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What customers say about the Pimsleur CHINESE audios:

Simple & Limited--But HIGHLY Effective!
I'm through lesson 5 so far, and I've probably only learned 10-12 exchanges. But my native Chinese students tell me my accent is amazing--and I've had no previous Asian language experience. What these lessons do is make you repeat variations of the same basic question (for instance, "Do you speak English?"), and they are designed to make you pay close attention to the tones. Tones are key! I'm learning now for a trip to China, but I will probably start experimenting with other Pimsleurs when I return to pick up some Korean and Japanese just for talking to the many Asian people at my job and in New York City, where I live. I highly recommend this set. -- Alfred E. Guy Jr., New York, NY, USA

Learning while u drive
So I am now immersed in the third volume of Pimsleur Mandarin. My reviews on the previous versions were very good. Mandarin III continues in the same vein, and I offer similar comments as given before. Pronunciation opportunity is excellent -- no Pinyin to distract you -- and you can effectively mimic sounds (at least on the CD versions). Occasioanlly, some sounds require Pinyin intervention and a dictionary -- I cannot quite distinguish some of the consonants. Could be my old ears? Overall, I have been very pleased. I have gone to Beijing after the first volume and a bit more, and had no difficulty. But I have cheated -- I've sat through some Mandarin classes in my local university. These classes have been essential.
Pimsleur is a great introduction to the language. It gives drills that develop important vocabulary, settings, and flexibility. They repeat enough to keep vocabulary relatively fresh. They rush you a bit to improve your fluency. They provide grammar in context, not as simply rules. So you sometimes know what to say, although you don't know a gramar rule. So?
I am on track to have comfortable comprehension and fluency. I still have a ways to go (even with my university classes). The Pimsleur set is a great accompaniment to the classes. And I figure out the grammar and associated rules. If you REALLY want to be fluent in Mandarin, you simply cannot rely on the Pimsleur alone (or perhaps any other fixed media). You need context, friends, classes, tv, movies, etc. But I would never give up the continuing practice the sets afford in the car. For me, the regular practice keeps vocabulary current, and "internalized." Pimsleur reinforces common scenarios you would likely experience in China. I will be going to China again next year, and I will really try to immerse myself in speaking.
Yes, a difficulty is no writing. Yes, there is no menu reading (which in class was done on a number of occasions and with food). And yes, there are even pronunciation differences between my Mandarin class teacher and the Pimsleur set. That just gives me a broader sense of lattitude in what works.
I would recommend I, II and III to all students of Mandarin, whether learning in the University or not. I still enjoy I and II even though I am somewhere near the end of two years of college courses. -- David M., Zionsville, IN, USA