Assimil: Foreign Language Learning Series Reviews

[rossplaysbass]

As with guitarstrtatdude, I really wish that they had the Norwegian series in English, instead of French. ):

[Guitarstratdude]

I want to use this course to learn Modern Greek, but they only have the greek course with a french base, and I dont speak French. If I buy the course with a french base, will it matter? Because I heard that the audio is only in the target language. Thank you in advance.

[mrjman535]

What should I do if I only have French assimil without the audio

[jrlarsonus]

Hi, Profasar. I really like what you do here! I have the 1982 French with Ease book, and I'm hoping to find the audio to go with it. Do you know if the audio/text is the same across multiple generations? If I find CDs from New French with Ease or from the 1990s versions, will that work with my 1982 text?

[EtQcNantel]

how language can you speak? tu parle francais? esque tu va faire des video en francais? :)

[MissLadyboy007]

I have come to the conclusion after long denying it that I will never learn to speak a foreign language from books. I use Pimsleur//Michel Thomas - I haven't experienced Assimil yet - because I need to hear the language being spoken. Books will certainly expand your knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of a language. However, they are supplemental in my opinion to hearing comprehensible input in the target language. I am a big supporter of Krashen's theories.

[mrmotchmaster]

@MissLadyboy007 Assimil has audio for their books. Also, it's 100% in the target language. cheaper than Pimsleur too.

[alkantre]

I would agree that Assimil is the best thing on the market. The 1957 Russian book is fantasic; I have read the entire text. Now I have read, or am reading, more recent texts for: Catalan, Latin, Arabic, Persian, Hungarian, Turkish, ans Swahili. The Linguaphone Arabic course is the only thing that's better in my opinion.

[legallucy]

Professor, do they make Assimil or Linguaphone for learning Slovene? I have been looking and unable to find anything. I am looking for Slovene for beginners and everything on Amazon has been rated very low. Can you recommend me something??

Thank you!!! marykcnolan@gmail.com

[theEdTechInsider]

Thank you so much for sharing your review of the Assimil series. At Brainscape we also believe that having a translation, like the Assimil books do, is very useful in order to further the learning process of a language. It's great that you highlight the benefits and advantages that Assimil provide you with. Check out the video I have posted in response to this!

[scenecore12]

This things are so hard to get!

[MrDarkstalker15]

Damn! I hope I own all those books! I can't find Assimil books in my bookstores...

[dabubbsta1]

Are all of the Assimil books written in French? I've been searching for a little while &&I can only find ones available in French :(

[katanamanatee]

@dabubbsta1 There are many in English too, though not as many as are available for French speakers. Look for their "With Ease" series.

[bogeaqYT]

Are all of them in French?

[Tubenjunge]

Im learning russian with assimil. The older version you are showing is the 2nd version? Do you have an idea where i can still get it from?

[amdan7]

Assimil is absolutely the best method out there. No doubt about it. You can never be a superpolyglot without it.

[111Blowfish]

What would be your recommendation for someone who is nearing the end of Pimsleur's 100-lesson German series and is looking for a way both to enhance his vocabulary and his understanding of the grammatical intricacies of the language, and someone who is, above all, interested achieving real fluency?

[NaomiChambers]

There is some distracting noises in this video. Little banging and little clicking noises. It kind of takes away from the video, which is a shame.

[verapamil07]

Oh my god, you have "Nemacki bez muke " , Yugoslavian old release. I have been to an old bookshop in Serbia after I called them and told that I would like to see some used Assimil's books.They gave me the identical release as in your video and old LPs .However, I bought the newest Assimils "Nemacki bez muke " i.e "Deutsch ohne mühe"

[WomenLearnThai]

I have Assimil for Italian, French, and Thai. How did you find the Thai?

I'm bothered by the lack of Thai script. You first have to learn their transliteration method (good luck as Thai is tonal). And some of the words/phrases would not be said by a native speaker (written not spoken, tourist Thai, old-fashioned, ott polite, etc). It's still a good course but beware of the downsides.

Have you found other Assimil courses with similar problems?

[julesmclena]

ProfASAr, Am learning German at the moment and have been able to get a hold of the1950 edition of the BERLITZ SELF TEACHER (love it) . Can you tell me if the ASSIMIL 2nd generation version of GERMAN ithat you recommend on this video is still availble to get hold of?

