Languages > Romanian > Romanian Phase 1, Units 1-30

Comments about Romanian Phase 1, Units 1-30:

I set aside 45 minutes every day to go through one lesson every day on my iPod, and after a month I'm able to put together sentences in Romanian that I think will be quite useful! I know how to buy things and express what I would like and how to ask for directions. I'm not sure I'll be able to understand the responses yet, but I also know how to ask them to repeat themselves! I feel very confident in the things I have learned, even if my accent is still not very good. The slow, steady buildup is great, as is the frequent review of previous lessons. I also like the way that you are sometimes asked to try to extrapolate grammatical lessons to new phrases; whether you get them right or wrong at first, you learn the structures more fully by being forced to think it through. This method may not lead to a large vocabulary, but the things it covers, you will truly know! I believe the Pimsleur Method really is the easiest way to pick up a new language, and now I recommend it to everyone. After they see how well I do in Romania, they might actually believe that it's worth the price!

I wish there were more than just 30 lessons. The reading lessons have many words that aren't in the audio lessons. The pauses for responses are also quite quick; I generally kept my finger on the pause button to give myself an extra second or two to finish a sentence. Though that could also be because I was in a hurry to get through them before my trip, and didn't spend enough time on each lesson.

(I had done some introductory 10-lesson Pimsleur courses in a couple of other languages, and I'm very pleased to say that the Romanian lessons are modern and not as sexist as the older languages!)

Service and delivery comments:

The reading lessons don't mesh very well with the conversations. Perhaps they could be tuned to include new words when or just after you learn them in the audio lessons, instead of just before. Also, there are many reading words that are not introduced in the audio lessons, leaving me wondering what I'm reading. Of course, I would also love more than just 30 lessons!

Comments about Romanian Phase 1, Units 1-30:

I purchased the MP3 version of this product and I use a podcast player for playback. I mention this because I use a feature that allows me to play at 3/4 normal speed. This has been extraordinarily helpful. I usually listen two times at the reduced speed followed by two times at normal playback speed. Still there have been some words that I just can't seem to figure out the proper sounds. And there have been other words where I thought I had figured them out only to be corrected later by my native Romanian speaking fiance.

The course seems to be heavily slanted towards formal speaking. While perhaps appropriate for conducting business, could lead to one sounding a little peculiar in a friends and family setting.

Complaints aside, I spent six years studying Spanish in public schools and after only two weeks with this course, I am more conversational in Romanian than I ever had been in Spanish.

This is not easy. It takes a lot of concentration and a real time commitment, but if you can give those two things you will be able to communicate and you will begin to learn the language. I entered into this quite skeptical about how well it could work. I am now convinced and pleasantly surprised.

Comments about Romanian Phase 1, Units 1-30:

I've been following the course and it's very effective. I'm really impressed how much I've learned with this method. It's my first Pimsleur course. Romanian isn't easy, but I'm feeling confident that I'm making good progress.

Comments about Romanian Phase 1, Units 1-30:

5 stars for the method itself - really works and really is effective, I have struggled for a few years to get started with Romanian + with this I can remember just about everything taught here - 30 minutes per day is not much time to invest. I have ipressed quite a few people already + I'm inspired to take it further. It has given me a good foundation, understanding basic grammar and basic conversation.

4/5 overall for 2 reasons. Firstly, this is not comprehensive, it should not be sold as such - if your expectation is to be able to understand and speak to a basic level, then this is perfect. Don't expect any more. I wish there were more units at least to intermediate level. Second reason is that this teaches very formal conversation - fine if you are going to Romania on business or as a tourist, but I have family and friends so it would have been nice to also learn more informal dialogue... luckily I have the means to learn that separately - now I have the basic understanding, learning will be much easier - really just need to improve vocabulary now as this has taught the basic grammar and structure.

Comments about Romanian Phase 1, Units 1-30:

I completed level 1 Romanian. I seemed difficult at first but eventually it all started to make sense _ now I am ready to move up.

After completing Pimsleur Brazilian Portugese level 3 I was the only one that could speak the language for a group of 20 Americans in Brazil, Several of which were using Roseta Stone but, could not get beyond parroting a word or two. It only took me six months and now with the help of a basic grammar book I can also read Portugese.

I am two lessons from Pimsleur Hebrew level 2 _ now that is a real challange! Note: I am 59 and not a liquist. Warning! this can be addictive and make people jealuous.