Arabic (Eastern), Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Arabic (Eastern), Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Arabic (Eastern), Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Arabic (Eastern), Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) ReviewThis is a 10-lesson set on 5 CD's, 1/2 hour per lesson. The lessons have an English-speaking narrator with two native speakers, a man and a woman.
I bought this set because I had used Pimsleur to learn Russian several years ago, and I found the Russian set effective. Like the Russian lessons, these Arabic CD's are good too.
The Pimsleur philosophy involves repetition, and starts out with practical words to learn. Often when I encounter foreign-language educational media, the words being taught are not the most important to be learned first. Also, often I encounter rote memorization. But not with the Pimsleur CD's, everything is built around sentences and phrases and conversation. When you first come to a country, you want to know how to say, "excuse me" or "can you speak English," etc. I only wish the Pimsleur CD's included things like "How much does this cost" or numbers.
One thing which would also be nice is an accompanying booklet, just to see what the words look like in print. Arabic uses a different script as you may know, so this is difficult, since many Arabic consonants are not found in English, (making it difficult to write in Latin script) or there might be two different consonants which represent the same sound, only one is given more emphasis; for example there is "seen," soft "s" like "sit" and "Saud," a louder "S" like in "Snake." And then there is "ayn" and "ghayn" etc. which have no equivalent but sometimes show up in words in the Pimsleur CDs.
But it is part of the Pimsleur philosophy that you learn the language like the native speakers do: by speaking first. But I think it is a good idea to have some printed material as well, because the speakers are not always 100% clear. Plus I think they use vernacular: for example, they will say "kif ek" for "how are you" to a lady, but elsewhere I see "kif halak." Also "nayn" instead of "ithnayn" for "two."
At some points there is a steep learning curve; probably the first one you encounter is where you have to pronounce "good morning;" "sabaH al-khayr" which needs lots of work to get right, and I don't think enough time is spent in the lesson. Although there is plenty of repetition in the CD's, I recommend going through each lesson 4 or 5 times before proceeding to the next. Or, as I do, stagger the lessons so it doesn't become too boring; for example in the following order: 1,1,1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2,3,2,3,2,3, etc.
A small annoyance you might find with these CD's, if you're female, is that in some cases, the narrator asks for a response from you and then when the native speaker repeats the correct answer, it is given in masculine form only. So if you are a female, it is not the correct response. In many cases, the CD's will offer both responses, but not always.
One last small annoyance is that the package does not make clear what dialect of Arabic is taught on the CD's. It is the Syrian/Lebanese dialect. They should make this clear on the package.
But overall, I was pleased with this product.Arabic (Eastern), Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur) OverviewEastern Arabic is the dialect spoken in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. Eastern Arabic is also very well understood in the eastern and southeastern parts of the Arab world -- Arabia, the Gulf Region, and Iraq. Pimsleur's Eastern Arabic is based on the dialect of Damascus, Syria. Arabic (Eastern), BasicTen 30-minute lessons of spokenEastern Arabiclanguage instruction. These 10 lessons are the same as the first 10 lessons in the Pimsleur ComprehensiveLevel I program. Each lesson includes an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures and includes practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons. Essential grammar and vocabulary that teach you greetings, numbers, how to order food and drinks, and to give and ask for directions. Learn to speak with near-native pronunciation. No mindless repetition! Converse with native speakers in natural (and useful!) conversations. Easy, fast, fun and effective language acquisition. Completely Audio - anytime, anywhere. No computer necessary! Unlike expensive software programs which tie learners to a computer, Pimsleur courses are available in CD or mp3 format to meet your needs. Receive an instant credit of $50 to trade up from the Basic to the full Level 1 Comprehensive. The Pimsleur® Method: the easiest, fastest way to learn a new language. Completely portable, easily downloadable, and lots of fun. You'll be speaking and understanding in no time flat!

Want to learn more information about Arabic (Eastern), Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Eastern Arabic with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now