Publisher's Synopsis
The Easiest and Fastest Way to Learn Spanish
Did you know that Spanish is the world's second most commonly spoken language? For Americans, it's one of the easiest to learn, and you won't find anything faster or easier than the Pimsleur(R) Method. Even knowing a little bit of Spanish will make travel to Latin America or Spanish-speaking countries a breeze. Whether you want to travel, communicate with friends or colleagues, reconnect with family, or just understand more of what's going on in the world, learning Spanish will expand your horizons and immeasurably enrich your life.
- Quick & Easy - Only 30 minutes a day.
- Portable & Flexible - Core lessons can be done anytime, anywhere, and easily fit into your busy life.
- Proven Method - Works when other methods fail.
- Self-Paced - Go fast or go slow - it's up to you.
- Based in Science - Developed using proven research on memory and learning.
- Cost-effective - Less expensive than classes or immersion, and features all native speakers.
- Genius - Triggers your brain's natural aptitude to learn.
- Works for everyone - Recommended for ages 13 and above. What's Included?
- 30, 30-minute audio lessons
- 85 minutes of reading instruction in the form of a short story, allowing you to build your skills toward reading Spanish for pleasure.
- in total, over 17 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers
- a Reading Booklet What You'll Learn
Building on skills taught in Spanish Levels 1-4, Spanish Level 5 moves you closer to near fluency, and adds a broad range of conversational skills. The pace and conversation move rapidly, accelerating exposure to new vocabulary and structures, and approaching native speed and comprehension. You'll learn to speak more in depth about your personal life and experiences, and gain even more proficiency at creating complex sentences, and discussing events in the present, past, and future. You'll learn to talk about hypothetical situations, and to relate what someone else has said. Some topics included in Level 5: - Home life: extended family members, pets, laundry, toiletries; turning off lights, helping with the dishes, asking how someone slept,
- Dining: sharing a bottle of wine, reserving a table by the window, asking about portion size, requesting utensils, tipping, discussing food allergies and vegetarian options,
- Travel situations: lost luggage, an error in a reservation, single and double beds, non-smoking hotels, a noisy room, a room with a view, bus travel, border stops, eco-tourism, sight-seeing, a vacation rental,
- Accidents, illnesses, and unforeseen events: a flat tire, a fall and an injury, a toothache and a dental appointment, an upset stomach, a prescription, spilled wine, broken eyeglasses; dropping or losing a passport or wallet, encountering a strike, reporting something to the police,
- Political and conversational topics: discussing climate change, the environment, recycling, an earthquake, politics, unemployment, mergers, and layoffs,
- Personal and daily life: expressing disappointment; dealing with voicemail; talking about hobbies, the weather and the seasons, sports and national teams, hypothetical situations; discussing retirement; admitting a mistake; expressing opinions and preferences. Of course, you'll not just need to speak Spanish; you'll also need to be able to read it. Take your reading to a new level with a 75-minute story broken down into 20 manageable segments. This course teaches Latin American Spanish. The Pimsleur Method
We make no secret of what makes this powerful method work so well. Paul Pimsleur spent his career researching and perfecting the precise elements anyone can use to learn a language quickly and easily. Here are a few of his "secrets" The Principle of Anticipation
In the nanosecond between a cue and your response, your brain has to work to come up with the right word. Having to do this boosts retention, and cements the word in your mind. Core Vocabulary
Words, phrases, and sentences are selected for their usefulness in everyday conversation. We don't overwhelm you with too much, but steadily increase your ability with every lesson. Graduated Interval Recall
Reminders of new words and structures come up at the exact interval for maximum retention and storage into your long-term memory. Organic Learning
You work on multiple aspects of the language simultaneously. We integrate grammar, vocabulary, rhythm, melody, and intonation into every lesson, which allows you to experience the language as a living, expressive form of human culture. Learning in Context
Research has shown that learning new words in context dramatically accelerates your ability to remember. Every scene in every Pimsleur lesson is set inside a conversation between two people. There are no drills, and no memorization necessary for success. Active Participation
The Pimsleur Method + active learner participation = success. This method works with every language and every learner who follows it. You gain the power to recall and use what you know, and to add new words easily, exactly as you do in English. The Spanish Language
Spanish is the official language of 19 Latin American nations, as well as Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Further, it's one of the six official languages recognized by the United Nations. Pimsleur's Spanish programs teach an educated Latin American Spanish, featuring speakers from Colombia and Mexico. Students can expect to understand the lessons clearly and to be understood by Spanish speakers everywhere. Tech Talk
- CDs are formatted for playing in all CD players, including car players, and users can copy files for use in iTunes(R) or Windows Media Player(R).
