A terrific way to learn a new language - 2nd attempt to post this review!

What a fantastic introduction to a new language! It's attractively presented, colourful, bright and cheerful and the very presentation encourages you to want to learn! I have only had this pack for 2 days now, and have already worked my way through the first 2 units, learning as I go and enjoying every minute of it!<br /><br />On opening the box, I found 2 CDs - one to be used with the book, providing invaluable listening and converstaion practice; and the other to be used 'anywhere', helping with the trickier words and phrases and providing extra listening and conversation practice. <br />There is also a wonderfully colourful book, filled with hints and drawings to help us to learn a foreign language.<br />These include:<br />* mental images - eg. to remember the word for orange juice, think of Sue and her friends (Sue & co) on a ranch drinking orange juice - put the image together and you have 'succo de arrancia'. There are a great many of these scattered through the book.<br />* hints - including the fact that Italians never drink a cappuccino after lunchtime! A useful tip if you want to 'fit in'.<br />* tips - one very useful one is on page 27 of the book, and shows how to fix your learning into your long term memory by using the 'repeat and succeed' method.<br />* Mental gymnastic activities to help fix what you've learnt.<br />* Cartoon strip stories, putting the vocabulary into context.<br />* Quick puzzles and exercises to help you practice your new skills and new vocabulary.<br /><br />In addition, there are Tony's wonderful mind maps. For anyone who has never previously encountered mind maps, these may look a little unusual - but they are being used more and more in teaching and in revision. Their bright, cheerful imagery helps to fix ideas and words into the long term memory.<br /><br />Then there are the 2 CDs<br />The first CD is great - leading you straight into learning.<br />The 2nd CD has a longer introduction, which may appear tedious to some, but which contains some very useful hints; so I would encourage you to listen to it the first time you play the CD.<br /><br />In addition, there is a link to a website which provides extra practise exercises and answers to the exercises in the book.<br /><br />My only criticism with the pack is that the CDs would benefit from longer pauses to allow the learner to repeat the phrases and words that they have learnt - or to allow thinking time. This is the reason why I only gave it 4 stars rather than the full 5 - as it is really the only complaint I have with the whole pack! <br /><br />Well worth a try if you want to learn some basic Italian in preparation for your next holiday!

italiano comprehension

This book is brilliant! I have just completed entry level business italian and my italian is so basic it is almost non-existent. I actually understood most of the first three exercises immediately. I would recommend keeping a dictionary by your side.

"Nice to see you. To see you nice."

I found the course to be very uplifting for the learner - eschewing as it did the usual format of other products, which tend to stick to presenting dialogues followed by additional explanatory notes. The interaction between Michel Thomas and his two cohorts definitely allows you to be a lot more involved in the learning process, and this is certainly helped by the fact that the other two people on the discs are genuine learners who pause and stumble a great deal.<br /><br /> However, even though Michel Thomas at times provides interesting detail which helps one in remembering the material, his gravelly voice isn't always very clear. I'm now using his Advanced Course and this is an increased but still minor problem with the recordings. The Foundation Course also suffers because of the two learners themselves - at times I found myself a little confused by their uncertain answers, which weren't always cleared up by Michel Thomas himself. This is less of an issue with the Advanced Course.<br /><br /> In terms of the Foundation Course's content, it's very much driven by the structure of the language, ie. grammar. This is great since it allows the learner to at least develop her own sentences, but overall the approach isn't one for instilling a lot of vocabulary (the core of language for many people). This deficiency should be understood, and it's probably best to use this and Michel Thomas' other - it has to be said fantastic - courses, with others following a more traditional approach and which require utilization of a dictionary. Be that as it may I'd still wholeheartedly recommend this course.

Excellent!

I would just like to add my own enthusiastic review of this wonderful Mastering Arabic Course.<br /><br />I'm currently on Unit 10 -- who'd have thought that I'd reach the middle of the book? --, and I haven't got one single complaint. Mastering Arabic provides a fantastic introduction to the Arabic language, and gives you all the necessary bases of Modern Standard Arabic.<br /><br />A grammar reference book and a dictionary, although by no means imperative, may prove useful to the more 'serious' student and to whomever whishes to delve further into the language without having to wait until the end of the course.<br /><br />Highly recommended.

