Pimsleur Swiss German Level 1 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand Swiss German with Pimsleur Language Programs (1) (Compact)

I love this product! I am a Swiss American who unfortunately was not taught Swiss German by my mother. I learned standard German in school. I listen to the program in the car and I have also saved it to my itunes on my mac. It is so helpful: The repetition, broken down pronunciation, and build up. The fact is that Swiss German is almost nothing like German. Without this methodical method, I don't think I would be making the transition so well. I am actually retaining the information. I can't wait for my next visit!

I am learning Switzerdeutsch for an upcoming trip to Switzerland. I am already rather fluent in German and I speak a few other languages as well, which I have learned mostly from Pimsleur products, college courses and the old but still absolutely excellent Berlitz/The Learning Company software.First of all, the positives: It's great that Pimsleur makes a program for Swiss German. I've looked and looked, and trust me, there really isn't much competition. This is because Swiss German is sort of a regional dialect of German, but, I also understand that the language varies considerably between regions in Switzerland as well, and maybe that discourages other big name language software companies from even making the attempt. There have been some complaints that you will only learn Swiss German as spoken by a native of Zurich, but, oh well, at least it's a launching point--it's somewhere to begin. The standardized German spoken in Switzerland is Hochdeutsch.I'm also a big fan of the Pimsleur format mainly because I've learned most of the languages I speak in my car, which is very convenient. If I couldn't learn in my car, I don't think I could do it. I find that in my car, I can be very focused for a couple reasons. One, I am alone, so I won't be distracted. Two, I'm not self-conscious of driving other people in my house crazy while I repeat phrases over and over again in order to get the pronunciation just right. Three, it actually relaxes me while I drive, unlike radio--and music gets boring, so I'm much less prone to road rage because I don't really care whether people are cutting me off, cutting into my lane (while I'm in it!), or doing whatever other people do that piss me off. I'm learning a language! It's no wonder to me that I've learned so many languages. As long as I drive alone, I will be learning new languages.Now, the negatives. I can't really fault the program itself. If you're used to Pimsleur, the format is just the same as the others. If it works for you, it works for you. It works for me. The only real problem that I have with it is that it it stops at the 1/3 point compared to their other programs. So, I really feel like I'm just getting warmed up and started and the program is over already. Now, I'm back to scouring the internet to try to find out ways to learn more Swiss German.Why do I want to learn Swiss German if standard German is the language that every one there knows--besides English, French, Italian and Romansch? Well, because one of the joys of learning a new language is actually getting to use it. I'm hoping that my chances of actually speaking something besides English in Switzerland will increase. If you know German, it's a good thing because you will be able to read signs and get around, but the Swiss don't actually speak German on the street. They speak Switzerdeutsch, which sounds like German if your friend with the thickest Scottish brogue you've ever heard tried to speak it.Imagine if you weren't a native speaker of English, and then you learn standard English hoping to be able to speak to people in Scotland. You'd be lost. I'm a native speaker of English and when you get a few Scots together talking amongst themselves, it's impossible to understand them, even if they are speaking "English" as well--and what they're speaking isn't even considered to be a "dialect." Trust me, I'm in a bagpipe band and I've been around Scots from Scotland. I understand Germans much better, and they're not even speaking my native language.But, also, Swiss are so multilingual, they will be able to tell as soon as you open your mouth where you are from, no matter how good your German accent is, and they will just unconsciously start speaking your language. This is a WONDERFULLY nice thing to do for a tourist who wants information. But, if you want to practice German as a nonnative, who must have some sort of telltale English accent however slight, you won't get to do it. They must figure in about a tenth of a second that you have an English accent to your German, and they don't really want to speak German. They figure that since you aren't speaking Switzerdeutsch, or even trying, that you can't speak that at all, and so they will just start talking in English to you, and then they get to practice English and you don't get to practice anything.I'm hoping that I'll actually get to speak Switzerdeutsch while I'm there.But, I've completed this program and, while I now know how to introduce myself, say I understand Swiss German or ask someone is they understand Swiss German, greet people, ask their names, where they are from and where they work tell people that I am from New York or Boston (but not the USA)order coffee, mineral water, beer, veal cutlets and hashed brown potatoes, say good-bye and "good-bye all," "it was nice to be with you," "your welcome," and be able to say the numbers for two, ten, fifty and how to say 1:30, the program is over.There's a little more that you will know, but not much. I was done with the CD's in a week, but I also speak German, so that made it a lot easier for me in some ways--I didn't feel like I was starting from scratch.It is definitely worth it, and I consider the time and money I spent on the program well spent. I'm just ready to begin the second part of three parts and there isn't one. So now I'm hunting again for more resources.

I purchased this item as a refresher for a relative who actually spoke Swiss German for 10 years many years ago. It was very helpful to bring back the sounds, pronunciations and vocabulary. For anyone wishing to speak Swiss German, it is probably much easier if you already understand and speak some German. As with most languages, spoken aspects are best learned in an environment where the language is spoken.

First, I love the Pimsleur method. I find this method works very well for me. I’ve used about a dozen Pimsleur courses, from the short “quick and simple” to the full 32 lesson sets. Generally I would give them each 4 or 5 stars. However, this course is by far my least favorite.There are many dialects of German, from the Baltic Sea down to the Swiss-Italian border. Incredibly there are quite a few distinct dialects in the short distances across German speaking Switzerland. This series attempts to teach you to speak and to hear a specific dialect of Swiss German. For linguistic purposes, this is admirable. Unfortunately they don’t tell you from which area or Canton. I lived in the Zurich area and encountered speakers from Zurich, Appenzell, Bern, Lucerne, Basel, etc. None sounded very much like this. The grammar and vocabulary presented here is quite limited. The voice actors are generally annoying, especially the cartoonishly cloying female actress. This is not how real people speak. I am a second language speaker of German, and linguaphile. I find the treatment here to be somewhat annoying, and not so useful.On the plus side, the dialogs do demonstrate the peppering of borrowed French vocab, the fairly predictable vowel shifts, as well as regular shortening of word endings, as compared to high German. Although somewhat interesting, a traveler would be better served learning standard high German.

I like that it is easy to use and there is a good amount of time to repeat the material and that the process is broken down into little pieces. The drawback is that there are many dialects to the Swiss German language which Pimsleur does not include. Otherwise, the Pimsleur program is next to perfect in being effective and user friendly.

Like my most Americans, I assumed the German spoken in Switzerland was pretty much the same as my high school and college German. Not so. I have run through the offered lessons once and am going back to the first lesson to improve my grasp of this language.The program is easy and well done. The ONLY shortcoming is there are only ten lessons. It gets you through all the basics and a fairly large vocabulary. You will be able to introduce yourself, get a meal, lodging and find directions and understand the answers. Don't look for much more beyond the basics. A pity but there are really alternatives without moving to Switzerland as the language is a spoken only language.

The only Swiss German guide I have seen and it works pretty dang well. I have only made it through the first 5 tracks but I can actually remember what it teaches. You may sound a bit like a recording at first but as you get used to the language that disappears.