Pimsleur Spanish Level 1 Lessons 1-5

Learn to Speak, Understand, and Read Spanish with Pimsleur Language Programs

By: Pimsleur

Narrated by: Pimsleur

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Pimsleur method: the easiest, fastest way to learn Spanish. Completely portable, easily downloadable, and lots of fun. You’ll be speaking and understanding in no time flat! 

Pimsleur makes learning easy with: 

• Thirty-minute core lessons you can take anywhere or do at home with Alexa
• Sync progress across devices 
• Stream lessons or download to use in offline mode
• Individual progress tracking for one main account holder and up to three additional household members
• Car mode for easy driving and learning 
• Compatible with Amazon Echo devices for working through lessons at home
   

Why Pimsleur? 

• Quick and easy - Only 30 minutes a day.
• Portable and 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 you’ll learn

This course includes lessons one through five from the Spanish Level One program featuring 2.5 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 Spanish. 

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. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2010 Pimsleur (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

Reading Required

I bought this title because I've listened to Audible books in the past, and I enjoyed them. I've always wanted to learn Spanish, so I thought I'd try it on Audible.
Like many of you, I only use Audible when I am driving or when I am working out, and it has always worked perfectly for that. Chapters 1-3 were perfect. But when I got to chapter 4, the speaker wants me to READ! I can read of course, but not when I'm driving or working out. And i thought that was the whole point of Audible.

I was just a little disappointed with it. still a good program, but I was disappointed.

Pretty impressive results

I made the questionable life decision in high school to focus my foreign language studies on French. Being that I was born and continue to reside in the USA, I cannot offer any reasonable logic for my desire to pursue French over Spanish other than the smaller class sizes and the fun, cool teacher. However, I freely admit, I have forgotten everything as one does not stumble upon many opportunities to use French in day-to-day life in the US. However, my company has a Latin America division so Spanish is actually valuable and it's been on my bucket list to learn more than my existing pitiful repertoire which I gleaned from Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer thanks to being a mom. So, when the Pimsleur audio courses for Spanish one and two were offered in one of Audible's deals, I decided to give it a go and see how I liked it.

The lessons are 30 minutes each and there is a PDF download you can find in your library for the reading portion. I found that I can do one lesson during my commute and the reading portion only takes a couple minutes once I arrive at work or home. So, I usually do one lesson on my drive home from work, and repeat the same lesson the following morning as that helps me retain the information easier. Then that evening I do the next lesson (some lessons I repeat more than once as I got to more advanced longer phrases). I was very pleasantly surprised how fast I could retain information and understand the beginning conversations at the start of each lesson. I finished all of the first and second audiobooks really quickly and decided to keep going because it really is easy. As the lessons increased in difficulty, I usually repeat them at least once but a few I've had a harder time with thinking fast enough to answer in the given "space" in the audio dialogue and I can't easily pause the play while driving so I think if I could pause it to give me more time to think, I wouldn't find it as necessary to repeat some lessons. But I just do the best I can and keep repeating a lesson until I feel like I'm getting the 80% that they recommend you have before proceeding to the next lesson.

The only drawback is that the programs are really expensive. Several credits. When I finished lesson 2 and wanted to go on to Lesson 3, I opted to use the Pimsleur app which is subscription-based instead of buying Lesson 3 through audible. The lessons are the same but it has additional exercises to that allow me to specifically focus on the areas I struggled with. Plus, being able to read the phrases I learned after learning them helped me to realize I was pronouncing one word wrong - I thought the middle of the word was a "v" sound but it was a "g" sound which was really hard to hear that distinction in the lesson but otherwise I haven't had any issues. Most questions I've had about pronunciation I could resolve with turning the volume up and backing up 30 seconds but I did deduct one star from the performance category because if you aren't sure about a pronunciation, there's no written material to refer to (by design) to help you resolve your question. If you opt for the subscription based app instead, the you do get that extra "help" if you need it in the supplemental materials provided.

So, yes, I do think the Pimsleur program can help someone like me with practically zero spanish become conversational relatively quickly. The audiobook program is extremely expensive and I think the subscription based app is a better value but I'd still recommend this system to someone looking to learn a new language. I have not tried other learning programs but my friends that have tried Rosetta Stone didn't feel that they were conversational as fast as I've felt following Pimsleur (and most of them lost their momentum pretty quickly and stopped using it whereas I've been so impressed with my progress, I still feel motivated). The lessons aren't super exciting but I retain the information very well and that has kept my interest and momentum up to continue with it. Now that I'm at lesson 14, I'm going a bit slower as the longer phrases do cause me to stumble about a bit but for the first two audiobooks, I finished them in less than a month.

