Languages > Brazilian Portuguese > Port (Braz) Phases 1-3

Comments about Port (Braz) Phases 1-3:

I have learned Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Egyptian Arabic through the Pimsleur audio system. The audio system has been the essential ingredient in my ability to learn other languages. The audio approach has been referred to as "boring" and "not effective" but I am sure these epithets come from users with unrealistic expectations. Learning another language as an adult American is a monumental task. Having the Pimsleur audio system to listen to again and again (e.g., when walking to work, at the gym, at home doing dishes) is like having a patient bilingual friend constantly repeating to you the correct pronunciation of common words and phrases. The phrases superfically might seem boring or funny but they force the listener to get used to responding with common words and word combintation that can be put together in other combinations the more the listener learns and becomes familiar with hearing the language. Reading the words and learning conjugations after becoming familiar with the spoken word is so much easier. The Pimsleur audio system allows American adults an effective entry into learning a new language, which would be difficult to get otherwise (and this audio system is certainly more effective than just the classroom reading and grammatical approach).

Comments about Port (Braz) Phases 1-3:

I have been thoroughly enjoying my studies in Portuguese using the Pimsleur method. I open the audio file in Audacity which allows me to pause, repeat and loop-repeat words or phrases I have trouble pronouncing. I try to become fluent as I go and I am in lesson 20 of Phase 1 and it is getting much easier. (I must say that I am coming from a background of knowing Spanish, which no doubt influences the facility with which I am able to learn the material, but it is very well done with natural repetition of words and phrases in the context of conversation, which is great!)
I have thought of ways that would greatly improve the program. One would be for the lessons to be done in video format so that you can see the speaker's lips (along with audio for times when you cannot use the video and for review purposes on the run). I have struggled with knowing if I am pronouncing something correctly and am afraid of getting into bad habits. To help me with this, I happened onto some Portuguese lessons by Street Smart Brasil on YouTube that was helpful to me to correct some mistakes I was making in pronunciation. I could do that because I could see the lips and mouth of the speaker.
I believe the Pimsleur method of focusing first of all on the oral language is good and important for good pronunciation, fluency and intonation because if you go from the written language it could mess you up, however once I know how to say the words and sentences correctly with good pronunciation and intonation, I would also like to know how they are written, because I am a visual person and seeing words help me to learn a language. I would like to be able to read and write the language when I am done with the studies. I appreciate having reading lessons, but I wish they would better reflect the vocabulary used in the lessons up to that point and that each word, phrase or sentence would be repeated orally at least two or three times because I also want to assimilate the correct spelling of the language which I am not able to do in a single rapid reading. I would also like to see the translation of the words, phrases or sentences, so there is understanding with the reading. I have been going to Google Translate to get the meaning of the phrases that are in the reading lessons that were not taught in the oral lessons up to that point. I also find that I am pausing and looking up words during the oral lessons because I would like to know how they are written. I would not need to do that if the reading lessons after the oral lessons reflected the written form of the new material in the lesson. When I am doing the reading lessons, I also make an attempt at writing the pronunciation of the words and phrases, since the Portuguese language is far from phonetic. If that were already done it would be a great help.
I don't think they should try to make the reading lessons fit into the 30 minutes of study a day, but rather have the reading lesson as a supplement to the purely oral. I like the fact that the reading lessons also have the audio component, so that you can hear the pronunciation as well as read it. I am thankful for that.
As a whole, I would say that the Pimsleur method is a great method that has room for improvement, but I would still highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn Portuguese. I never dread taking the time to do the language studies. It is done in a way that is interesting and fun. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience, even though I am finding the need to supplement the method with other helps (Audacity, Google Translate and Street Smart Brazil on YouTube).
I really do not miss not having other visual aids, but a video of the lessons would be extremely beneficial for learning Portuguese.
I don't think that a video of the lessons in Spanish would be necessary, but for Portuguese where the sounds of the language are sooo different from English, it would be extremely helpful.
Thank you, Pimsleur for your wonderful help in learning Portuguese. I would encourage you to continue to improve your product.

Comments about Port (Braz) Phases 1-3:

I have completed the Pimsleur Portuguese 1-3 and I am hungry for more. As a language educator (Spanish)I believe this program can take a person all the way to fluency if more levels were added. I wish there was a level four to this language, that's one of the only detriments to this program. I am ready to go to Brazil and add on to what I learned from Pimsleur. Thanks!

Comments about Port (Braz) Phases 1-3:

The learning tapes are an excellent way to learn conversational Portuguese. The speakers on the CDs are very clear and concise in their diction. There are sufficient pauses to allow you to practice the grammar and pronunciation. There are a few reading assignments for you to be able to associate the words with the sounds. I have taken 15 units of the language at the college level and did get more from that in terms of sentence structure, verb conjugation, and pronunciation. However, in my college classes I was not able to learn to "speak" the language as much as I was from taking the Pimsleur modules. I highly recommend these tapes for someone wanting to learn how to speak and, if taken in conjunction with a formal language class, to learn some features of the language.

Comments about Port (Braz) Phases 1-3:

I learned the essentials of the spanish language using pimsleur tapes twenty years ago. I started studying portuguese, but then moved from Florida to Colorado. I have an opportunity to travel to Portugal this year, so I bought the pimsleur portuguese tapes and am really liking them. The thing that is really cool about the pimsluer system is that you learn to think and speak the language, not just grammar and words like in high school or college courses. You gain a basic ability to converse. What is missing is the extensive vocabulary that is necessary to read and completely comprehend what native speakers are saying. I use other sources as a suppliment for this and the combination works fine for me. I highly suggest the three part portuguese course for people who seriously want to learn to speak the language.