About Pimsleur Italian Lessons.
- The Pimsleur program simply does not expose you to enough grammar, vocabulary or hours of study to reach a B1 level (Intermediate) within 30 lessons. Perhaps after completing all five levels of the program offered for Italian, one might reach a solid A2 level or equal to around 75 hours total of study.
- Save up to 50% on Pimsleur Italian course. Visit the Official Store: to learn more about the Pimsleur Method.
- Pimsleur Italian Level 1 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand Italian with Pimsleur Language Programs (1) (Comprehensive) Audio CD – CD, March 1, 2002 by Paul Pimsleur (Author) 4.5 out of 5 stars 129 ratings.
The Italian Basic Course is the second language I purchased a course for from Pimsleur and it's just as good as the other language/course I bought. I'm very pleased with it. The Pimsleur method of teaching new languages is one that really works with the way I best comprehend & retain what I'm learning.
Are you looking for a quality audio course? Or you want to learn how to speak Italian with a good accent? Then Pimsleur might be one the best programs for these purposes. The company is reputable and quite old already. At this time it offers to learn more than 50 foreign languages and the number of available lessons is still increasing.
Pimsleur audios are interactive and they encourage listeners to speak Italian. In each lesson you will be presented with different conversation. Of course it will be translated into English. Later the instructor will ask you to say different commands from what you have already learned. For example you will be asked a question like Excuse me, do understand English? and etc. You will be given some time to recall it from your memory. Alternatively you can simply repeat the phrase after the answer is given by a speaker.
Throughout the lessons, conversations in Pimsleur are divided into smaller parts. Some more difficult Italian words are pronounced even by sounds. So it is not too difficult to follow these Italian lessons for most learners.
The Pimsleur teaching approach is based a lot on repetition. Words and phrases you learn in one Pimsleur session, will come back in other lessons too. This is helpful because you will not forget what you have learned previously. Also you will not need to re-listen the same lessons many times.
What is included in this Course?
There are two types of courses offered for Italian learners by Pimsleur.
The first type is Premium version. It includes material from standard course and additionally Speak Easy Conversations, quick match game and flashcards. Although one should know that Premium course is more expensive ($119.95 compared to $150 for each level).
The second one is standard course, which includes audio lessons, culture notes and reading. For learners who do not need these additional features and want to save money, audio lessons might be just enough.
Pimsleur offers 5 levels for Italian. Hence it is suitable Italian course for different level learners. The core component of this program are audio lessons. There are a total of 30 lessons included in each level. They are on average about half an hour long. So there are ~16 hours of recorded material in each level and ~80 hours in all 5 levels. Once the course progresses and material becomes more difficult, you might need to re-listen lessons a few times. Hence with 5 parts of Pimsleur, you will have plenty of material to study from.
At the end of each level there is 1 hour of culture notes. They will give you some insight into Italian culture too. Pimsleur also provides some lessons to learn how to read in Italian. With this studying content you will learn how to read words with correct Italian accent and pronunciation.
Italian vocabulary provided in the course is mostly essential. It includes topics like how to book a hotel, order food, ask for directions, bargain in the shops and etc. All these mentioned topics can come in handy while visiting Italy. Hence Pimsleur lessons can be ideal for travelers who need to learn survival words and phrases fast.
One quite common concern by new Italian learners is that they will not have sufficient time to study. Nevertheless, Pimsleur course is made so that it wouldn’t take much time from its users. Pimsleur app allows learners to access studying content whenever they are. There is even hands-free option allowing users to study Italian while doing other things (driving car, in the gym and etc.). Hence you can make each of your free minute count.
What Do Other People Reviews Say?
Pimsleur Italian lessons have mostly positive reviews from its users. When we compare people testimonials with Rosetta Stone course, it can be said that learners are happier about this Italian program. They are more likely to recommend Pimsleur to their friends as well.
What most users like about these lessons is that they teach how to pronounce Italian words correctly & with good accent. Also vocabulary that can learn from this course will come in handy while visiting Italy. Hence many learners consider Pimsleur lessons prior to traveling.
