Swedish Phase 1, Unit 01

Whether this works depends on your learning style

I'm currently learning Swedish, which is the fifth foreign language I have studied.

I checked out the Pimsleur program because pronunciation is the greatest challenge of the Scandinavian languages. The basis of the Pimsleur program is that it is spoken only: you simply repeat what you hear.

I ordered the full program from amazon but returned it due to no written transcript coming with the CD's. Repetition alone won't help me memorize the words: I need to see the spellings. This is even more important when there are three non-Latin characters in the alphabet as there are in Swedish.

If what you're looking for is a "repeat after me" learning method, this may be for you. But if not, the PDF and/or "reading booklet" are not helpful at all. I called Pimsleur and they said they do not produce transcripts for any of their language programs.

There are some useful Swedish resources available online, such as the news source 8SIDOR which will help with reading comprehension and pronunciation. I would look there before investing in an expensive program of limited usefulness.

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Jag förstår lite svenska (in one lesson!!!)

Where does Swedish Phase 1, Unit 01 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pimsleur lessons are by far the best on the market. My only problem with them is that when I speak the new language after the Pimsleur lessons, native speakers think that I'm proficient and start talking up a blue streak. I use them when I travel, and can now hold my own in Italian, and French from their shorter series. I tired the first lesson to make sure that I'd be able to pick up Swedish as easily, and Iiked this lesson so much that I bought the 30 lesson pack. If you want to learn how to speak a language these are the only lesson to spend your money on.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Spend just 30 minutes a day and you'll sound like a native speaker in a month.