What satisfied customers say about the Pimsleur POLISH audios:

 

This has to be the easiest way I've ever come across for learning another language. There's no book, it's purely audio based with each lesson being about 30 minutes. As Polish contains many sounds that we simply do not use in English, I had to listen to most lessons twice before being able to remember and pronounce all the words correctly.

New words are introduced syllable by syllable and every phrase you learn is repeated numerous times in conversations in later lessons. My only minor quibble would be that as this is an American series, there's no provision for those of us in the UK in the sections that focus on how to say your nationality and monetary units. Hardly a major issue!

By the end of this 16 lesson course you can expect to be able to give common greetings, ask for and understand basic directions, arrange a meeting, count to 49, buy drinks in shops and a fair bit more.

My Polish wife found some of the pronunciation grated a little but that it was more than passable and probably easier for a non-polish speaker to learn from than a native Polish speaker would be. -- T. Morey,Cambridge, UK

 

I purchased this comprehensive Pimsleur after having little to no success with Teach yourself Polish book and CD and Colloquial Polish book, cd and cassettes. I found that the later two, while inexpensive, were too difficult for an absolute beginner, such as myself, with no idea of Polish pronunciation or how to read and say the written words.

The Pimsleur, while very expensive, will definately have you speaking and understanding the language. Each lesson consists of thirty minutes of audio to listen and repeat. By the end of the series of 30 lessons, I am able to communicate simple needs in Polish, such as where to find places, simple directions, paying for items; and to engage in simple conversations such as how many children do you have, where do you live, where do you work, what to eat, drink, etc. I'm also able to to communicate what time it is, and how to communicate when I don't understand what someone is saying in Polish.

The main thing missing from the Pimsleur program, in my opinion, is the lack of written materials. There is a small book included with the alphabet and pronunciation guide, but that is not enough to make the leap to actually reading or even recognizing the written form of the words you are speaking in Polish. The other drawback is that once you finish the Comprehensive Polish, there is no next level to go on to with Pimsleur. I am left at this place where I can converse somewhat, but I cannot read or write any Polish.

Overall, I would rate Pimsleur Comprehensive Polish I as excellent for developing basic pronunciation and conversation skills. -- Stephanie Lovell, Elmwood Park, IL, USA