Pimsleur is one of the most well-known names in language instruction. Here’s the Pimsleur French alternative blog that you might want to know.
Pimsleur French
Dr. Paul Pimsleur created the first language program in 1963 to create a complete language course that could be taught without the use of a teacher. Pimsleur courses are popular among language students because they are simple to follow and can be finished at any time.
The language classes are mostly audio lessons designed to improve your listening and speaking abilities. The lessons break down everyday conversational French into bite-sized chunks, and you practice listening to and repeating what native French speakers say.
The extra activities and games reinforce what you’ve learned in the main sessions. This will help you remember everything later.
What is wrong with Pimsleur
There are a few drawbacks to using Pimsleur French. The usage context had nothing to do with me. If you’re a married businessman with children who wants to go shopping and dine out, Pimsleur is the language course for you.
If you’re anything like the rest of us, you’ll discover things that shouldn’t be prioritized at first. For example, because I socialize with people my age, I rarely use the formal “you,” but except for a brief mention in one unit, almost the entire course uses this formal “you.”
English is also used extensively in the course. Almost all of the audio is in English! Later in the course, “listen and repeat” is changed to the target language, but otherwise, you’re just following directions to translate things from English to French.
This attitude will always stymie your progress, making it difficult to move beyond the beginner level and improve your language skills.
Duolingo: Pimsleur alternative for the French Language
Now that we’ve covered Pimsleur, let’s take a quick look at Duolingo‘s app. The first difference is that their lessons are much shorter. Each one only takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete and goes by quickly.
This is large because each lesson is made up of several quick-hit, interactive, game-like exercises (similar to Babbel’s course). Listening drills, fill-in-the-blanks, matching pairs, verbal practice, and writing full sentences are just a few of the activities available through Duolingo.
So, in some ways, Duolingo’s lessons are similar to the second half of Pimsleur’s lessons – just a series of drills and exercises.
