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Pimsleur Comprehensive Japanese
Pimsleur Japanese Level 2 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand Japanese with Pimsleur Language Programs (2)
The Easiest and Fastest Way to Learn Japanese
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 Japanese 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 recorded Culture Notes to provide you some insight into Japanese culture
- in total, 16 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers
- a Culture Notes Booklet and User’s Guide
What You’ll Learn
Builds upon skills taught in Pimsleur’s Japanese Level 1.
In the first 10 lessons you’ll begin using the past tense. Structures become more complex and informal speech is introduced. Soon you’ll take part in conversations about ordering meals, shopping, and local tourist attractions. As you progress, your fluency will increase as your vocabulary expands.
The next 10 lessons will allow you to further combine and build upon known elements, and produce longer and more complex sentences. You’ll be discussing business and social activities, expressing your interests, and talking about the weather.
In the final 10 lessons you’ll double your vocabulary and have several hundred structures to draw upon. You’ll learn to express yourself with relative structures – faster, slower, etc. You’ll be able to ask for assistance in many situations and to ask for directions to various locations. You’ll explore sports and leisure activities, manage changing money and banking, and discuss travel plans. By the end of the program, you’ll be speaking at a mid-intermediate level with near-native pronunciation, and you’ll be comfortable meeting most social demands and limited job requirements.
One hour of recorded Cultural Notes are included at the end of Lesson 30. These Notes are designed to provide you with some insight into Japanese culture. A Culture Notes booklet is also included in PDF format.
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 Japanese Language
Japanese is spoken by about 130 million people, 122 million of whom are in Japan. There are also speakers in the Ryukyu Islands, Korea, Taiwan, parts of the United States, and Brazil. Japanese has many “registers” or levels of politeness. Pimsleur’s Japanese courses will teach you how to speak at a polite register, which is appropriate in virtually any situation you are likely to encounter in Japan.
Tech...
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 Japanese 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 recorded Culture Notes to provide you some insight into Japanese culture
- in total, 16 hours of audio, all featuring native speakers
- a Culture Notes Booklet and User’s Guide
What You’ll Learn
Builds upon skills taught in Pimsleur’s Japanese Level 1.
In the first 10 lessons you’ll begin using the past tense. Structures become more complex and informal speech is introduced. Soon you’ll take part in conversations about ordering meals, shopping, and local tourist attractions. As you progress, your fluency will increase as your vocabulary expands.
The next 10 lessons will allow you to further combine and build upon known elements, and produce longer and more complex sentences. You’ll be discussing business and social activities, expressing your interests, and talking about the weather.
In the final 10 lessons you’ll double your vocabulary and have several hundred structures to draw upon. You’ll learn to express yourself with relative structures – faster, slower, etc. You’ll be able to ask for assistance in many situations and to ask for directions to various locations. You’ll explore sports and leisure activities, manage changing money and banking, and discuss travel plans. By the end of the program, you’ll be speaking at a mid-intermediate level with near-native pronunciation, and you’ll be comfortable meeting most social demands and limited job requirements.
One hour of recorded Cultural Notes are included at the end of Lesson 30. These Notes are designed to provide you with some insight into Japanese culture. A Culture Notes booklet is also included in PDF format.
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 Japanese Language
Japanese is spoken by about 130 million people, 122 million of whom are in Japan. There are also speakers in the Ryukyu Islands, Korea, Taiwan, parts of the United States, and Brazil. Japanese has many “registers” or levels of politeness. Pimsleur’s Japanese courses will teach you how to speak at a polite register, which is appropriate in virtually any situation you are likely to encounter in Japan.
Tech...
30 pages, Audio CD
First published June 16, 2004
4 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 5, 2019
Being that this is a sequel in a series, my thoughts are essentially the same as my review on the first one.
I do appreciate the occasional backtracking and review of words or phrases that weren't used recently. It's like auditory SRS.
I wish there was a bit more detail in terms of the grammar and how it works. It's basically all listen and accept it. If you do decide to use this series, or things like it, I do highly recommend having an additional resource or two to help you out. I mentioned the same thing with vocab/kanji in my first review. Knowing what the kanji is for a word REALLY helps me remember it a lot better.
JLPT level wise, it still leans towards N5, but there are a few N4 and N3 grammar points dropped in. Definitely not enough to use solely as study material for the test, but nice for a little extra practice/review or introduction if you're not quite there yet.
Still a nice set and I'm glad to have gone through it. Helps with my pronunciation, confidence, and actually gets me talking. I've definitely noticed a difference with my iTalki lessons after using these lessons.
Again, if you can get access to this via a library, 100% check it out. For purchase, I think that depends on if the price point works for you or not, as these are quite expensive. I've heard you can get five lessons a month for free via Amazon through their service Audible, which can be another option as well.
I do appreciate the occasional backtracking and review of words or phrases that weren't used recently. It's like auditory SRS.
I wish there was a bit more detail in terms of the grammar and how it works. It's basically all listen and accept it. If you do decide to use this series, or things like it, I do highly recommend having an additional resource or two to help you out. I mentioned the same thing with vocab/kanji in my first review. Knowing what the kanji is for a word REALLY helps me remember it a lot better.
JLPT level wise, it still leans towards N5, but there are a few N4 and N3 grammar points dropped in. Definitely not enough to use solely as study material for the test, but nice for a little extra practice/review or introduction if you're not quite there yet.