[ProfASAr]

@julesmclena Certainly not new, but probably quite easily and more cheaply either from a used bookseller or on e-bay. The hunt for "generations" of these books can always be a bit tricky because they have such similar names, so just be sure to check the actual publication date. Good luck to you!

[usernameT916]

Thank you ProfASAr for doing this review and walk through. The Spanish with ease text has really helped me a lot.

[TehCacti]

I have just a simple question and I would appreciate it if you could reply with just a simple number, how many languages can you speak?

[rayneval]

What's your thoughts on doing an Assimil from the very start to end by doing a few lessons per day? So one finishes in a much faster time, will i still get to a solid level of that language? Is doing L-R of a basic novel, and then of a more advanced one a good way to improve afterwards, or how else would YOU think one should improve? Thanks.

[jceja24]

Que lastima que no hay este tipo de calidad! RosettaStone se me hace muy facil!

[crybanshee]

ProfASAr,

I am a 16 year-old student who is trying to learn German. I am Portuguese and I have to be credited with the B1 livel (according to the European Common Reference Board for Languages) in order to study in Germany. Right now I am doing the Deutsch - Warum Nicht? radio course of the Deutsche Welle/Goethe Institut (at lesson 36 out of 104). Do you think I would be better off and accomplish my goal if I started learning the language through Assimil? Thannk you very much.

[ironjaw123]

Hi thank you so much for your insight. Can you recommend where to get the older versions of Assimil?

[rayneval]

To Learn Italian from scratch should I use the Italian with Ease course? How long does it take to finish the course if it was over 3 months for example? Will doing this along side Pimsleur levels 1 and 2 (perhaps even 3), get me to a high enough level for final year of high school level? Is this achievable in 2-3 months? Thank you!

[gatsu6969]

i bought assimil just recently, and i sadly didnt see this review before then. i'm a bit concerned with what you said about the older versions being better. I bought both the beginner and advance version (french), so do you think those combined would be possibly better or at least equal to the older versions ?

[StevanEC]

ProfASAr, can you review or make a comment about the Assimil Latin course? Thanks.

[ProfASAr]

@StevanEC The old version of the Latin course had an outstanding book but the recordings were absurdly exaggerated. The manual for the newer version is markedly inferior to the old one, but the recordings are more usable. I would recommend that you get the old version of the book and that you get any audio material you may desire from other sources.

[bergulometro]

does anyone know where I can purchase that particular book Russisch ohne Muehe Prof Arguelles spoke so enthusiastically about? thank you!

[pythonbyte]

@bergulometro the 1971 Russisch ohne Muehe, although out of print comes up on ebay.de quite regularly, that's where I got my copy.

[Codylangaugesblog]

I have never seen an Assimil book myself but I have only heard amazing things about the series.

I want to get one, but I have not yet come across one.

about the older ones...I think that is very cool that all of the lessons go together to make a story. that would definitely motivate the reader to keep progressing!

[ikhveysnit]

ProfASAr, hope all is well. I'm going to make a response to your film on the Germanic language family like you asked me to, with a comparison between German and Yiddish with sample sentences. Not scientific but maybe interesting. In any case, Assimil has just published a 750 page Yiddish course in French. Since you like the Assimil method you might find it interesting, plus I'm curious to know what it's like. The two professors who wrote it are top flight. All the best

[ProfASAr]

@ikhveysnit Wonderful, please do post the response, I would be very happy to hear it, as well as to see a review of the Assimil Yiddish course.

[Jate0000]

I've seen the others videos about others methods and I think this one is your favorite. Am I correct?

[gayaznaznman]

Great review, thanks!

And you have an Assimil collection that language enthusiasts would jack off to.

[EpicUnreal]

this guy is scary. he talks as if he married with those books.

[zocurtis]

@EpicUnreal  You wouldn't understand.

[AkaoKiyotsu]

@EpicUnreal This is just the way he talks, he also likes the books. Like zocurtis said, you wouldn't really understand.

[mattattack007]

This video is IMMENSELY helpful. Thanks for taking the time to review this.

[smileyguy05]

I highly recomend Assimil... I have studied english, italian and now french with it and it is really usefull and easy.... I only I would say that a minimun knowledge of the language (some vocabulary) would help to start... if you know "Zero" it can be a bit difficult at the beginning. but I really recommend it!!

[heroedelahistoria]

I wish I could have such a big collection...

[Chabune]

I see you are a bit nostalgic of the old Chérel Assimils. I was, too. But, after having finished both the old and the 80's german assimil, I say that the new one is much better. Yes, it has less information packed, but it is much more ordered and the learning curve is softer. You don't need nowadays much information (there are thousands of webpages and multimedia resources for free! in any language) but rather a well ordered, easy to learn information. It may seem that nowadays assimils are ...

[minus273cn]

@Chabune Hello from uz-translations

[thecommentmonster]

Can anyone tell me how the Assimil Italian program is? Also, at the risk of sounding ignorant, since it's a French program, are instructions, etc., in French or available in English as well?

[concertmatell]

You can find English to Italian, search amazon, you can get it for less than 40usd

[zocurtis]

@thecommentmonster The are available in English as a base as well but only French, Spanish German, Italian and I think Portuguese... the rest are French, German and Spanish based.

[Komsip]

What languages except english, french and german do they have as the learner's language in these books? Do they exist with swedish as base langauge? The languages I most like to learn are chinese, farsi and arabic.

[Siddy1200]

"didnt have the filling in the blanks taking up the space on the page so you got consequently a lot more text, a lot more content"

Old books were about 200 pages. New books are 500 pages. The flll in the blanks is additional to the original content that has always been there. If you dont like it you can skip them. I think it is use full for languages with foreign scripts.

Having compared an old and new versions, i find your review bias, maybe its nostalgia.

[zocurtis]

@Siddy1200 Dude, he didn't have to do this... show some respect will you.

[maurisk78]

I bought Assimil method with cds to study english and I'd say that it's an excellent and effective method for studying foreigner languages. It only needs to practise it every day for at least half and hour per day. I've just also bought assimil german course. I advice this course to everyone who wants to study a foreigner language.

[reyricardo99]

I teach spanish to english , french and german speakers using this méthod in Sevilla. Just give me a call and I´ll be glad to tell you where you ca get it and help you to achieve the method.

[nightcomeamber]

Can anyone tell me how far the Assimil Spanish with Ease course will take you? I already have a mediocre knowledge of the language and I am not sure whether the beginner "Spanish at Ease" will be substantive enough for me. I have the equivalent of one year of college Spanish (in the US), so I'm in the early stages of "intermediate"skills I suppose. Shall I try With Ease or should I see out a more advanced tutorial?

[asterexcel]

According to the Assimil website:

"The With Ease Series takes you to Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages."

Level B2 is: "Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party."

Hope that helps a bit!

[asterexcel]

Good video explaining the system. I have German With Ease (Deutsch ohne Mühe heute), the 1987 edition that's still available on Amazon UK, and it's superb.

Prof Arguelles says that he prefers a big, connected story running through the course; in German With Ease the dialogues are mostly unrelated but I find that more fun. Every day you get a fresh, new lesson with lots of language to explore!

[iSeeMyScissors]

Pools zonder moeite :D

[pythonbyte]

I recently bought a used copy of Russisch ohne muhe and it is a brilliant course as the prof said. Compared to ohne muhe heute the dialogues are much more substantial and move at a natural pace.

[Soleado123]

So, I am going to take the advice I've heard over and over again and study a little at a time, but regularly, rather than the ole' cram method. My sponge can only absorb so much at one time. :( :) :(. Congratulations on your success and great videos.

[Soleado123]

I feel that across the board the language material seems to have declined as well... I love the older books. I am truly impressed by your intelligence and discipline. I speak English (native) and Spanish (learned). I would like to learn some others too, but end up going overboard I suppose and burnout and forget what I've tried to learn.

[Soleado123]

This video to a language lover is like pound cake to a pound cake lover; delicious.  :O).

[ocergnairb]

Dear Prof. - As a thankful viewer of your videos, I truly appreciate the helpful information about this series. I am interested in purchasing an Assimil Japanese course. However, being that I like older courses that are more in-depth, I am hesitant to purchase the new "Japanese with Ease" course from '05/'07. Is there a Japanese course for English speakers from (preferably) the 1950s/60s series or the 60s/70s series? Where could it be purchased? Any information would be very helpful. Thank you

[sputnikpanicpuppet]

The current one (actually the current ones, as there are 3 volumes) is very good - it's more like the 80's books than the recent ones. However I don't know what to think about volume 3, "Writing Japanese with Ease" - it's not bad, but I think there are better books to learn kanji.

