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The Teach Yourself 'INSTANT' language series from Hodder Arnold
is a must if you're off to another country for your holidays or
work and have little time to study. The INSTANTS are a way to learn
the 'get-by' essentials without being bogged down with heavy grammar
and confusion.
I have studied
Greek, Italian and German using this series and have found the results
amazing.
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I
have studied Greek, Italian and German using this series and
have found the results amazing.
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The Teach Yourself
Instants are available in eight popular languages (and four for
learners of English from French, German, Italian and Spanish), but
each one is made up of the same structure and designed to be completed
in only 6 weeks with 35 minutes of study per day. The book is divided
into six sections with an accompanying cassette. This way you can
mimic the speakers to get the perfect pronunciation!
At the beginning
of each chapter the week is divided into individual days with instructions
telling you which exercises to do each day. You have a set day-by-day
study programme to follow of just 35 minutes each day which really
gets you into the discipline of learning your new language every
day. You can cross out the exercises you have done and test your
progress at the end of each week, so you really feel that you're
getting somewhere. The great thing about these is that they are
flexible and you manage your own time - if you miss a day, do an
hour the next day!
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You
have a set day-by-day study programme to follow of just 35
minutes each day which really gets you into the discipline
of learning every day.
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On the first
day of each section there is a short dialogue between Tom and Kate
who are travelling in the destination country. You can listen to
it and read along with the English equivalent on the opposite page
which is translated 'literally' into French-speak or German-speak,
so it is easy to become familiar with the different word order.
Then you have a list of all the new words of the week for you to
read through and then test yourself on what you've learnt. There
is one page per section called 'GOOD NEWS GRAMMAR' to cover the
basic points of the week and a passage to learn by heart. Even though
this is tricky it is really worth doing because it is great for
your fluency.
Each week you
are given questions to answer in your chosen language to give you
added practice of writing. These packs contain only the most useful
words and phrases and are an incredibly useful tool for any lover
of travel. They have the added bonus of FLASH CARDS with the English
on one side and your chosen language on the other so you can really
see how much you know. I found these really helpful, especially
if you are learning with a friend and you can test each other.
The first pack
I tried was INSTANT GREEK before going on a beach holiday to Zante
with a friend. When I managed to tell the taxi driver where I wanted
to go, where to stop and ask how much it cost, I felt a real sense
of achievement because it is nothing like the languages I am used
to leaning. It is worth noting though that if you are learning a
language like Greek or Japanese which has a totally different alphabet
the real written form is not used. Instead the foreign words are
written with English script so that you can just focus on the pronunciation.
I didn't find this a problem with Greek because all I wanted to
do was get by in the country but a little knowledge of the script
would have been useful to recognise the written form. However, just
a basic knowledge of the language is a great way to start conversation
with the locals!
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When
I managed to tell the taxi driver where I wanted to go, where
to stop and to ask how much it cost, I felt a reall sense
of achievement
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Secondly, after
finding the Greek so helpful I learnt INSTANT ITALIAN for a tourist
holiday in Rome. I found my new found Italian extremely useful when
I was lost with a friend late on the evening of our arrival, trying
to find our hotel! It was also great for ordering meals and getting
information about trains etc. The INSTANTS just make it simple.
I completed
INSTANT GERMAN at the end of 2001 for a New Year's party in Germany.
I was with some friends who spoke a little English but a basic knowledge
of German was essential to introduce myself, communicate with them
and wish everyone a 'Frohes Neues Jahr' (Happy New Year).
One minor disadvantage
that I found was the fact that each pack contains the same set of
six chapters so, if you have completed one INSTANT course and then
go on to try another, you are faced with the exact same scenarios.
This has the problem of being a bit repetitive but at the same time
I can easily see how the stories are carefully structured to contain
all the useful vocabulary which is great to know in any language.
So go on, before
you go on your next travels get the INSTANT language advantage and
give it a go!
Click
here for more information about all Teach
Yourself Instants language courses.
The Instants are part of the world-famous Teach Yourself series
and are aimed at people who have tried other methods and not made
much progress. By the step-to-step daily approach of 35 minutes
a day and also by using some neat techniques such as flashcards,
you feel a real sense of achievement with the Instants from Day
1. The Instants are available in French, German, Greek, Italian,
Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish and English for French-speakers,
German-speakers, Italian-speakers and Spanish-speakers.
Click here for more information about all Teach
Yourself language courses.
Click
here for more information about any other German,
Greek or Italian
language course.
For
more information, please contact
us.
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