Still a nice set and I'm glad to have gone through it. Helps with my pronunciation, confidence, and actually gets me talking. I've definitely noticed a difference with my iTalki lessons after using these lessons.
Again, if you can get access to this via a library, 100% check it out. For purchase, I think that depends on if the price point works for you or not, as these are quite expensive. I've heard you can get five lessons a month for free via Amazon through their service Audible, which can be another option as well.
June 25, 2024
Great continuation to Level 1. Learnt a lot of words and sentences. I wish there is a summary of the words learnt in each chapter at the end of the book so we can quickly refer it. Otherwise I have to go through all the lessons again. May be that defeats the methodology of Pimsleur that we don't try to remember or refer the words.
March 26, 2024
Pimsleur Japanese (Levels 1-5) Review (cross posted on each level of the course.)
The Pimsleur courses, resting on the pioneering work of Dr. Paul Pimsleur, emphasize practical vocabulary and grammar. This method, focusing on high-frequency words and essential grammar through practical situations, has been the backbone of my language learning journey—not just with Japanese, but previously with Spanish as well.
My introduction to Pimsleur was quite unique. Living in a bilingual household challenged by a language barrier, I turned to Pimsleur Spanish to bridge the gap. Unlike my structured approach to Japanese, my Spanish learning was driven by immediate necessity, enabling direct, meaningful communication within my living environment. This experience was invaluable, laying the groundwork for my engagement with Pimsleur Japanese.
I approached Pimsleur Japanese with a blend of anticipation and a clear goal: to achieve conversational fluency. With an all-audio format, the program mirrored my initial encounter with language learning, where books and grammar took a back seat to listening and speaking. Through both Spanish and Japanese, Pimsleur has proven its worth, underscoring the importance of auditory comprehension and practical communication.
Delving into the mechanics of the course, it’s designed to escalate complexity from basic dialogues to comprehensive conversations. By completing all five levels, learners like myself gain a familiarity with roughly 2,000 words and a solid grasp of conversational grammar. This parallels my Pimsleur Spanish experience, where the focus on spoken vocabulary and automated response preparation was equally effective.
Reflecting on my journey with Pimsleur Spanish, I found it instrumental in developing a quick, automated response in conversations. This foundation, emphasizing high-frequency, spoken vocab, although limiting in reading comprehension, proved ideal for spoken communication. If I were to restart my language learning, Pimsleur’s focus on practical vocabulary and grammar would be my starting point, avoiding the scattergun approach of accumulating countless resources.
My Spanish experience, leveraging Pimsleur and Michel Thomas Method for a grammatical overview, laid a robust foundation that Pimsleur Japanese only strengthened. Navigating through both languages, I was struck by the method’s consistency in fostering conversational ease and confidence, a testament to its adaptable and effective approach across linguistic boundaries.
For those embarking on their language learning journey, whether with Spanish, Japanese, or another language, Pimsleur offers a structured path to conversational fluency. Coupled with my personal narrative of overcoming linguistic challenges, this review underscores the transformative power of dedicated language learning. Your journey may vary, but the potential for growth and connection through language is boundless.
The Pimsleur courses, resting on the pioneering work of Dr. Paul Pimsleur, emphasize practical vocabulary and grammar. This method, focusing on high-frequency words and essential grammar through practical situations, has been the backbone of my language learning journey—not just with Japanese, but previously with Spanish as well.
My introduction to Pimsleur was quite unique. Living in a bilingual household challenged by a language barrier, I turned to Pimsleur Spanish to bridge the gap. Unlike my structured approach to Japanese, my Spanish learning was driven by immediate necessity, enabling direct, meaningful communication within my living environment. This experience was invaluable, laying the groundwork for my engagement with Pimsleur Japanese.
I approached Pimsleur Japanese with a blend of anticipation and a clear goal: to achieve conversational fluency. With an all-audio format, the program mirrored my initial encounter with language learning, where books and grammar took a back seat to listening and speaking. Through both Spanish and Japanese, Pimsleur has proven its worth, underscoring the importance of auditory comprehension and practical communication.
Delving into the mechanics of the course, it’s designed to escalate complexity from basic dialogues to comprehensive conversations. By completing all five levels, learners like myself gain a familiarity with roughly 2,000 words and a solid grasp of conversational grammar. This parallels my Pimsleur Spanish experience, where the focus on spoken vocabulary and automated response preparation was equally effective.
Reflecting on my journey with Pimsleur Spanish, I found it instrumental in developing a quick, automated response in conversations. This foundation, emphasizing high-frequency, spoken vocab, although limiting in reading comprehension, proved ideal for spoken communication. If I were to restart my language learning, Pimsleur’s focus on practical vocabulary and grammar would be my starting point, avoiding the scattergun approach of accumulating countless resources.
My Spanish experience, leveraging Pimsleur and Michel Thomas Method for a grammatical overview, laid a robust foundation that Pimsleur Japanese only strengthened. Navigating through both languages, I was struck by the method’s consistency in fostering conversational ease and confidence, a testament to its adaptable and effective approach across linguistic boundaries.
For those embarking on their language learning journey, whether with Spanish, Japanese, or another language, Pimsleur offers a structured path to conversational fluency. Coupled with my personal narrative of overcoming linguistic challenges, this review underscores the transformative power of dedicated language learning. Your journey may vary, but the potential for growth and connection through language is boundless.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews