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Pimsleur Comprehensive French #1
Pimsleur French Level I CD: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs [Lessons 1-30]
The Easiest and Fastest Way to Learn French
Whether you want to travel, communicate with friends or colleagues, reconnect with family, or just understand more of what’s going on in the world around you, learning French will expand your horizons and immeasurably enrich your life.
The best part is that it doesn’t have to be difficult or take years to master. Thirty minutes a day is all it takes, and we get you speaking right from the first day. Pimsleur courses use a scientifically-proven method that puts you in control of your learning. If you’ve tried other language learning methods but found they simply didn’t stick, then you owe it to yourself to give Pimsleur a try.
Why Pimsleur?
- Quick + Easy – Only 30 minutes a day.
- Portable + Flexible – Core lessons can be done anytime, anywhere, and easily fit into your busy life.
- Proven Method – Works when other methods fail.
- Self-Paced – Go fast or go slow – it’s up to you.
- Based in Science – Developed using proven research on memory and learning.
- Cost-effective – Less expensive than classes or immersion, and features all native speakers.
- Genius – Triggers your brain’s natural aptitude to learn.
- Works for everyone – Recommended for ages 13 and above.
What’s Included?
- 30, 30-minute audio lessons
- 60 minutes of reading instruction to provide you with an introduction to reading French designed to teach you to sound out words with correct pronunciation and accent
- in total, 16 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers
- a Reading Booklet and a User’s Guide
What You’ll Learn
In the first 10 lessons, you’ll cover the saying hello, asking for or giving information, scheduling a meal or a meeting, asking for or giving basic directions, and much more. You’ll be able to handle minimum courtesy requirements, understand much of what you hear, and be understood at a beginning level, but with near-native pronunciation skills.
In the next 10 lessons, you’ll build on what you’ve learned. Expand your menu, increase your scheduling abilities from general to specific, start to deal with currency and exchanging money, refine your conversations and add over a hundred new vocabulary items. You’ll understand more of what you hear, and be able to participate with speech that is smoother and more confident.
In the final 10 lessons, you’ll be speaking and understanding at an intermediate level. In this phase, more directions are given in the target language, which moves your learning to a whole new plane. Lessons include shopping, visiting friends, going to a restaurant, plans for the evening, car trips, and talking about family. You’ll be able to speak comfortably about things that happened in the past and make plans for the future.
Reading Lessons begin in Lesson 9 to provide you with an introduction to reading French. In addition, the combined Reading Lessons are included after Lesson 30. These Reading Lessons, which total about one hour, are designed to teach you to sound out words with correct pronunciation and accent.
The Pimsleur Method
We make no secret of what makes this powerful method work so well. Paul Pimsleur spent his career researching and perfecting the precise elements anyone can use to learn a language quickly and easily. Here are a few of his “secrets”:
The Principle of Anticipation
In the nanosecond between a cue and your response, your brain has to work to come up with the right word. Having to do this boosts retention, and cements the word in your mind.
Core Vocabulary
Words, phrases, and sentences are selected for their usefulness in everyday conversation. We don’t overwhelm you with too much, but steadily increase your ability with every lesson.
Graduated Interval Recall
Reminders of new words and structures come up at the exact interval for maximum retention and storage into your long-term memory.
Organic Learning
You work on multiple aspects of the language simultaneously. We integrate grammar, vocabulary, rhythm, melody, and intonation into every lesson, which allows you to experience the language as a living, expressive form of human culture.
Learning in Context
Research has shown that learning new words in context dramatically accelerates your ability to remember. Every scene in every Pimsleur lesson is set inside a conversation between two people. There are no drills, and no memorization necessary for success.
Active Participation
The Pimsleur Method + active learner participation = success. This method works with every language and every learner who follows it. You gain the power to recall and use what you know, and to add new words easily, exactly as you do in English.
The French Language
French is spoken by 55 million speakers in France, 3 million in Belgium, 1.5 million in Switzerland, 6.5 million in Canada, and 5 million in former French and Belgian colonies. It is an official language in 44 countries and an official language of the United Nations. An estimated 50 million people around the world speak French as a ...
Whether you want to travel, communicate with friends or colleagues, reconnect with family, or just understand more of what’s going on in the world around you, learning French will expand your horizons and immeasurably enrich your life.
The best part is that it doesn’t have to be difficult or take years to master. Thirty minutes a day is all it takes, and we get you speaking right from the first day. Pimsleur courses use a scientifically-proven method that puts you in control of your learning. If you’ve tried other language learning methods but found they simply didn’t stick, then you owe it to yourself to give Pimsleur a try.
Why Pimsleur?
- Quick + Easy – Only 30 minutes a day.
- Portable + Flexible – Core lessons can be done anytime, anywhere, and easily fit into your busy life.
- Proven Method – Works when other methods fail.
- Self-Paced – Go fast or go slow – it’s up to you.
- Based in Science – Developed using proven research on memory and learning.
- Cost-effective – Less expensive than classes or immersion, and features all native speakers.
- Genius – Triggers your brain’s natural aptitude to learn.
- Works for everyone – Recommended for ages 13 and above.
What’s Included?
- 30, 30-minute audio lessons
- 60 minutes of reading instruction to provide you with an introduction to reading French designed to teach you to sound out words with correct pronunciation and accent
- in total, 16 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers
- a Reading Booklet and a User’s Guide
What You’ll Learn
In the first 10 lessons, you’ll cover the saying hello, asking for or giving information, scheduling a meal or a meeting, asking for or giving basic directions, and much more. You’ll be able to handle minimum courtesy requirements, understand much of what you hear, and be understood at a beginning level, but with near-native pronunciation skills.
In the next 10 lessons, you’ll build on what you’ve learned. Expand your menu, increase your scheduling abilities from general to specific, start to deal with currency and exchanging money, refine your conversations and add over a hundred new vocabulary items. You’ll understand more of what you hear, and be able to participate with speech that is smoother and more confident.
In the final 10 lessons, you’ll be speaking and understanding at an intermediate level. In this phase, more directions are given in the target language, which moves your learning to a whole new plane. Lessons include shopping, visiting friends, going to a restaurant, plans for the evening, car trips, and talking about family. You’ll be able to speak comfortably about things that happened in the past and make plans for the future.
Reading Lessons begin in Lesson 9 to provide you with an introduction to reading French. In addition, the combined Reading Lessons are included after Lesson 30. These Reading Lessons, which total about one hour, are designed to teach you to sound out words with correct pronunciation and accent.
The Pimsleur Method
We make no secret of what makes this powerful method work so well. Paul Pimsleur spent his career researching and perfecting the precise elements anyone can use to learn a language quickly and easily. Here are a few of his “secrets”:
The Principle of Anticipation
In the nanosecond between a cue and your response, your brain has to work to come up with the right word. Having to do this boosts retention, and cements the word in your mind.
Core Vocabulary
Words, phrases, and sentences are selected for their usefulness in everyday conversation. We don’t overwhelm you with too much, but steadily increase your ability with every lesson.
Graduated Interval Recall
Reminders of new words and structures come up at the exact interval for maximum retention and storage into your long-term memory.
Organic Learning
You work on multiple aspects of the language simultaneously. We integrate grammar, vocabulary, rhythm, melody, and intonation into every lesson, which allows you to experience the language as a living, expressive form of human culture.
Learning in Context
Research has shown that learning new words in context dramatically accelerates your ability to remember. Every scene in every Pimsleur lesson is set inside a conversation between two people. There are no drills, and no memorization necessary for success.
Active Participation
The Pimsleur Method + active learner participation = success. This method works with every language and every learner who follows it. You gain the power to recall and use what you know, and to add new words easily, exactly as you do in English.
The French Language
French is spoken by 55 million speakers in France, 3 million in Belgium, 1.5 million in Switzerland, 6.5 million in Canada, and 5 million in former French and Belgian colonies. It is an official language in 44 countries and an official language of the United Nations. An estimated 50 million people around the world speak French as a ...
480 pages, Audio CD
First published February 1, 1995
21 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 13, 2017
Not bad but better for practising pronunciation and training your ear to hear French spoken reasonably quickly than for actual learning. It barely covers any grammar and progresses very slowly. TBH it's a pretty boring way to learn a language. But it will help any student who is dedicated.
The Michel Thomas CDs are much better for straight learning but this series is better for listening comprehension and accent/pronunciation.
The Michel Thomas CDs are much better for straight learning but this series is better for listening comprehension and accent/pronunciation.
November 1, 2016
This is a review of the entire series (which you can borrow from most libraries if you live in a biggish City. I live in Madison Wisconsin and that's big enough to be able to get the entire series.)
In high school I took French and did well enough to get a 2 (out of 5) on the AP French exam my senior year. Yep, that's a failing grade, but slightly better than 0. Anyway, fast forward 20+ years. I had some free time and decided to learn French. I found a lot of free resources (such as Memories and other phone apps), but I found this series of audio CDs to be the most useful because it made me practice pronouncing the words and there is enough repetition that speaking in French becomes natural(ish). Some things are still weird to me desite having gone through this entire course twice.
The first 3 courses took me up to about the level I was at when I finished 3.5 years of high school French. That is, mediocre. Although this time around my pronounciation was much better because I was forced to say the words with someone speaking with a native accent.
