I studied abroad in Italy YEARS ago and my Italian is so rusty that I can't even think in Italian anymore. I was lucky to originally learn Italian in Italy. I used to actually dream in a combination of Italian and English at one point. It really makes me so sad to think about how my Italian language skills have deteriorated and it has bothered me for a while. Italian is an easy language to learn and I thought trying this time tested Pimsleur language system this would be a good way to restore my skills since I am planning on a vacation to Rome early next year.
Pimsleur is well known as the premier learning method for language learning. Government agencies and diplomats have always been known to use Pimsleur learning to get up to speed with a variety of languages quickly. I wanted to get a fast start and I know Pimsleur has an excellent reputation so I wanted to see for myself since it was the perfect opportunity. I thought it would be good to use the CDs in the car to learn Italian but in the packet they also suggest that you can load it onto an ipod or iphone for on-the-go learning which is another good option. This program really is a fast and easy way to learn the language. It gets you speaking literally almost immediately. Even if you don't have any language background you can understand quickly. The audio instructors speak slowly and give you time to repeat and respond. They make it easy to follow and mimic the accent too. They make it conversational too so it is fun. They set up real mini social settings and conversations. You can actually picture yourself in Italy having simple chats or exchanges with the characters. "Do you speak English, ma'am?" Lei parla inglese, signora? "Yes, I speak English." Si, Io parlo inglese signora. It is fun and easy to mimic the words after a few times. My accent was even improving. They suggest one CD a day which is 30 minutes. I have been doing it in my car and it makes the drive go fast. I feel more confident with my Italian already and I am only through 5 of the CDs.
The Pimsleur system CD's repeat the words, phrases and sentences a bunch of times in different ways and you follow and repeat after the reader so you start to get a feel for the sounds and intonations. They go back and forth from Italian to English so the words and phrases are reinforced. There are 16 CDs housed in a sturdy black box so you can go at your own pace and repeat a CD if you like or move to the next and go back to another one again later. I like to do it in my car because it is quiet and peaceful and gets my mind off traffic, definitely do it somewhere where you can have a quieter place to listen and repeat because speaking the language is key. My friends who studied abroad with me and didn't make the effort to speak Italian never learned it really at all. If you follow along after a few CDs you will start feeling like you have a good handle on the language. If you are heading over to Italy on vacation you will be so much more confident when you can speak to the locals in Italian! Once I finish this one I am going to try the next level so I can really be feel good about speaking Italian again.
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