Pimsleur Mandarin Review: Can You Really Learn Mandarin the Pimsleur Way?
Nearly 1.2 billion speak Mandarin Chinese as their first or second language; only English has more total speakers. In terms of first-language speakers, Mandarin is by far the most widely spoken, with just under 1 billion total people.
The language’s growth has paralleled the rising importance of China. As the country has taken its place among the world powers in terms of commercial, political, and cultural influence, Mandarin has suddenly become one of the most popular languages to learn.
And you might be among those curious learners. Whether you’d like to learn Mandarin to boost your personal knowledge or enhance your professional opportunities, Pimsleur is the perfect place to start your educational journey. Many people who’ve learned Mandarin with Pimsleur and left reviews are happy with their experience, especially because we can make anyone a conversational speaker in a short amount of time. All our courses and lessons are informed by the Pimsleur Method, a revolutionary technique that concentrates on speaking and listening to the language – we’ll help you learn Mandarin like a child would!
Why are Pimsleur reviews of Mandarin so positive, and why does our platform make sense in an ever-increasing assortment of learning applications?
How Pimsleur Teaches Mandarin Optimally
Audio-first, Conversation-focused Learning
To become fluent in Mandarin, you need the skills required to have practical conversations. The Pimsleur approach to Mandarin is straightforward: we focus on oral and aural abilities – in other words, the ability to speak and listen to Mandarin. Our lessons help you build confidence with an audio-first structure, and you’ll start from basic words and phrases to conversational fluency.
Daily Lessons That Fit Your Schedule
30-minute lessons are the core of Pimsleur’s Mandarin courses. Countless Pimsleur Mandarin reviews comment on how accessible the lessons are. You can learn in front of your computer, or take lessons on the go with the convenient Pimsleur app. Unlike traditional learning methods – heavy textbook work, boring grammar lessons, and the like – we make learning fun and extremely flexible.
Structured but Flexible Progression
While our lessons are well-structured and planned for optimal knowledge retention, they’re also versatile enough to cater to any learning style. While some learners benefit from visual lessons and exercises, others thrive with an audio-first approach. Learn Mandarin with Pimsleur, and you’ll see why many reviews mention how our structured but flexible progression – built into every lesson, and built around the Pimsleur Method – creates a welcome, collaborative learning environment.
Pros and Cons of The Pimsleur Mandarin Learning Method
Pros
The Pimsleur Method is the obvious major advantage of Pimsleur’s platform. Our focus on speaking and listening to Mandarin forms the foundation of conversation-based learning. In our lessons, you’ll hear expert-grade Mandarin speakers, so you’ll pick up on the unique pace, cadence, and pronunciation of the language. Our premium features simply speed up and enhance your learning with tools like an AI-powered voice coach.
Cons
We don’t focus on speaking and writing the language, like some other apps do (see more below). And, true to many Pimsleur reviews from Mandarin learners, we’re not going to stress grammar skills, even though you’ll certainly learn key grammar concepts with Mandarin.
Mandarin Course Structure and Features
Number of Lessons & Levels
You’ll get 150 lessons with our Mandarin lifetime subscription – 30 lessons per level, with 5 total levels. At 30 minutes for each lesson, that’s approximately 75 hours of the best audio language instruction you’ll find anywhere!
Key Tools and Practice Features
We put plenty of resources at your fingertips, so you’ll eventually have the right word in Mandarin ready to go at the tip of your tongue! These include:
- Quizzes like Speak Easy Challenges and Quick Match Games
- Fun, interactive Digital Flash Cards
- Bonus Packs with extra content
- Reading Lessons
- And more
Skill Icons and Learning Goals
Pimsleur Mandarin reviews also mention how our 30-minute lessons are packed with helpful, fun, and focused exercises and modules to boost key language skills like pronunciation, grammar, core vocabulary, and much more.
And navigation is effortless with our lessons, thanks to the following key indicators, which also help you track your progress throughout each level.
Survival Skills | General Phrases | Meet & Greet | Polite Phrases | Speak & Understand
How Pimsleur Mandarin Learning Method Compares to Other Apps
Duolingo
Duolingo, another popular learning application, tends to concentrate learning around a gamified concept, with plenty of visual aids. This contrasts our audio-plus approach, with language acquisition centered around oral/aural skill development with practical, purposeful conversations.
Rosetta Stone
With Pimsleur, you’re in control of your learning pace. Whether you’re feeling confident in your progress or think you need to circle back on pronunciation, grammar, or anything else, you can customize how fast you move through the lessons. That’s not the case with Rosetta Stone, which applies a more fixed progression and pace.
Babbel
Grammar is also a core principle of Babbel’s approach to learning Mandarin. While grammar is certainly a part of Pimsleur’s courses, we don’t focus on that language element like Babbel does.
Final Thoughts: Is Pimsleur the Right Choice for Learning Mandarin?
With the information provided by this Pimsleur Mandarin review, we’re confident you’ll love our learning content…and we’re ready to start helping you learn Mandarin today!
After your first lesson, you’ll be able to speak basic words and short phrases. As you move through each level, you’ll build your language skills and become a conversational Mandarin speaker before you know it.
Your first step is the most important one in your learning journey. And once you get going, you’ll be surprised how easy and effortless it is to learn Mandarin with Pimsleur in your corner. Get started today!
