The First 10 Conversations
A look at the first 10 conversations in a Pimsleur
Comprehensive I course
Some people may ask what exactly they will learn in a Pimsleur
language course. With several hundred hours of experience listening to
Pimsleur tapes, Catee’s Language World will shed some light on this opaque subject.
We’ve written out for you the conversations at the beginning of the first 10
lessons of a Pimsleur Comprehensive course. These lessons come from Comprehensive
Japanese I, but the content is very similar for other languages. These
conversations are important proficiency benchmarks because you should be able
to engage in that particular conversation by the end of each lesson.
The reader should note that each lesson teaches much more
than the content in the conversations. The conversations are only a subset of a
much larger lesson plan.
Lesson 1:
Excuse me, do you understand English?
No, I don’t understand English.
I understand a little Japanese.
Are you an American?
Yes, I am an American.
I know a little Japanese.
Do you know a little English?
You speak Japanese well.
No, I am not skilled yet.
Catee’s Commentary: As any person who has visited a
foreign country and has had a random person approach and speak to them would
know, knowing how to say, “I can’t speak [insert language here],” is an
important skill. Sometimes I’ve used that phrase more than any other phrase I’ve
learned (except perhaps for “Thank you”).
Lesson 2:
Excuse me, do you understand Japanese?
A little.
Are you an American?
Yes, do you understand English?
No, I don’t understand English.
Catee’s Commentary: Lesson 2 reinforces what was
learned in Lesson 1 and adds a little more vocabulary.
Lesson 3:
Good morning. How are you?
Good. Thank you.
Ah, you understand Japanese, don’t you.
Yes, a little, but I am still not skilled yet.
Are you an American?
Yes.
But you understand Japanese well, don’t you.
Lesson 4:
Excuse me, are you a Japanese person?
Yes, I am a Japanese person, and you?
I am an American person.
But you understand Japanese well, don’t you.
Yes, a little, but I am still not skilled yet.
No, you speak well.
Thank you very much.
Lesson 5:
Excuse me! Excuse me!
Me?
Yes, where is Ibira avenue?
It’s over there.
And Shinjuku avenue?
It’s here.
Thank you very much.
Catee’s Commentary: Asking for where things are is a
very important skill. One cannot fully appreciate knowing how to ask where
something is until one needs to find a restroom.
Lesson 6:
Good day.
Good day. Are you good?
Yes, I’m good. And you?
Yes, I am good too.
I want to eat something.
Yes, where?
Ibira street?
Yes, that’s good, isn’t it.
Catee’s Commentary: Pimsleur spends a lot of time going
over eating and drinking. Sometimes it might be too much, but at the same
time, the acts eating and drinking serves as a framework for learning many
other words and phrases.
Lesson 7:
Now, do you want to eat something?
No, later. But now I want to drink something.
Where at?
I don’t know.
My place?
Yes, that’s good.
Lesson 8:
Miss Tanaka, now do you want to eat?
No, I’m fine. But I would like to drink something.
What do you want to drink?
I don’t know. Saki? No, beer.
I too would like to drink beer.
Excuse me!
Yes, saki?
No, beer.
Lesson 9:
Good day, Miss Sato, how are you?
Good. Thanks. Miss Sato, now what are you doing?
Me? I now want to eat lunch.
Mr. Suzuki, too, do you want to eat?
Yes, I want to eat at Surohito restaurant. Is that good?
Where is Surohito restaurant?
Over there, it’s Ibera avenue.
Ah, I know.
Then, I want to drink a little saki too. Is that ok?
Yes, ok.
Lesson 10:
Satosan, do you want to eat lunch with me?
Yes, but at what time? One o’clock?
No, no, later.
Oh, I understand, two o’clock?
Yes, at two o’clock.
Yes, understood.
Catee’s Commentary: With lesson 10 and beyond, one
starts to master the numbers and telling time.
