Shame on you, Pimsleur, for making us wait more than five years for the successor to this unparalleled introduction to Modern Hebrew.
The Pimsleur all-auditory approach to language learning is simply the best product available for a hands-off non-visual approach to language learning that is superb for the mobile and commuter learner. See my reviews of German I, II, and III if you want to know more about this reviewer’s appreciation for how the Pimsleur method works with the brain’s ‘hard-wired’ capacities for language absorption and construction.
With Hebrew I, they’ve hit the nail on the head all over again.
The two speakers in this series—one male and one female—even manage to present different pronunciations in a way that allows the learner’s brain to latch onto the commonalities and ignore the variations. This is what your brain does every time it interprets symbols, and language is as symbolic as it gets. The pronunciation and elision of the ‘h’ sound are a case in point.
You just can’t find a better language-learning technique short of immersion or a very good live teacher.
The problem is the delay between Hebrew I and the promised Hebrew II (January, 2007). Surely both commercial and pedagogical considerations should have persuaded Pimsleur to get the second series out sooner than this.
I suppose that’s an inverted compliment. So be it.
As I write this review, 2007 is only months away, so a new purchase of Hebrew I will not present difficulties if you want to move quickly to Hebrew II. If that’s your situation, don’t think twice. Pimsleur Hebrew I is the equal of any other product and the very best no-eyes, no-hands approach you’ll fine anywhere.
Lehitra’ot!
Canter Bridge 
Leave a Reply