I would love it if Pimsleur also had an add on once you're more advanced that focused on helping you learn to write in Spanish but I think once I finish the program, it will be much easier to use another program to help me with the writing as I'll already have a natural understanding of conjugations from the spoken lessons.

Finally found the PDF

Use an internet browser. On mobile make sure you're viewing the desktop version. Click library at the lop left of the page. On the right side under "other actions" click view PDF.

lacks workbook

While the audio is great the workbook is not included. when the narrator references the book I felt I was missing a part of my learning

Can’t find reading

¿Donde está el pdf? I’m using the app and can not find the reading. The details say it should be in my library, where would I find it?

Reading lessons?

I cannot find the reading lessons. It says they should be available but they aren't.

Way too little product for the price.

Audible should sell more lessons per book for its moneys worth just five lessons with it way too little. I like the method and it was pretty good, but again, way too little product for the price.

AUDIBLE page designers listen up!

I use pimsleur primarily on my phone and your title design leaves much to be desired. it's impossible to see the level and so one must shuffle through all the titles to get to the next appropriate section (eg: Pimsleur Spanish Le.. and it cuts off so you can't see what the level is and have to guess).
This is a page design flaw that is incredibly inconvenient. Please fix!!

Going well for me! Muy bien!

I listen on the drive to work, so this method is effective for me. Learning a new language is a challenge, but this format works, if you stay with it and repeat lessons as necessary. I like that it’s geared toward adult learners. The comprehensive pdf for reading is available with the first set of audio lessons (1-5), as well as the second (6-10), in its entirety. Go to your lesson library and you will see the link to open the pdf under “Launch App.” Enjoy!

Please make PDF easily accessible in the app.

Please make the PDF available to download in the app. I cannot access the pdf via my iPhone, not even in “full site” view on safari.

Other than that, the audio quality is good & so far the lessons are somewhat helpful.

My rating is based on the pdf not being accessible via the app.

brilliant language course

This is the best way to learn a language as used by the FBI. Highly recommend.

Discrepancies between PDF and Audio updates

There must have been an update because the PDF mentioned in the programme for reading lessons (dated 2018 and referencing this as the third edition) *is now included*. I've bought these audio lessons in the past and they came with no accompanying PDF.

This PDF being included has made me aware the audio version provided on Audible might be older (I suspect it is the second edition, either this, or the PDF is wrong in regards to referenced third edition updates). Referencing the PDF - it mentions it's now less common to call people from the USA "Norteamerico/a" and now "Estados Unidos" is used. Weirdly, this change isn't reflected as an update in the Audio. The speaker keeps using "Norteamerico/a" despite the PDF mentioning this should be no longer be a thing.

The mixed messages between the PDF and the audio continues as it mentions you'll hear less "senor, senora" but this is used a lot in the first two lessons. The PDF says senorita is phased out, but this is used in the first two lessons. It says the third edition has been updated to use "Disculpe" instead of the now less common "Perdon" for excuse me. This is the only update mentioned in the PDF that I can tell has actually be carried through on the audio side.

It is true that this programme is weighted too heavily towards american male business men. Maybe this was practical when the programme was first developed but Pimsleur needs to bring itself into 2020 by not catering as heavily towards american male business men and be more inclusive. Globe trotting is no longer accessible just to this user group and has become more in reach of others.

Slow but sure way to learn a tiny bit of Spanish

5 lessons sounds like a lot, but after 3 hours and 4 minutes all you will be able to do is ask where a hotel is.

The lessons aren’t particularly fun, but the method is useful - if only it weren’t so slow!

There’s a pdf with words written on it that don’t relate to the audiobook - he simply says the words written down with absolutely no definition!

Certainly not worth the price.

ideal and practical

very good way to get you up to speed on every day spainish. never knew I could learn so much from an audiobook. I had tried one years ago and it was terrible. this is an entirely different approach

Where's the PDF

After starting the audio I was quite happy initially until that is it mention reading from the PDF, which I am unable to how you get it or to download it from.

really really great

30 minute lessons are perfect to keep you Interesed. not too short or long. laid out perfectly just when you're about to forget something it will remind you. highly recommend.