A few complains about Pimsleur Italian lessons are that they are a bit repetitive to follow, they teach very limited grammar and also they are expensive. Read a few actual user reviews of Pimsleur Italian course bellow.
Pimsleur Italian Lessons
Interested in reading more user reviews of Pimsleur Italian? Then visitAmazon page here.
Review of The Main Pros and Cons.
Main Pros:
- Do want to try Pimsleur Italian prior to buying this course? You can do so by registering at official Pimsleur website (you will get 1 free Italian lesson);
- Pimsleur Method is well-tested throughout the years. So you can be sure that it is an effective course for learning foreign languages. By doing a short research online you can find dozens of testimonials confirming that this course helped learners to learn Italian or other foreign language;
- When studying via Pimsleur learners don’t need to spend additional time near their computer. They can download & transfer lessons for studying offline. Also it is possible to access all studying content via different devices by using the app;
- This course teaches survival vocabulary. Hence learners who are planning a trip to Italy soon, will be able to learn words and phrases that are needed for getting around;
- For Italian language in particular, it is possible to choose from two Pimsleur versions – Premium and Standard Audio Lessons. So this course is suitable for different type of learners. Also there are 5 levels of Pimsleur available. Hence Italian learners can progress more with this foreign language;
- Pimsleur course is easy to follow. All dialogues are translated & repeated a couple of times and each Italian word is pronounced separately as well;
- By following these lessons you can learn how to speak with a good Italian accent. This is because speakers in the recordings are native;
- Pimsleur lessons are interactive. Hence learners are constantly encouraged to say different Italian phrases and sentences out load. This is a very beneficial feature for practicing Italian speaking skills and preparing learners for actual conversations;
Main Cons:
- Pimsleur is quite expensive program as being only an audio course ($119.95 for each level). Course like Rocket is priced lower, yet it offers audios lessons in addition to other studying features;
- There is no transcript of dialogues included. So you might need to listen a lessons a couple of times when you find something unclear;
- With Pimsleur you will be introduced to only the most important grammar concepts. So for learning all aspects of Italian language, you will definitely need additional books;
- Each Pimsleur lesson is structured almost the same way (question-answer). Hence after a while it might become a bit boring to listen to them. It can be said that other audio based courses (like Michel Thomas) are a bit more engaging and not so monotonic;
- Pimsleur includes some written studying material. Nevertheless most learners find this reading material is not very useful;
Summary of a Review and Pricing.
Pimsleur Italian Download
To conclude this review it could be said that Pimsleur is only good learning program for certain type of learners. Due to studying content limitations, it’s not a good option for people who want to learn all aspects of the language. Also only Premium edition has visual learning features so it is mostly suitable for audible Italian learners. The price of all Pimsleur Italian parts is quite high too. Hence not all learners will be able to spend that much on a course.
Pimsleur Basic Italian
No one could argue that Pimsleur has a lot of benefits too. They make it an effective Italian studying tool for many learners. With these lessons it is possible to learn essential Italian phrases fast. Hence it is ideal learning program for travelers. Users of Pimsleur also has flexibility to study conveniently via different devices and on the move. Short lessons doesn’t require much time as well. Hence Italian learners with limited time can find Pimsleur lessons suitable for them. Pimsleur audios feature native speakers and they are interactive. Consequently learners able to learn good accent and pronunciation from them.
Still have doubts about this Italian learning program? You can register at official Pimsleur website and get free lessons. This way you will be able to test the course and make sure it’s the right choice for you. The registration is totally free and only requires your e-mail, name and ZIP code.
When it comes to price, Pimsleur offers a few different options for its users. There is a possibility to buy each level separately – $119.95 or $150 for Premium version. Alternatively all parts can be purchased at once ($450 only audios), which is a bit cheaper. For those who do not want to spend a lot of money at once, there is also an option to buy only 5 lessons of Pimsleur at a time ($21.95).
Pimsleur Italian Coupon Code.
Pimsleur Italian Free
You should know that it is possible to reduce a price of this course too. This is possible when purchasing these Italian lessons from the official website online. All you need to do is use a special discount code SAVENOW at checkout. This particular coupon code will allow you to save up to 25% from your order.