French 4 and 5, however, took me beyond what I had achieved before. At the end of these I was at a level I'd call semi-fluent. I basically understood all of the grammar. My only real shortcoming is that I don't have the vocabulary of 10,000+ words that a native would have, nor am I as fast. At the end of these lessons I would estimate I had a vocabulary of approximately 1000 words.
About grammar. This series makes little attempt to teach it to you. I recommend trying to learn it from outside sources so that you don't get hopelessly confused while listening to this. The 2 past tenses, two future tenses, but only one present tense is different enough from English that some explanation is required. I recomend either a book on grammar or using one of the French grammar lessons on Memorize.
In high school I took French and did well enough to get a 2 (out of 5) on the AP French exam my senior year. Yep, that's a failing grade, but slightly better than 0. Anyway, fast forward 20+ years. I had some free time and decided to learn French. I found a lot of free resources (such as Memories and other phone apps), but I found this series of audio CDs to be the most useful because it made me practice pronouncing the words and there is enough repetition that speaking in French becomes natural(ish). Some things are still weird to me desite having gone through this entire course twice.
The first 3 courses took me up to about the level I was at when I finished 3.5 years of high school French. That is, mediocre. Although this time around my pronounciation was much better because I was forced to say the words with someone speaking with a native accent.
French 4 and 5, however, took me beyond what I had achieved before. At the end of these I was at a level I'd call semi-fluent. I basically understood all of the grammar. My only real shortcoming is that I don't have the vocabulary of 10,000+ words that a native would have, nor am I as fast. At the end of these lessons I would estimate I had a vocabulary of approximately 1000 words.
About grammar. This series makes little attempt to teach it to you. I recommend trying to learn it from outside sources so that you don't get hopelessly confused while listening to this. The 2 past tenses, two future tenses, but only one present tense is different enough from English that some explanation is required. I recomend either a book on grammar or using one of the French grammar lessons on Memorize.
October 24, 2011
Not sure if I should recommend this to beginners with zero background on French phonetics. Halfway through the lessons, the audio gets too fast for me. The accent is a little hard to decipher. I took the last 10 units twice. I needed a reading supplement; and kept double checking the pronunciation [and spelling]. With no background in French whatsoever, I found the program daunting.
Was definitely not a breeze compared to Pimsleur Spanish I, which I'm taking now (perhaps because two of the Philippine languages I speak are loaded with Spanish words? I'm not sure). True to what Pimsleur promises, after French I, you get a good feel of the bones of the language. Difficult, but not a complete turn off. Et maintenant, Je peux parler un peu Français.
Was definitely not a breeze compared to Pimsleur Spanish I, which I'm taking now (perhaps because two of the Philippine languages I speak are loaded with Spanish words? I'm not sure). True to what Pimsleur promises, after French I, you get a good feel of the bones of the language. Difficult, but not a complete turn off. Et maintenant, Je peux parler un peu Français.
December 7, 2019
I took a mix of French language + composition + literature courses in college for 2-3 years and except for oral exams and being required to answer questions aloud, I never truly spoke nor listened, so I am so self-conscious about it, damn. I find these half-hour completely audio-only lessons fun to do in the evenings, and often they are over before I realize it. It is helpful for me to imagine how the words are spelled in my head, or else, I don't think I can do Pimsleur with another language, except maybe Spanish via dusty familiarity from HS. I am now relying on my absolute crush energy on Portrait of a Lady on Fire to take me through to Level 5 and the fact that every year, I note that I wish I were more multi-lingual but have not made concrete effort until late in 2019.
Notes-to-self: basic everything: greetings, can/not understand + polite repeat and speak slowly questions, la rue Saint Jacques et le boulevard Saint Michel, counting to 100, telling time, ordering wine and beer, asking someone out to dinner, left/right/ahead directions, husband/wife/children, car + gasoline vocabulary, shopping at a store or dept store for a beautiful hat, introducing the past tense
Most difficult words: voudrais (at first, got easier by 1/3 in), quatre heures, au restaurant, prendre ma voiture (the 2nd syllable of prendre), grand/e when it's about children but oddly not when it's about stores
Notes-to-self: basic everything: greetings, can/not understand + polite repeat and speak slowly questions, la rue Saint Jacques et le boulevard Saint Michel, counting to 100, telling time, ordering wine and beer, asking someone out to dinner, left/right/ahead directions, husband/wife/children, car + gasoline vocabulary, shopping at a store or dept store for a beautiful hat, introducing the past tense
Most difficult words: voudrais (at first, got easier by 1/3 in), quatre heures, au restaurant, prendre ma voiture (the 2nd syllable of prendre), grand/e when it's about children but oddly not when it's about stores
February 8, 2021
I thought I'd give Pimsleur a try with a language I already have some familiarity with. I found it to be helpful in practicing proper pronunciation, and the audio made sense because I could picture the spelling of words as I listened. But I think going in blind with a language that one is completely illiterate in might be more difficult to follow. I would use this supplementary to a written course.