Small and practical

This book fits nicely into a pocket, which is handy because you'll be wanting to take it everywhere with you.<br />This phrase book contains pre-assembled sentances and words ready to use, all organised in the most logical and useful manner I've ever seen. Pronunciation is shown next to every word or sentance.<br /><br />The book is colour coded for quick reference, and includes a useful dictionary in the back.<br />This phrase book saved me from many embarrassing moments in Spain.

Brilliant - but perhaps don't begin here!

Michel Thomas has a relaxed teaching style which leads you gently but comprehensively through the basic structure of the Italian language. However, if you haven't started to learn any Italian yet then my advice would be to begin elsewhere, perhaps with an audio introduction to some basic words and phrases, then move up to this one next. I found myself able to focus on the listening, speaking and learning rather than worrying about the other 'students'. They are simply there to allow you thinking time and to help Michel point out the potential pitfalls in how to understand and be understood.

A delight to read / Un placer a leer

I am so pleased to have found this book again, I used to own it once before and enjoyed its easy style but I gave it away to a South American friend who was learning English (she loves it!).<br /><br />This book is so expertly executed that even if you have only a modest level of Spanish, it will strengthen what you've already got, provide you with new words and encourage you onto more.<br /><br />It's set around 18 stories or myths or folklores from Spain's past, starting with the oldest first and working towards the newest last, with the Spanish and English presented on facing pages.<br /><br />But each story is introduced by a one paragraph abstract which helps sets the scene for the story that follows. And each of the stories in turn are interesting and engaging in their own right. <br /><br />Such is my confidence in this book, as well as reordering it, I'm also ordering the Latin American and Mexican versions from the same series at the same time.<br /><br />If only all parallel books were made like this.<br />

Just don't expect the dictionary to be of any help

Its not, every word I looked up is missing and the restaurant section missed most of the specialities of Latin American countries for some reason. If you need a very simple"getting by" then this is a help, but take a dictionary as well.

Indispensable

I have the French edition of this wonderful book. When I was at school the head of languages brought a crateful back from France for us. It is very easy to use, even for language beginners. No more problems conjugating your verbs with this little book! And the best thing is that it is set out clearly so it is easy to understand. (If anyone can tell me the German equivalent of this book I would be most grateful.) I cannot believe the price either; I paid £10 for mine nearly 20 years ago! I you want to learn or improve your French then please buy one, you will be doing yourself a big favour.

Screw turner not Page turner

And this is the author who dared to belittle Thomas Hardy. Henry James, born of insipid wealth and Hardy, wrought of the brown Wessex earth, and so their writing shows. <br /><br />Turn of the Screw is a novel that could only be written by James. Which is to say that if a room full of socialite closet homosexual virgins with infinite typewriters were allowed infinite time to come up with a spooky story, this would be the inevitable result. <br /><br />James' pathological will to translate the world's broadest language into the prose equivalent of C++ code is on show at the height of its powers here. Marvel at 5 page diatribes that could otherwise be summed up as"She saw a man and he saw her". Gasp at 50 word sentences that translate as"Oh what a beautiful child he was; and oh what a beautiful child she was; and oh what a beautful..." Oh what's the point.<br /><br />The point is that Henry James is every bit the author that deserves raucous deliberation amongst the Oxbridge set as they blaze through their short-lived literary phases, prior to a career in private equity. James is also every bit a writer that merits insecure puzzlement from everyone else (its not you its HIM). <br /><br />Apparently this is a spine-chiller. Hilariously having assumed this category, it has the timeless excuse that people, you know,"in those days" would've found it chilling. Because, of course, people in those days were all Mr Darcy types who shielded wilting debutantes from the most villanous of stiff breezes.<br /><br />Personally i prefer to think of turn of the century readers of Turn of the Screw frowing the same frown, yawning the same yawn, then rolling over for the same night's sleep as i did.<br /><br />

A suitcase essential

As an absolute beginner I found this phrasebook perfect and made me far more confident in my attempts to speak Greek.<br /><br />The book's layout not only looks good but is logical and easy to use. Words are broken up phonetically making them relatively easy to pronounce.<br /><br />All eventualities appear to be catered for.Even if you don't intend to use it, the section on romance will provide some laughs as you read some of the phrases that are included. <br /><br />For those more adventurous there is even a section on grammar which is worth a read.<br /><br />In my opinion the best Greek phrasebook on the market<br /><br /><br /><br />

Comprehensive listings guide - but the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is better

