Compare Pimsleur vs. Rocket Languages Language Learning Software

I was never good at languages in school, somewhere in the middle of the last century. In recent years with encouragement from my wife I tried a couple of other language learning programs with little success and a frustrating experience. I read some reviews and decided to try the free trial of Pimsleur German. I was so intrigued I asked for a subscription for Christmas. They say you can do a lesson a day but for me I repeat them and do about 3 a week. I am learning a language like I never could before and having fun. I am no stranger to learning as I have a PhD.

This method really does work, and it's easy to use. Just put the lessons in your phone and listen and repeat while you do chores around the house, etc. It's much easier than sitting in front of the computer looking at pictures. With this method you listen and speak, just like you did when you learned your first language as a child. It works. When you travel after having learned the language this way, you are able to listen and speak, understand and be understood. For example - after losing my wallet in Paris, I called the American Express office, and I was able to tell the non-English speaking person on the other line "No need to get someone who speaks English." Over the phone and entirely in French, I confirmed that my new AmEx card was ready; that I would need to show my passport for identification; that their office was open the next day until 5pm; and that I would be there before closing time to pick it up. Pimsleur was my only method of French instruction before my travels, and it gave me the ability to truly communicate in French! This method works better than any other method I have ever used.

I am a big believer in the Pimsleur language learning method. This despite the fact that I am more of a visual rather than auditory learner. The only formal language study I ever had was a couple of years of Latin while in high school. I sold my business and retired 3 years ago and my wife and I are enjoying life. We have visited 55 countries, many within the last three years. I elected to use the Pimsleur method to study Modern Greek before spending a month in Greece in the summer of 2016. Guess what? After 6 months of study, I spoke Greek well enough to ask directions, order food and drink, check into hotels, talk about the weather, haggle prices and converse with non English speaking Greeks. I have been hugged by more Greek women and men than I can count -- all of whom insisted on thanking me for learning the Greek language. Last summer (2017) my wife and I spent 2 months in Europe, including 3 weeks in Poland. I used the Pimsleur method for about 5 months to study the Polish language before our travels and managed quite well in Gdansk, Gydnia, Sopot, Warsaw, Krakow & Zakapone. While I was not fluent enough to debate politics or discuss religious theory using the Polish language, I was able to converse on a basic level and be understood. In fact I was often complimented for my pronunciation of the Polish language. My wife and I traveled by train from Berlin to Warsaw and I spent nearly 2 hours on the journey speaking Polish to a young business woman from Krakow who shared with me her favorite bars, restaurants and bakeries in Poland. I spoke Polish to her while she practiced her English with me. While I have not tried Rosetta Stone, my 30-something daughter used Rosetta Stone to study Italian before she and my son-in-law visited Italy. My daughter recognized some words, signs, menu items etc. and could understand some announcements at the train stations but could not speak the Italian language after using Rosetta Stone. I am now learning Spanish for travel to South America this fall and am re-visiting my study of Modern Greek for a visit to Cyprus and a return to Greece in the spring of 2019. All my Pimsleur language lessons are on my smart phone for easy and convenient access.

I have used the Pimsleur method over the years for German and Spanish, primarily when it was an oral language course. The Pimsleur process introduces words in a staggered basis: It will be introduced, then repeated, and again...then a gap while other material is reused, then the new word is used again. The process repeats with longer periods of time between the times the word is used, which helps the brain transfer from short term to long term memory. And it does work! Years later, I remember the vocabulary of these courses. The second thing I enjoy is that the basic course material was structured to be learned orally, such as in your car. The online versions also give you written and reading training, but it is still based on the sort of flexible use that has been the key to word usage as you learn. It also makes sure you know what you are saying, as it defines words as you need more information than just context, which to me is a guessing game. A variety of courses begin by introducing a picture and a word and then asks you to connect the two...but that is frustrating, because it often doesn't clarity EXACTLY what the word means relative to the picture. With the Pimsleur, method, the course also asks you to use the words you are learning in a variety of sentence structures, so it is not a canned phrase...you aren't limited to the structure you are given, but are helped to use the vocabulary as you normally use language--in a variety of situations. For example, it will introduce of terms relating to nationality, then will say something like: Ask the gentleman if he speaks Spanish. If the man says no, he understands only English. So, then ask if he is an American. Then you will need to produce the answer to your first question. In all cases, you will be using words you know, but in a variety of formats, so it isn't limited. At the beginning, you may learn relatively few words in a lesson, but you will learn them so that they are really useful to you. You will increase fluency quickly. But like any language, the final test is whether or not you want to put the time in. In language learning, like anything else, the harder you work at it, the more you will learn. And virtually anyone CAN learn another language..it is not unusual, for example, for kids in refugee camps in the Middle East, such as Gaza, will learn 3,4 or even more languages, often without any formal schooling involved. They find it useful, so they learn. Same with us: If we work at it, and if we have a goal, it can be learned. The saying that the more languages you learn, the easier it isto learn the next one. That's because you learn the structure of languages themselves. When you know what participles are, for instance, and how they work, the next time you run across a participle, it will be, ok, that's how THIS language works...and you'll quickly pick it up. In any case, I would recommend checking Pimsleur method language learning. I think it is an excellent way to learn.

Rocket languages really gave me the tools to succeed with my new language. It brought me to a level where I was finally comfortable speaking with native speakers and I was able to take off on my own after that. I highly recommend Rocket Languages to all my friends trying to learn a new language. Learning with this system felt practically effortless.