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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Pimsleur is the only brand that works!!! May 29, 2006
I am terrible at learning languages--I had to repeat every language class I took in school--but have been able to learn a sizable amount of Spanish and chunks of Hindi, Russian, French, Japanese and Italian by using Pimsleur language CD's. I have tried to use other programs and have gotten nowhere. With Pimsleur I learn quickly effectivley and in a way that makes it easy to have actual conversations with actual people. Pimsleur works because they structure your learning for you, you don't have to figure out the best way to practice/study because the lessons are already structured the way your brain learns best. Not having a text ensures you learn proper pronunciation by not confusing your brain with pronouncing words like they are written till after you learn how to say them right.
These tapes are terribly sexist, especially the Hindi, they always assume that you are a man, which is messed up because of the 16 or so people I know going to India (most in my school group, a few separate) only two are male. Thats messed up!!!!! Normally that would cause me not to buy a product, but with this it would be shooting myself in the foot, because there are no other programs even 50% as good as this. The comprehensive Pimsleur for Hindi is comming out in September (a month after I get back) or I would have bought that instead. Usually you can find the comprehensive versions of Pimsleur online for as cheap as $150 and worth every penny. I hope they get there act together and stop being so sexist in their newer editions.
Also, just a note, this particular Pimsleur set is more concentrated than their usual stuff I think because they weren't selling a comprehensive set origionally, so they go faster than usual which means you should expect to practice each lesson a few times. On the other hand I was happy because that meant I got more words for a lower price.
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Could be better Jan 03, 2006
I have Pimsleur CDs for many different languages (Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and several others) and have found it very helpful for learning different Asian languages - however, this one for Hindi was not that good. There are certain sounds in Hindi that are much easier to pronounce correctly if you know where to place your tongue. In Pimsleur programs for other languages, this kind of helpful information is usually offered, but on recordings for Hindi it was not. I still consider these CDs a valuable addition, but out of several different programs that I purchased for learning Hindi, so far I have found Colloquial Hindi to be the most useful and Rosetta Stone Hindi has also been helpful.
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
A good place to start... Jan 25, 2005
I really enjoyed these CDs. I feel as if I've learned some useful Hindi and gotten a good start toward becoming proficient with the language. I really like the Pimsleur approach and I'm considering trying some of their other language courses.
I have only a few criticisms:
First, as other reviewers have mentioned, some of the Hindi phrases that these CDs teach are quite formal. I've had Hindi speakers tell me that the way I learned to say certain things is technically correct, but that NO ONE would actually say it like that.
The other problem is that when you're done, you're done! While this course is referred to as "Hindi 1" throughout the CDs, there is currently no path to continue learning Hindi with Pimsleur. If they released a "Hindi 2," I'd buy it.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Pimsleur Language Program - Hindi Apr 06, 2004
I used this CD set to prepare for a visit to India. I had zero knowledge of Hindi before this course and I listened to the whole set of CDs not quite three times (in the car while commuting) before my trip. The course covers a limited range of vocabulary and grammar at an elementary level; it did not make me fluent or even able to carry on a conversation. (I guess I could have conducted a very short conversation about whether or not I was Indian or American, or whether or not I spoke Hindi or English, but some things are just obvious.) However, it did give me enough knowledge to exchange pleasantries, handle basic directions and requests, and show interest in the language. The most important things that I got from the CDs was a feel for the language. I was shocked to be able to listen to Hindi conversations and be able to pick out bits and pieces that I understood - a few words here and a few words there. I was also able to recognize certain gramatical patterns (such as questions, first and third person references, small talk phrases, time, and numbers). I was identifying with the language if not quite understanding it! If only I could have stayed longer, I could have done better! And the pronunciation practice was invaluable. The Pimsleur repetitions really gave me an ear for the language - it no longer sounded so foreign. Because I could actually hear the language, I could remember a few additional words that I learned in India. I don't think that any other method could have given me a better start in the amount of time I invested in the Pimsleur course.
30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 Hindi not as good as German, Japanese Oct 25, 2003
I am a big fan of Pimsleur, having purchased German (4), Japanese (3), Spanish, Hebrew, Mandarin, Russian, and Hindi. So, I have no axe to grind against Pimsleur when I say that this series is not on a par with some of the others. Why? Because the language used is archaic. The words for "Miss", "Please", and others are not a part of every day Hindi. I work with a couple of dozen native Hindi speakers and they agree, to a person, that some of the phrases that I have learned and repeated are comical. Of course it's not a total loss. I am able to speak Hindi and for the most part what I've learned is useful and fun to use. Pimsleur is a great system, the Hindi tapes are worth buying, but they are simply not as good as Pimsleur's other language products. The criticisms that I have read about the lack of grammer tutorials are specious. You and I and everyone else learned to speak long before we had any notion of grammer. If you want grammer go to school or buy a book, if you want to be fluent move to India. In the absence of that buy Pimsleur.
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