Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have finished Pimsleur's three levels of Russian. I need not to mention that this program is very well done and of the highest quality. Instead, I would like to answer those who may be wondering, "how good will I get after finishing all three levels of Pimsleur's Russian?" First of all, be prepared to work hard. It will be fun work, but you will have to concentrate. Some people have to repeat each lesson three times before moving on to the next. I personally had to work through them twice. At the end of level one, you will know the most basic greetings, you will know how to count to one hundred, and most importantly, you will start getting a good "feel" for the language. Don't expect to be able to converse with anyone at this point. Level two explores pronouns and gives you more working vocabulary. The future and past tenses are introduced. Level three explores the complex Russian declensions and gives you a lot more vocabulary. At the end of the three levels, you will still be at a very basic, survival level. You will have a vocabulary of maybe 300-400 words (this is my estimation so I may be wrong). You will be able to engage in conversations but it won't take very long before you don't know how to say something or you don't understand the other person. So if this expensive course is so basic, why bother spending so much money on it? You will pronounce correctly. People will comment on your good, Russian accent. (Ti gavarish bez aktsenta). You will know the most essential words and structures and will will have a good "feel" for the language. You will be in excellent position to learn more. The next step after that is to take formal lessons with a private teacher, if you can afford it, and study with another textbook. Having worked through all three levels of Pimsleur, you will be able to learn very fast without getting discouraged by the complexity of the Russian language. I imagine that with other Pimsleur method, more material is presented in the same amount of time. But since Russian is a complex language, a lot of time has to be spent working on single words and how they change according to their role in the sentence. I feel after having completed all three levels that: - It was essential to go to the three levels, and not just one or two. - This is just the beginning, but I have a very solid foundation. - I wouldn't continue with Pimsleur now, and I understand why they don't have more levels available. I have enough of the basics to continue with more formal training. This is a very good course - without a doubt the best audio course available - and if you are motivated to keep studying, you will aquire a very solid working knowledge of the Russian language. -