Russian Level 1 Lessons 1-5

Effective

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Make it a bit less repetitive and give more time to answer back.

Would you be willing to try another book from Pimsleur? Why or why not?

Yes! I have tried other learning tools but only Pimsleur teaches me the language to a point where I can impress native speakers and have functional conversations. Russian is the 3rd language I'm learning using these audiobooks!

Have you listened to any of the narrator’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Consistent

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Not consistent

What aspect of Pimsleur’s performance would you have changed?

I find that the Russian speakers are not consistent in their pronunciations. A word will be broken down, the last syllable being a "oo" sound, and then when the word is put back together, the ending is "oh" or "ah". A question is intoned differently in Russian, but one example sounds much more like the way an English question would be pronounced than the previous examples had demonstrated. I like the way the course is structured, but the speakers just don't seem precise. If there is some reason the pronunciation changes, I'd like to know why. I'm not sure that I am going to buy the next set of lessons.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Great for learning to speak and listen!!

I've always enjoyed dabbling in foreign languages, and this series is simply fantastic! It's very repetitious and allows you to learn phrases in a way that becomes second nature to anyone who actively listens to these lessons, and that is something that is rather difficult when studying languages on your own without the guidance of a fluent speaker.
Though, I will say that in Russian the spelling of a lot of words isn't very intuitive, and this series doesn't really help with that on its own since it's strictly audio, so I use Google Translate a lot to help out with that (which I highly recommend since sometimes it's difficult to hear the sounds they're making. Sometimes "n" sounds like "m," or "guh" sounds like "duh").
My own method (which may or may not work for you) is to listen to each lesson twice (once one day, then again the next day), take plenty of notes the first time through, and then let the info really sink in during the second play-through. And I've made it a part of my daily routine.
I've learned so much more with this series in a few months than I had with years of studying any other language!

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

the woman speaks cleat

the guy mumbles at times. this could be better. the pace was slow on chapter 1-4. too fat on chapter 5.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good technique

Would you listen to Russian Phase 1, Unit 01-05 again? Why?

I have purchased several Russian language programs including the R* S*, I found the approached use in this audio book most beneficial for "listening" I am also using a CBT based language program by Mango. As a solo learner the varied repetition and revisiting of phrases helps with the memorization. I plan on sticking with this program and using others to supplement.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A but I will say the Russian ladies voice is very pleasant to hear.

Which character – as performed by the narrator – was your favorite?

N/A

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Only when I tried some pronunciations... :)

Any additional comments?

A bit pricy but you get what you pay for.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wow, I really picked up Russian quickly!

What made the experience of listening to Russian Phase 1, Unit 01-05 the most enjoyable?

I do not consider myself good at language acquisition but Pimsleur changed my mind. I was able to learn the most important words and phrases quickly and retain them during a 3 month stay in Moscow for work. I plan to re-learn Spanish with Pimsleur and I think it will be fun and easy.

Has Russian Phase 1, Unit 01-05 turned you off from other books in this genre?

Rosetta Stone was not helpful for learning Russian and was a total waste of money.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Only because there are few

my fiance and her family speak Russian and Ukrainian obviously I wanted to learn. this course is good in theory but poorly presented. the individuals speaking the native tongue do not enunciate properly nor slowly enough. Luckily for me I do have my fiance and she can correct any mistakes this book may have taught me.
unfortunately for anyone wanting to learn Russian there are very few audible books available so choose wisely.

Works Great

I found it works great for learning basic phrases, if used as instructed at least. In this book you can expect to learn enough Russian to ask where something is, apologize, order food at a restaurant, and explain you don't know Russian well. Great resource, good luck!

Great for serious Russian beginners!!

Pimsleur is INTENSE. It moves fast and doesn't stop, but it seems to work. I'm amazed by how much I've learned. I intend to move on to the next set of lessons.

Challenging and Comprehensive

I've started these lessons during my commute and have found myself learning new phrases quickly. The time they take with pronunciation is just right. Occasionally I feel a little overwhelmed, but I think this is done intentionally to expand your comfort zone.
Challenging, straight to the point, and without a wasted minute. I will be following these lessons all the way through and repeating them as necessary!