which can be overwhelming.
What you do next will depend a lot on the language you’re learning and the resources available for that particular language.
After you have built a foundation with Pimsleur, what you need is mainly two things:
Listening and reading.
And lots of it. In context.
Reading interesting books, listening to podcasts, YouTube vlogs, watching TV shows, and things like that.
Isn’t that a bit too difficult?
At this stage, it’s probably still very challenging to consume native content.
Luckily, there are some incredible language learning tools available that makes this accessible for you.
Here are some of my best recommendations:
LingQ (← get an extended free trial and 37% off). LingQ helps you access to interesting content. It helps you read and listen to content that would otherwise be above your level and make it accessible to you. They have many different languages and an ever expanding library of content. You can also import your own books, YouTube videos, articles, and anything, learning from your own personal interests (which is when language learning gets really fun!). Standout features include their pop-up dictionary, color-coding system of words, and highly motivating progress tracking system. It’s an especially beneficial resource for those of you who enjoy reading (which is the most effective way to increase your vocabulary).
Lingopie (← get an extra 10% off any subscription). If you’re someone who prefers a binge-watching of TV shows approach to language learning, then Lingopie is an excellent way to do that. You’re learning straight from native TV shows by having access to dual, clickable subtitles, and several different tools that makes learning from this content a breeze. Lingopie’s “flashback” feature from particular scenes of TV shows is a really cool way to review vocabulary. Lingopie also offers Netflix integration, allowing you to learn from selected shows directly on the platform.
Langua - This is a groundbreaking new language learning platform that uses AI in some incredible ways. Their human-sounding AI tutor that you help you practice conversations is one of the most impressive features I have seen (it’s perfect for introverts who want to practice conversation without having to talk to anyone). Other features of Langua include learning through videos and podcasts (with synced transcripts to help you follow along and look up any word), AI-generated stories (using vocabulary you’re learning), and Flashcards. It’s one of the quickest and most impressive language learning platforms right now, which offers one of the most personalized ways to learn a language.
LanguaTalk (← book a Free 30 min trial lesson). Currently the best platform for 1-on-1 lessons. Language lessons is highly a highly useful way to practice conversations, learn meaningful vocabulary, and get your language questions answered. It’s also great for those of you who feel you need some personal guidance on your language journey. Or if you’re an extrovert who thrives on social interactions. It’s also a wonderful way to connect with native speakers and learn at a difficulty level that’s just right (since they will adapt their speaking to your current language level).
Those are some of the best language learning resources on the market right now. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
No matter which path you choose, the most important things are that your method is effective, enjoyable, and sustainable.
To sum things up
Pimsleur is a great program to serve as an introduction to your language learning journey. It’s a good way to get some foundations in place to serve as a warmup to be ready for more challenging content.
Make sure to focus only on the audio lessons and ignore the rest. That way you’ll be sure to get the most out of it.
Here are your 3 keys to success:
