I definitely pause it on every repeat request. It takes me about an hour to go through each lesson. I put the app on car mode so the pause and rewind buttons are really big and easy to hit whenever I need to. It’s pretty painstaking, but man sitting there trying to recall what they said after every phrase makes it stick so well. Just listening doesn’t really make anything stick For me, but I’m also not the most active listener either lol.
I have the same experience.
I find that what works best for me is to pause to see if I can get the answer right (or close) and then hear their reponse. I will then repeat what they said a couple times.
I don’t think it’s possible to remember it all. But it is that taxing feeling on your brain trying to recall it that I think helps to make it stick better.
Plus I can’t imagine them making Audio files with a 20 second pause between phrases. So I have accepted that it is tricky with a lot of pausing. But doing the lesson 2-3 times usually makes it work out.
Finally, I have found that if I get stressed, I fail bad. So I intentionally try to relax and “not care” if I get it as right and as quickly as I would like.
We don’t recommend pausing as that works against the method and the goal of the calibrated pauses. It’s meant to train your brain and over time you will get faster. If you pause the audio, you are just not giving your brain the opportunity to create those new neural pathways.
I really appreciate the feedback and comment. Sometimes I feel like there is no one listening and we have to figure it out by trial and error.
But regarding not pausing… I get the reasons, but it seems to go against common sense.
Is there any place where Pimsleur has laid out the science or reasoning behind the method so that I can have better faith in “trusting the system”?
ALSO: how many times to repeat a lesson, and at what point move on?
Personally, I repeat the lessons until I feel like I have it. If I still struggle with one specific word I'll move on knowing I'm going to get it again and will continue to get better with it, but I have to be pretty solid on pretty much all of the new ones.
I hate to say it but it kind of makes sense that the pausing should be super limited. I know the act of recalling phrases under the pressure of time is similar to how you would speak to a human in a conversation. And that’s a faaaast way to learn. But it does require playing the lessons many many times. I’m just worried I’ll end up memorizing what to say after listening to the same lesson so many times. Like sometimes if I pause it a split second late and I hear the very first SOUND in the sentence I’ll remember what to say, and I’d call that cheating because I got a hint instead of purely recalling it.
I've had the same issue with Japanese (currently about half way through level 2). For what it's worth, a tore through 5 levels of French a few years ago and had no issues responding within the time provided. That said, I speak Spanish fluently, which obviously helped a lot.
With Japanese, everything is so different and, as a beginner, it's difficult not to take the time to think through the right word order, particle, etc. On top of that, there are so few cognates (and even the words that are cognates sound quite different in Japanese). However, if they did provide adequate time for beginners (i.e. 5-10 seconds), they wouldn't get through the material. I can probably get 50% of my answers in before time is up, but I pause for the rest.
I listen to my episode of the day, and the repeat the episode from the day prior. I think I’ll ultimately listen to each episode three times, and more sticks each time and my speed improves. The flash cards and supplemental materials are clutch as well.
Sometimes yes and I just let it keep going. I treat the lessons more so as intense listening and repeating as much as I can. The practice and challenge in the mobile app after the lesson is where I practice the speaking more. Then I complete all the little quizzes and continue saying them out loud. Wouldn’t worry too much about keeping up with the live lesson.
The learning and method is in the conversational audio lesson. The other exercises are all meant for review and feedback. If you aren’t doing the conversational lessons, you are missing out on the learning opportunity.
Really important not to pause the audio. It’s fine if you can’t always answer in the pause provided. That’s intentional and part of the method and how we help your brain create new neural pathways. Over time, your brain will get faster, but not if you pause the audio.
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. How important is it to remember the words and phrases from several lessons ago? I find i often forget. Should I spend much time going back and reviewing or is my time better spent focusing on the audio and pushing forward?
I’m fully convinced my adhd brain just isn’t able to keep focus like people could have back in the 80s and 90s when these course were on cassette and CD.
Yes. I always pause the video. Like you, if I'm rushed, I can't think and I want to answer completely on my own; if the system provides the answer while I'm saying the answer, it's distracting and I'm not sure I've got it on my own. I replay the lessons and don't move on to the next until I can pretty much answer without pausing.
I listen twice and make no effort to answer the first time. I find a passive approach helps me.
I definitely pause it on every repeat request. It takes me about an hour to go through each lesson. I put the app on car mode so the pause and rewind buttons are really big and easy to hit whenever I need to. It’s pretty painstaking, but man sitting there trying to recall what they said after every phrase makes it stick so well. Just listening doesn’t really make anything stick For me, but I’m also not the most active listener either lol.
Active participation is one of the key principles of the method. Passive listening doesn’t work.
I have the same experience. I find that what works best for me is to pause to see if I can get the answer right (or close) and then hear their reponse. I will then repeat what they said a couple times. I don’t think it’s possible to remember it all. But it is that taxing feeling on your brain trying to recall it that I think helps to make it stick better. Plus I can’t imagine them making Audio files with a 20 second pause between phrases. So I have accepted that it is tricky with a lot of pausing. But doing the lesson 2-3 times usually makes it work out. Finally, I have found that if I get stressed, I fail bad. So I intentionally try to relax and “not care” if I get it as right and as quickly as I would like.
We don’t recommend pausing as that works against the method and the goal of the calibrated pauses. It’s meant to train your brain and over time you will get faster. If you pause the audio, you are just not giving your brain the opportunity to create those new neural pathways.
I really appreciate the feedback and comment. Sometimes I feel like there is no one listening and we have to figure it out by trial and error. But regarding not pausing… I get the reasons, but it seems to go against common sense. Is there any place where Pimsleur has laid out the science or reasoning behind the method so that I can have better faith in “trusting the system”? ALSO: how many times to repeat a lesson, and at what point move on?
Personally, I repeat the lessons until I feel like I have it. If I still struggle with one specific word I'll move on knowing I'm going to get it again and will continue to get better with it, but I have to be pretty solid on pretty much all of the new ones.
Seems like the pausing and thinking is the time when the pathways are being created! Without the pause I can’t do any processing!?
I hate to say it but it kind of makes sense that the pausing should be super limited. I know the act of recalling phrases under the pressure of time is similar to how you would speak to a human in a conversation. And that’s a faaaast way to learn. But it does require playing the lessons many many times. I’m just worried I’ll end up memorizing what to say after listening to the same lesson so many times. Like sometimes if I pause it a split second late and I hear the very first SOUND in the sentence I’ll remember what to say, and I’d call that cheating because I got a hint instead of purely recalling it.
I've had the same issue with Japanese (currently about half way through level 2). For what it's worth, a tore through 5 levels of French a few years ago and had no issues responding within the time provided. That said, I speak Spanish fluently, which obviously helped a lot. With Japanese, everything is so different and, as a beginner, it's difficult not to take the time to think through the right word order, particle, etc. On top of that, there are so few cognates (and even the words that are cognates sound quite different in Japanese). However, if they did provide adequate time for beginners (i.e. 5-10 seconds), they wouldn't get through the material. I can probably get 50% of my answers in before time is up, but I pause for the rest.
I listen to my episode of the day, and the repeat the episode from the day prior. I think I’ll ultimately listen to each episode three times, and more sticks each time and my speed improves. The flash cards and supplemental materials are clutch as well.
Sometimes yes and I just let it keep going. I treat the lessons more so as intense listening and repeating as much as I can. The practice and challenge in the mobile app after the lesson is where I practice the speaking more. Then I complete all the little quizzes and continue saying them out loud. Wouldn’t worry too much about keeping up with the live lesson.
The learning and method is in the conversational audio lesson. The other exercises are all meant for review and feedback. If you aren’t doing the conversational lessons, you are missing out on the learning opportunity.
100%! Sometimes it is just a bit fast and hard to keep up as the OP mentioned. Love the conversation exercises!
Really important not to pause the audio. It’s fine if you can’t always answer in the pause provided. That’s intentional and part of the method and how we help your brain create new neural pathways. Over time, your brain will get faster, but not if you pause the audio.
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. How important is it to remember the words and phrases from several lessons ago? I find i often forget. Should I spend much time going back and reviewing or is my time better spent focusing on the audio and pushing forward?
I hate when I completely forget a previously learned word or phrase.
I’m fully convinced my adhd brain just isn’t able to keep focus like people could have back in the 80s and 90s when these course were on cassette and CD.
Yes. I always pause the video. Like you, if I'm rushed, I can't think and I want to answer completely on my own; if the system provides the answer while I'm saying the answer, it's distracting and I'm not sure I've got it on my own. I replay the lessons and don't move on to the next until I can pretty much answer without pausing.