As an aside, perhaps it's just my dirty mind finding innuendo in completely innocent conversation, but I'm convinced the intended audience is looking to pickup the opposite sex in a foreign country. Interested in an extra-marital affair while abroad on business? Pimsleur totally has you covered.
As an aside, perhaps it's just my dirty mind finding innuendo in completely innocent conversation, but I'm convinced the intended audience is looking to pickup the opposite sex in a foreign country. Interested in an extra-marital affair while abroad on business? Pimsleur totally has you covered.
December 9, 2019
76/100 (= 4.1/6) ≈ 4 Stars
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Much much more slow going than Rocket or Michel Thomas. Extremely long and drawn out. But it gives you a heck of a lot of time to practice and improve pronunciation.
General comments about the various resources:
Rocket (I) is a great introduction to the language. How the language sounds, etc.
Michel Thomas (Foundation) points out extremely useful building blocks and is excellent for starting to converse in French.
Pimsleur (I) is great for learning proper pronunciation.
Duolingo is great for understanding (also written) French. Stories are a great feature.
Lingvist is great for working on written French, including grammar (better than Duolingo -- also better pronunciation), and expanding vocabulary.
Memrise is good for memorizing (with focus on the easiest things to forget), especially vocabulary.
-----------------------------------------
Much much more slow going than Rocket or Michel Thomas. Extremely long and drawn out. But it gives you a heck of a lot of time to practice and improve pronunciation.
General comments about the various resources:
Rocket (I) is a great introduction to the language. How the language sounds, etc.
Michel Thomas (Foundation) points out extremely useful building blocks and is excellent for starting to converse in French.
Pimsleur (I) is great for learning proper pronunciation.
Duolingo is great for understanding (also written) French. Stories are a great feature.
Lingvist is great for working on written French, including grammar (better than Duolingo -- also better pronunciation), and expanding vocabulary.
Memrise is good for memorizing (with focus on the easiest things to forget), especially vocabulary.
June 27, 2017
These are great. If you have the time, and go through it the way they suggest, I think you could really come away with a lot. Will you be fluent....? No, probably not, but if you take the time, you will be able to have some basic conversations that will be a great starting point.
March 21, 2019
This is an excellent supplementation to french classes when done together.
It makes studying after class much easier and is very convenient when driving to and from work ... I highly recommend this to anyone with limited time to learn french.
It makes studying after class much easier and is very convenient when driving to and from work ... I highly recommend this to anyone with limited time to learn french.
June 10, 2025
yuck. this isn’t the worst pimsleur course, but it’s surprisingly bad. constantly skips grammar in lieu of number repetition. no one is learning numbers from an audio course. how about repeating those five new words?
September 20, 2020
Not enough on its own but great for introductory listening and pronunciation for French. French sounds so much stranger in my ear and on my tongue than German, so this really helped.
July 23, 2022
Excellent 👍
September 13, 2015
Take me to a bar where the French ladies hang cuz I am totally ready to buy them all drinks now.
***And now some actual thoughts on the program***
These programs are way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced for what you get. They are effective though. There were moments when I wished for a transcript or a brief grammar explanation, but generally I liked it very much. I don't think it will get you too far by itself, but paired with some other materials (for me, Assimil and French in Action), I am very pleased with my progress.
***And now some actual thoughts on the program***
These programs are way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced for what you get. They are effective though. There were moments when I wished for a transcript or a brief grammar explanation, but generally I liked it very much. I don't think it will get you too far by itself, but paired with some other materials (for me, Assimil and French in Action), I am very pleased with my progress.
September 15, 2015
Great program, easy to follow, appropriate for beginners (although complete beginners might have to repeat some lessons multiple times). Also useful for refreshing the language which is what I did since I have taken French classes years ago. It is easier than Michel Thomas so I would recommend doing this program first. Also seems easier than Assimil.
April 19, 2016
I took 2 and a half years of French in high school, but have barely used it in the last 20 years. This was a great way to brush up during my work commutes, I'm really glad to have picked it up at my local library.
For a beginner I think these CDs would be a great place to start!
For a beginner I think these CDs would be a great place to start!
April 9, 2008
A good method for learning pronunciation, but pretty worthless if you've taken French before.
April 21, 2012
Finally got through the last lesson and am feeling like I could maybe speak with a first grader (if I'm luck) in french!
May 12, 2013
Noticed on my last trip to France I was a little rusty!
February 17, 2014
After going through many French language programs, and after finishing teaching my children, I finally found the best program. This is the best I've tried so far.
October 15, 2014
After taking French classes in high school this is a easy way to brush up my skills while running errands throughout the day.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews