How Many Pimsleur Lessons Do I Need?

[+ Hoover42]

In hopeful anticipation of a trip to Rio early next year, I've started learning Portuguese with the help of the Pimsleur Quick and Simple CD course. At only $14, the course was quite inexpensive, and so far, I'm quite with it. The only problem is that has only eight lessons--probably not enough for a trip to the saunas.

 

I'm planning to buy the full Pimsleur Portuguese I course--do you think that will be enough?

 

Do I need courses II and III as well?

[trilingual]

Well, you're probably not going to be discussing Camões or Eça de Queiroz or Machado de Assis with the boys at the saunas, so an introductory course is probably enough to get you started! I'd suggest just getting the first course for now and see how you like it and how much it covers. If you're pleased with it and want to go onward, you can always order the other parts of the course when you're ready. I don't know if you speak any Spanish or another Romance language; if you do you'll find that you start picking things up pretty quickly once you actually start using your Portuguese when you get to Brazil.

 

Private tutoring isn't expensive in Brazil, nor are Portuguese language courses for foreigners, so once you arrive you can look into doing that. A number of M4Mers have used private tutors they arranged through Carlo Romano. They're qualified teachers, and will come to the hotel or wherever you are.

[catnip]

You can get tutoring stateside, too. If you live in a city serviced by http://www.craigslist.com and go to "lessons" under "services offered," you can often find Portuguese tutors in the daily listings. There's one listed in New York today. Knowing some Portuguese will help you get to know the boys better. The one or two I've stayed in touch with since being in Rio last winter are incredibly sweet people, and I never would have had the chance to get past the sex (though there's nothing wrong with that!) if I hadn't learned some Portuguese beforehand.

 

Good luck!

[+ Hoover42]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

 

Now if only I could get lucky like Tomcal and get portuguese tutor who also happens to escort!

 

...Hoover

[gulliver]

Pimsleur is great. With a dozen or so cds under your belt you will have no problem BUT it is impossible to review withour going back to cd#1 as there is no book. What i recommend you do is by the two cd set Brazilian Portuguese by Sue Tyson Ward (McGraw Hill 2003- Teach yourself series). It is not as good as Pimsleur for learning great pronunciation but it is an excellent way to review everything you need in two hours. It is a great supplement to pimsleur. As far as hiring tutors in Rio - I recommend you contact Carlo Romano as I have enjoyed the people he has sent - but beware, Cariocans speak with thick accents and it is almost like starting Pimsleur all over. I found thru my travels that when I spoke with a Cariocan accent i was constantly being correctd. Even the local sauna boys would correct me when I used my tutors pronunciation!!!

 

Another recommendation that I found worked well for me. Tomcal has a young guy who reserves tables for us and translates(Eduardo) and TC can give you his email. By using the book that came with the McGraw Hill 2 cd set - he and I went thru the whole book in two days of relaxing by the pool (8 hours total) - and he was able to correct and recorrect things I stumbled on. I would highlight those areas and look over them in a few minutes, The book just gave us a framework to use. I paid him 30R/hour - one third that of a professional tutor and MUCH more valuable for me. There is nothing in Pimsleur that is not covered in the book and you will be able to review constantly and easily before every trip. Get in the habit of carrying a small eng-port dictionary in your back pocket. Even though i am not fluent, it was great to go out for dinner with non english speaking guys I met at the saunas and be able to converse about anything.

let me know how it goes. will you be there in October for the soiree?

[+ Hoover42]

Thanks for the suggestions, Gulliver. I'm going to order the two books you mentioned.

 

I do love the Pimsluer introductory course, but you put your finger on the one (minor) problem that I've had. In particular, without anything written on paper, I'm occasionally forced to go back to an earlier lesson to refresh my memory.

 

Do you know what kind of accent I'n going to pick up using the Pimsleur? I'm not going to sound like a fussy librarian, am I?

 

The October soiree sounds like it's going to be great fun. Unfortunately, I have to be in Los Angeles at the end of October, so my trip will have to be later in the year.

 

...Hoover

[CT Dick]

>Do you know what kind of accent I'n going to pick up using the

>Pimsleur? I'm not going to sound like a fussy librarian, am I?