There are two books on the market which are widely touted as 'must-haves' for any writer looking to get into publication. One is this book,"The Writer's Handbook" (TWH), published by Macmillan. Its rival, the"Writers' and Artists' Yearbook" (W&AY), is published by A&C Black. Both contain roughly the same extensive listings of publishers, agents, print media, TV/radio producers, festivals, writing courses etc. You only really need one of them - but which one?<br /><br />In truth there's little to choose between them. Much will come down to personal preference regarding the layout of the two books, and so if you can get the chance to compare them before you buy, all the better. However, to me the W&AY appears the more polished product, with a clearer table of contents and a more easily navigable structure.<br /><br />What the TWH really lacks compared to the W&AY is the latter's many detailed and informative articles written by publishers, agents and successful writers (J.K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Bernard Cornwell, Joanna Trollope, to name a few). The W&AY has about 170 pages' worth of these in total (100 on books alone), discussing different genres and aspects of the writing process, as well as covering diverse issues such as self-publishing, marketing, writing for TV, radio and theatre, and e-publishing. TWH, by comparison, has only about 30 pages of such articles. This in my opinion sets the W&AY apart and makes it far more than simply a listings book - it is, in effect, an introduction to the entire world of writing.<br /><br />This is not to say that there is anything particularly wrong with TWH - it is perfectly adequate for what it is. To be certain, buyers interested mainly in the listings (perhaps those already looking for an agent or publisher) will not be disappointed. All in all, however, my recommendation has to go to the"Writer's & Artist's Yearbook", for the added value of the sheer wealth of information and advice it contains.

You need to know these words!!!

A lot of people try to avoid learning swear words in other languages. I don't understand why. These words are part of the language, and you shouldn't avoid them because they make you feel bad. Barry Farber and A.G. Hawke say in their books that you shoud avoid learning profanity in other languages. I say you should as long as you avoid SAYING them. Just KNOW them. I discuss this in my book.<br /><br /><br />Brandon Simpson

An easy way to learn basic Spanish

This was a simple language course that gave a basic grasp of holiday Spanish. The audio cd was great to listen to in the car and repeating the words (with the windows wound up). The layout of the book was easy to follow and combined with the cd, gives you an opportunity to learn some basic words, useful for a holiday.

Rapid French - subliminal learning that works.

We have lived in France for ten years and have done numerous courses to improve our French. Given the complexity of French grammar and the difficulties with pronunciation it has been a daunting task. Recently we were joined by one of our daughters who plans to settle and work here, so I was browsing on the net for a French course that would be simple and effective for her.
The earworms Rapid French appealed to me as a TEFL trainer, with the idea of the"jingle" that you can’t get out of your head.
It has turned out to be an excellent system with rhythm, music and phrases that are repeated clearly and more importantly with the accent and stress of a native French speaker.
It makes much more sense to learn complete phrases for any given situation, rather than lists of verbs and vocab. The added bonus is that it is a pleasure to listen to and it really does stick in one’s memory. And if that isn’t enough, it is also very reasonably priced!
We are well pleased and just hope we can find Volume 2.

A great and encouraging book for young learners!

A great place to start on the road to learning the German language. As Teachers, teaching Germans to speak English, we are well aware of the problems of motivation and of keeping the aim of the learning in sight."German for Beginners" is able to solve both these problems by keeping the tasks fun, interesting and at the same time achieving its goal of learning the language.

A useful little gem

This is a very useful (& compact) companion on a trip to Italy.<br /><br />The book is compartmentalised into useful sections (split in alphabetical order)such as Banks, Car Hire, Restaurants etc.<br /><br />It also has a reasonably sized English - Italian section with some key phrases already mapped out & the corresponding Italian - English version as well.<br /><br />Perhaps best of all is the 19 page"menu reader" which should help you either get what you want when you go to a restaurant or at least understand what is on offer.<br /><br />There are some elements for the more advanced user who has perhaps forgotten many of Italian's grammatical features in the"How The Language Works" section.<br /><br />Very good value & well worth the investment.

Michel Thomas Advanced Course: Spanish

Totally disappointing. Well, I have a different idea of"advanced Spanish". The whole CD is built of 2-3 min bits of michel thomas talking . It takes 2.5 min for him to explain how is"put it down" and"do it". Really annoying, slow talk. Advanced language is not couple of useful phrases put together.<br />I have wasted my money on this one.