Norwegian

Rating:
Summary: ikke bra
Review: I didn't get much out of it. I could do all of the lessons fairly easily, but I thought that the man and the woman sounded quite different in their pronunciations, so I struggled with what the actual words were. If I ever want to have a glass of beer at the Theater Cafe on Parliament Street, I've got it knocked. I don't think each lesson was really a whole half hour. I'm taking lessons from a teacher now.

Rating:
Summary: Boy this method WORKS!
Review: I have attempted several methods in learning Norwegian. My main stumbling block was pronunciation and an over-emphasis on grammar. What I needed was an easier way to learn pronunciation and something that would be more natural to learn. I have found that in this tape set!

What this tape set does is teach you the language in a way that I think most humans learned to speak, by listening and repeating with an understanding what the words mean. It starts slowly, but does not so slow as you lose interest. On the contrary, these tapes keep your interest at every turn. First of all, each lesson is 30 minutes long, not too long as to lose interest and sharpness but long enough to give you a solid lesson. Next each lesson builds on previous lessons and quite often somethig you learned 90 minutes ago creeps up and makes sure you remember the whole course.

This is mostly a listening course. There is a tiny booklet included but its main purpose is to teach you to recognize the words you have already verbally learned. Just as a child learns to speak before reading, this course does the same thing. I would HIGHLY recommend this course to beginners and would recommend using this course ALONE before any other study aids. Once this course has been mastered then you can comfortably move on to other aids. Again, this is a great course!

Rating:
Summary: Norwegian: Pimsleur Language Program
Review: This program is the only place to start if you want to learn Norwegian. It provides you with the basics needed to speak a foreign language. The speakers are easy to understand and speak slow enough that you can hear each word. You will quickly progress through each unit. The program does not allow you to forget previous lessons, so you actually retain what you learned.

I have purchased several other programs over the years, and was not able to learn from them. I wish Pimsleur was available back then. Invest your money wisely, start with the Pimsleur programs. They are expensive, but they work. The proof: the Norwegians actually understood me when I spoke.

The main drawback with this product is that there is not a lot of information in the program. It will not provide you with enough phrases to get by as a tourist, so you will need additional material.

Now if Pimsleur would only produce a more comprehensive version. I am impatiently waiting.