>

 

My guess is that you are going to have an American-tourist-stumbling-over-Portuguese accent. I doubt that anyone will think that you are a Brazilian librarian.:7

 

Dick

 

PS-My experience is that the Brazilians LOVE that you have made an effort to speak their language and they will go out of their way to accommodate you.

 

I also found that many sauna boys, being poorly educated and not familiar with foreign language, don't simplify what they are saying but simply repeat it. I can be understood with my limited Spanish but understanding the boys is sometimes tough.

[Guest gentle guy]

My experience with Brazilians is similar. They love your attempts to speak Portuguese and will be as helpful as possible. Between my Spanish and my rudimentary Portuguese, I seemed to have no trouble being understood at all. Like CTDick, I had a terrible time understanding them, however. Also, the first time I spoke Portuguese, I was answered in German. Apparently, I spoke with a German accent! (Since then, my accent has become clearly American, with a Spanish tint.)

 

By the way, Tri, gosto de Machado de Assis e Lispector e Guimaraes Rosa... :+

[imrthr]

Also, the first time I spoke Portuguese, I was answered in

>German. Apparently, I spoke with a German accent! >

 

 

Does this mean that all or some of the sauna guys understand German?

[Guest gentle guy]

>Also, the first time I spoke Portuguese, I was answered in

>>German. Apparently, I spoke with a German accent! >

>

>

>Does this mean that all or some of the sauna guys understand

>German?

 

 

lol

 

No, it means the salesman in the store spoke German.

[imrthr]

I realize that the dialect in Brazil is different from the dialect in Europe. Does anyone know whether those small hand version dictionaries "English-Portuguese" are useful in Brazil? I cannot locate a dictionary that includes the Brazilian dialect. ????

[imrthr]

>

>No, it means the salesman in the store spoke German.

 

 

Ja, wohl!

[trilingual]

>Does anyone know whether those small hand

>version dictionaries "English-Portuguese" are useful in

>Brazil? I cannot locate a dictionary that includes the

>Brazilian dialect.

 

Yes, the dictionaries are useful, and so are the Berlitz phrase books. Although the pronunciations of European and Brazilian Portuguese are very different (more so than the difference between British and American English) the vocabulary is very similar, except for names of foods and plants that only exist in Brazil. The dictionaries and Berlitz books will indicate Brazilian usages either by marking them "Br." or putting them in brackets (as Berlitz does).

 

Brazilians (at least the ones who live near the borders or in big cities with a significant tourist trade) often understand Spanish quite well, so if you speak Spanish that will help you. A surprising number of Brazilians also understand Italian pretty well, so that also can help you out, if you know Italian.

[Trixie]

Just find a good escort... you'd be surprised how quickly the rest falls into place!

La belle Trixie

[Trixie]

RE: Brazilian Portuguese

 

You'll also find, if you look hard enough, that there are specific dictionaries and grammar books for brazilian portuguese. But, unless you are planning on spending a very long time there, I shouldn't worry too much about it. As others have said, any Brasileiro will be delighted that you've learned the slightest amount of their language. And, as I've been told, by brazilian friends and one lover alike, an american accent is charming... I don't know if you're an american or not, but wherever you're from, I'm sure your accent will be equally charming!

Unless you are really short on patience, half the fun of a tryst in a foreign country is the language barrier, and the many ways of getting around it! Just remember that as long as you are south of the Amazon, you must suck in a clockwise fashion, otherwise, it will be extremely painful for your partner!

Trix

[mjd]

I've done the 15 lesson full Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese I and really enjoyed it. I presume that the shorter courses are simply the first couple lessons of their full series.

 

It does seem that the level of difficulty has a big bump around lesson 12 but I still think there is nothing that compares to Pimsleur- they are certainly to Rolls of independent courses that teach you to listen, speak, and begin to think in the language.

 

Of course, nothing beats live person tutoring but for many of us that is difficult. Pimsleur is designed to be done 30 minutes a day during your daily commute.

 

They also now have a second full set. I believe the price is $349 for cassette and $399 for CD>

[Guest mbuffpapi]

Pimsleur is very good and also just came out with a level III tape set. I also have found the Living Language Brazilian Portuguese set worthwhile -- it has a lesson book (very helpful) two tapes (pretty helpful), and a dictionary (minimally helpful). MJ