Pimsleur Spanish Review: Excellent Native Audio but Uses Too Much English

Pimsleur has been one of the most popular ways to learn Spanish and has been around since 1963. But does it really work? To answer that as honestly as I can, I tried learning Spanish with Pimsleur for two weeks.

What I found was that Pimsleur’s audio content is top-notch and effective for beginners, but that the program relies too heavily on English, neglects writing, lacks video and authentic media and isn’t ideal for anyone above an intermediate level.

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What Are Pimsleur Spanish Lessons Like?

Pimsleur is an audio-based program that teaches you Spanish through listening and repeating after native speakers. Through the conversations, you naturally pick up on Spanish grammar and vocabulary.

There are five levels, each containing 30 lessons that are 30 minutes long.

(To read our review of the general Pimsleur program for all other languages, check out this review here):

30-Minute Audio Lessons

Each lesson is 30 minutes long and starts with a dialogue in Spanish. The dialogue is then analyzed and translated by the narrator line-by-line, teaching you how to understand and use the structures and words on your own.

By the end of the session, you’re supposed to remember the new words and be able to easily recall them when prompted.

The downside of these lessons is that, apart from the dialogue at the beginning and the focus on Spanish vocabulary words, all you’ll hear is English. The amount of native Spanish included in each lesson is very little in the beginner courses.

The “Skills” Feature

One of my favorite Pimsleur features is the “Skills” section available for Premium learners.

In this section, you can see the skills you’ll be working on during a lesson, and can easily click on or tap each skill to see the words and expressions included in that category. You can also go to the “Skills” section under “Practice” to see all of the available skills and how many words you’ve learned under each of them.

The “Practice” Feature

Flashcards

The Flashcards subsection is basically that: flashcards. You choose which language you want to see first (English or Spanish), and then you get flashcards with the core vocabulary of the lesson you’re doing.

Each flashcard includes the native pronunciation of the word.

Quick Match

This exercise consists of 10 English sentences for which you’ll have to choose the Spanish translation among four possible answers. The sentences are taken from the lesson’s dialogue, and you can listen to each of them before choosing your answer.

Speak Easy

This subsection is supposed to improve your Spanish pronunciation, rhythm and accent, but I find it a bit underwhelming.

What you actually get is a fragment of the lesson’s dialogue divided into sentences. You have to listen to each sentence and repeat it after the audio. It’s a bit like shadowing, except it’ll only take you a couple of minutes to complete the task.

To make the most of it, be sure to pay very close attention to the audio and mimic as many of its nuances as possible.

Speed Round

I recommend you use Speed Round after you’ve completely digested the whole content of the lesson because this exercise can be stressful.

You’ll see words and phrases falling down your screen and you have to choose their translation out of the choices you’re provided.

I don’t fancy playing against the clock, so this subsection is my least favorite. However, I admit it’s a good way to really test yourself and see whether you’ve mastered the lesson. You have to think on the fly when having actual conversations in Spanish, so this feature gives you a chance to improve your skills in that regard.

Bonus Packs

Every five lessons you complete grant you a free additional deck of 30 flashcards to improve your vocabulary even further. There are a total of 180 additional words/phrases per level.

The “Reading” Feature

I was a bit lost when I first accessed the Reading subsection. The words aren’t related to the audio lessons, and they aren’t even translated. However, after listening to the presentation of the subsection, it kind of made sense.

Level 1 of the course doesn’t include real reading. Full sentences are included later on. Instead, it’s an introduction to the sounds and basic words of Spanish. You’ll have individual words and phrases read by a native speaker and you’ll have to repeat them, listening carefully to the English instructions.

The goal is to teach you how to pronounce Spanish correctly, first by working on the sound of individual letters, then letter combinations and finally, phrases and sentences.

Pros of Learning Spanish with Pimsleur

• Grammatical concepts are acquired naturally through conversation
• Accent and pronunciation are highlighted
• Good for developing listening skills
• Dialogues by native Spanish speakers
• Features core vocabulary that’s used most in real-life
• Effective for absolute beginners with no prior knowledge of Spanish

Cons of Learning Spanish with Pimsleur

• Writing is overlooked
• Too much English and very little Spanish
• Repeating syllables and single words time and time again can get boring
• Little content for upper-intermediate and advanced learners

Pimsleur Spanish Versus Other Spanish Language Programs

All language learning programs have their advantages and drawbacks, so I thought I’d compare Pimsleur Spanish with some of the most popular language programs available today. Here’s how they match up.

