Pimsleur Korean Level 1 Lessons 1-5

By: Pimsleur

Narrated by: Pimsleur

Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Pimsleur® Method: the easiest, fastest way to learn a new language. You'll be speaking and understanding in no time flat!  

This course includes lessons 1 to 5 from the Korean Level 1 program, featuring two and a half hours of language instruction. Each lesson provides 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation and new vocabulary and structures. Detailed instructions enable you to understand and participate in the conversation. Practice for vocabulary introduced in previous lessons is included in each lesson. The emphasis is on pronunciation and comprehension and on learning to speak Korean. A user's guide is included. 

The Korean Language  

Korean, the native language of about 80 million people, is the official language of both North and South Korea. It is also spoken in neighboring Yanbian, China. There are two standard dialects, Seoul (South Korea) and P'yongyang (North Korea). Pimsleur's Korean teaches the Seoul dialect of South Korea.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2016 Simon & Schuster (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Critic Reviews

"Pimsleur programs provide plenty of positive reinforcement that will keep learners on track, and we found that Pimsleur gave us more proficiency and confidence in speaking the new language than any of the other language programs we reviewed." (AudioFile magazine)

Effective!

With some basic grammar knowledge, I find this audio course quite effective. I can communicate now (start conversation). I like dialogues in real speed. I am not sure if it would help me without knowing grammar and some vocabulary. Looking foward to next lessons. It promises fluency after 10 lessons.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Most effective way to learn Korean language.

I really enjoyed learning Korean language using this Pimsleur method. Very effective, very fast to absorb the lessons. I find it a little expensive though.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

It's Too Fast, and There Should Be Video.

I know this is a long rant falling on deaf ears, but if they completely removed the English and gave you visual context, it would be easier for you to comprehend the words by association. Because they tell you "the grammar goes: 'English' 'Can you speak?'" I'm still thinking in English, not associating the word for 'can you speak' and memorizing it that way. Using video, they could also show you how words are spelled, individually going over the syllabols to familiarize you with reading. I know Pimsleur is focused on speech, but you can't get by in a foreign country by ONLY speaking. (And imagine if you didn't have service to use Google Translate for signs..! You can't even order food!) However, anyone can literally learn the hangul alphabet in a couple of hours, AND apply it straight after. The only difference is that sounding out syllabols doesn't mean you can read. And reading a word doesn't mean you can form the proper intonations of the word to make it comprehensible. If you keep feeding me English, then I'm going to sit there and think "oh, hm, what was that word again??" instead of just using my muscle memory to regurgitate it. If you make me feel and associate the foreign words with their meanings, then I will think in that language for the 15 minutes that I'm attentive to it. And that's especially important because every language has it's own culture and connotations that can't directly translate. (Such as the difference between being humble vs. insecure when receiving complements: they ACT entirely the same, but the sentiment is different.) But I really think that JUST audio is ineffective in learning a language properly, especially when babies learn by association (with sights, sounds, and smells). Since your adult brain already knows what an apple is, (it doesn't have to be reintroduced to your senses in order for you to know what it is), it makes it easier to directly translate "Apple=Ringo," or "Apple=Pingwo." But in the same notion, "this is an apple" limits your 100% absorbance of the language because you're still using the word "apple" to relate any other information.
And I understand this is a long rant that the Pimsleur people won't even see, but it's an important argument that needs to be recognized, especially when people are fretting about learning a new language. It's ALSO extremely important that the 'tutors' enunciate, because they both say the words differently. One guy mumbles, and the "American" lady pronounces every single letter, which is wrong. Especially when there are two vowels next to each other and their sounds combine, or when she says the 'h's when the other tutor doesn't. But most importantly, they go waaay too fast for someone JUST learning the language with no background in it. I know I can manually change the speed setting, but it's ridiculous how fast the 'tutors' go, and then the narrator takes his good, sweet time telling you what to do. To me, this isn't worth 20-something dollars, let alone the hundred that people pay for the entire series.
If I could give this 0 stars, I would.