Language learning CDs / Audio courses

Gifts for language lovers

Why language audio courses on CD? Language CDs are an effective way for learners to gain mastery over the sounds of a language and to develop conversational skills naturally without grammar drills and rote memorization. Language learning CDs are especially useful for busy people because they can use them while multi-tasking -- in the car, walking with a portable CD player, or while doing chores at home.

Note: This page includes only CD audio courses. If you're looking for language instruction books with accompanying audio CDs, see our foreign language books page. If you're searching for foreign language instructional CD-ROMs for your computer see our foreign language learning software page.

SOME SUGGESTED GIFTS:

Pimsleur Comprehensive Courses. These audio CD courses use an immersion method that has been described repeatedly as a "unique and painless" way to acquire the foundations of a language. Each level provides 16 hours of instruction divided into 30 lessons. Each is also available in an audio cassette edition. Available for: Arabic (Eastern), Arabic II (Eastern), Arabic III (Eastern), Arabic (Egyptian), Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese I (Mandarin), Chinese II (Mandarin), Chinese III (Mandarin), English for Farsi Speakers I, English for Spanish Speakers I, English for Spanish Speakers II, English for Spanish Speakers III, French I, French II, French III, German I, German II, German III, Greek I, Greek II, Hebrew I , Hebrew II, Hungarian, Italian I, Italian II, Italian III, Japanese I, Japanese II, Japanese III, Korean I , Korean II , Norwegian, Ojibwe, Portuguese I (Brazilian), Portuguese II (Brazilian), Portuguese III (Brazilian), Romanian, Russian I, Russian II, Russian III, Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese.

Pimsleur Instant Conversation Courses. Through this audio-only immersion program, learners quickly gain real conversational skills without the use of books, written exercises or drills. The Pimsleur Conversation courses are abbreviated (and much cheaper) versions of the Comprehensive Level I CD. They include the first 16 lessons (8 hours) and are a good trial run before committing to buy the Comprehensive courses. Available for: Arabic, Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Eastern), Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), Czech, Dutch, English for Spanish Speakers, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese. Abridged version that includes only 10 lessons (5 hours) is available for: Swahili, Swiss German.

Multi-level Drive Time Audio CD courses: In each 8 CD set, users learn a variety of words and phrases by listening and repeating and acquire structures via an easy-to-follow sentence-building technique, allowing learners to create original sentences from the beginning. An English-speaking instructor guides learners through the lessons and native speakers model proper pronunciation.
The accompanying text is useful but not necessary while listening to the CDs. The book contains transcriptions of the phrases and sentences spoken on the CD, as well as information about the foreign language alphabet, pronunciation and grammar.
Sample audio is available for some editions so you can listen before you buy.
Available for: Arabic 1 [listen], Mandarin Chinese 1 [listen], French 1 [listen], French 2, German 1 [listen], German 2 [listen], Italian 1 [listen], Italian 2, Japanese 1 [listen], Portuguese 1 [listen], Russian 1 [listen], Spanish 1 [listen], Spanish 2 [listen], Spanish 3 [listen].

The Learn in Your Car series teaches listeners pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar without the need for a textbook. The 9 audio CDs make it convenient to learn another language while driving, working out, walking, on the bus, etc. Each level consists of 3 CDs which may be purchased separately or together as a boxed set of 9 CDs. Available for: Mandarin Chinese 1, Mandarin Chinese 2, Mandarin Chinese 3, French 1, French 2, French 3, German (Complete Set), Italian (Complete Set), Japanese (Complete Set), Russian (Complete Set), Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3.

Learn in Your Car for Kids: Kids can learn a language at home or on the go with this fun-filled activity pack that includes an audio program on both CD and cassette, as well as a language activity book full of games, reusable stickers, and an erasable non-toxic marker. Available for French, German, Italian, Spanish.

Audio courses by Unforgettable Languages quickly build vocabulary through a unique memory aid system and provide short lessons in grammar. Interactive quizzes test for mastery at each level. Users will learn to understand and communicate effectively in the target language. Free demos and tables of contents can be viewed at the Unforgettable Languages website. Available on audio CDs or on CD-ROM for these languages: Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (European or Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (Latin America or Spain), Welsh.

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Language learning CDs / Audio courses

Gifts for language lovers