Pimsleur vs. FluentU

Since one of the features I most missed while using Pimsleur was video, I wanted to start this comparison section with FluentU, which uses video at the heart of its program.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard from foreign friends (non-native English speakers) who’ve told me that they learned English through watching movies (and TV shows and skateboarding videos, etc.). In fact, I’ve heard it so many times, I definitely believe it. 

FluentU works really well for me because I’m a person who really likes to watch movies, TV, music videos, news and vlogs on YouTube already. So it feels like a really sustainable and fun way to learn and review a language and it’s worked really well for me.

I find myself spending hours on FluentU, all while feeling engaged, while 30 minutes sometimes felt like a lot on Pimsleur because of its dryer learning style.

Overall, I’d choose FluentU here, but I really think FluentU and Pimsleur would complement each other nicely. And the cost would still be pretty affordable.

Pimsleur vs. Duolingo

I mentioned Duolingo in this review because one of the elements that I was missing the most while using Pimsleur was the fun colors and other visual elements like illustrations that Duolingo has. 

I think that Duolingo is more fun and more gamified, and that cute little bird is always encouraging you (some would say pestering you). But for more serious types, Pimsleur might feel like a better fit.

Here’s our full review of Duolingo:

Pimsleur vs. Drops

I figured Drops would be good to compare to Pimsleur because it’s also a spaced repetition vocabulary app.

Drops is more gamified than Pimsleur and it doesn’t feel like a holistic learning program. Instead, it’s a supplementary app that you can use in addition to whatever main program you’re using. 

Drops limits each session to five minutes, and if you want premium content (anything above beginner level), it actually costs just slightly less than Pimsleur. 

Overall, I’d choose Pimsleur in this match-up. You get the vocabulary plus a bunch of other stuff for a lower price.

Here’s our full review of Drops:

Pimsleur vs. Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone has those vivid photographs that really make a huge difference for me.

While Rosetta Stone teaches words and phrases in context like a native speaker would learn their own language, Pimsleur uses more English and explicit explanations of grammar and translations of words, phrases and sentences.

This, for me, makes Pimsleur more of an “adult” language learning program. You can immerse yourself in your target language, but you can also get an explanation of why something is the way it is. I like that personally since I’m not actually a child.

Here’s our full review of Rosetta Stone:

Pimsleur vs. SpanishPod101

If what you’re looking for is a comprehensive method to learn Spanish, SpanishPod101 might be for you.

SpanishPod101, which is basically free (the Premium membership tiers start at $4 a month), also focuses on audio learning, but they’ve branched out into video now, too, which gives it a leg up on the Pimsleur approach.

They also offer personal teachers via instant message, which really helps when you want personalized feedback to see how well you’re progressing.

Here’s our full review of SpanishPod101:

How Much Does Pimsleur Spanish Cost?

To make sure Pimsleur is a good fit for you, I recommend that you take advantage of their seven-day free trial first. After the trial, the program costs $19.95 a month for access to one Spanish course or $20.95 a month for access to all 51 languages.

There’s also an annual option for all-language access for $164.95 per year.

Who Is Pimsleur Spanish Best For?

• I recommend Pimsleur for people who are just starting to learn Spanish or have a very rudimentary knowledge of it. Although levels 4 and 5 can be used by pre-intermediate and intermediate students as a refresher course.
• People who prefer or learn best by listening to audio are the obvious target of this course. However, bear in mind most of the language you’ll hear is English, with Spanish scattered along the way.
• If you’re a commuter or spend periods of time doing tasks that don’t require your full attention, Pimsleur is a good option for you.

The Verdict: Is Pimsleur a Good Method to Learn Spanish?

The short answer to this question is: It depends on what you want to achieve.

If your goal is to learn a bit of Spanish before you travel to a Spanish-speaking country or you need a quick way to become conversational in Spanish, then Pimsleur is a great method.

If, on the other hand, you need to really learn Spanish and you’re looking for a comprehensive language-learning program that covers all four basic language skills, look somewhere else or complement this method with other resources.

The excessive amount of English and the lack of actual reading and writing practice are things you should definitely bear in mind before buying Pimsleur.

However, I must take into consideration there are many types of learners, and I understand this method is so popular for a reason: It’s the perfect method for audio learners.

So, all things considered, I can confidently label Pimsleur “Franko approved.”