[cathrynm]

Is there any research on what speed of speaking is best for language learning? The Japanese Assimil lessons are spoken very slowly compared to native speech.

I'm not sure if this is relavent, but I do know from learning Morse code that it's better to learn the letters at full speed with spaces between them, than to learn them slowly. This is so you don't need to relearn the sounds as the speed increases.

[CommodoreV]

ok, just bought it!

[concertmatell]

Looking at the collection you have I conisder asking you the following. I speak Spanish and English and learning German, I am using English to study German with this method, does the Spanish teaching language contain the same stories as English or different ones? I ask this because I figure if they are different I would also benefit for having both.

Thank you.

[ProfASAr]

The Spanish and English editions will be the same translation from the original French if they are of the same generation. If you want different content or different stories, then what you need to look for is different generations of Assimil German courses, e.g., 1950, 1970, 1990, and 2010, and not, e.g., 1990 translated into two different teaching languages.

[ProfASAr]

Both English and Spanish editions will be translations from the same original French edition. If you want different content, or different stories as you put it, then what you need is different generations of Assimil German - 1950, 1970, 1990, and 2010 - and not, e.g., 1990 translated into two different teaching languages.

[SHould13]

Wow, that is alot of manuals and I know by experience after purchassing the japanese classes, these are not cheep but pretty expensive. Good luck on your dream to becoming a polyglot. (sorry for the typo's, english is my second language).

[laoshu505000]

I have to learn French seriously now. This series looks very good. Thanks for the video professor.

[mxjgr]

Continued:

Since the is more than double as thick as the old edition, even with the extra spaces and considering that it also contains grammar only dealt with in the "Perfectionnement" book (which unfortunately never was published in German) you get a lot more for your money than the previous edition.

[mxjgr]

I don't agree, that all of the newer Assimil courses are necessarily worse than the earlier ones.

I am now learning Arabic and own both the recent edition and the one before (I think there are only these two - at least for German) and the newer one is much better structured and offers a well laid out learning curve with steadily rising difficulty towards the ending.

[brithans]

Est-ce que quelqu'un ici sait si le programme Français - Dansk est bien fait? J'ai des misères à trouver un course en Dansk qui n'est pas médiocre. Je parle aussi l'Anglais si ça vous aides à me faire des suggestions.

[brithans]

Est-ce que quelqu'un ici sait si le programme Français - Dansk est bien fait? J'ai des misères à trouver un course en Dansk qui n'est pas médiocre. Je parle aussi l'Anglais si ça vous aides à me faire des suggestions.

[brithans]

Est-ce que quelqu'un ici sait si le programme Français - Dansk est bien fait? J'ai des misères à trouver un course en Dansk qui n'est pas médiocre. Je parle aussi l'Anglais si ça vous aides à me faire des suggestions.

[UnsunGunner]

As an English Speaker, would you suggest Assimil if I wished to learn Japanese, or would one of the other company's you have been reviewing be better?

[ProfASAr]

I can point out which courses are thorough and well made, but I cannot make specific recommendations for specific learners in the abstract. I need to know you and how you learn in order to do that. That is why I have set up my online consultation services, so please register for a session with The Language Coach.

[Pugaciov]

Hi there! Very nice video. I personally just ordered from Assimil-Italia "Il nuovo Russo senza sforzo". I believe it's a 2000 edition. Hope it will be useful.

[kev1zhong]

Prof. Arguelles,

Do you think it would be necessary for me to try and track down an older generation version of Assimil Chinese or do you think the newer versions would suffice?

[ProfASAr]

I do not believe they ever made more than one generation for Chinese, so the current one is it.

[kev1zhong]

Ok, great. Thanks!

[teddythefrency]

And Assimil didn't forget our regional languages , by example in France (Alsatian, Basque or Breton).

I perfected my knowledge in English with it, and it exists versions for varieties of languages (British English, American English, Australian English).

Now you can learn by example "Gascon" or "Creole Réunionnais" and other lesser know languages in more little editions.

Best regards.

[sputnikpanicpuppet]

The Assimil book for Catalonia's national language is really excellent - a lot of info about the history of Catalonia, Catalan arts and literature, etc. In fact I think it's pretty much THE best Assimil course amongst those I've used.

[daysin1234]

how much money did you spend? $10,000?

[joelflorew]

That is a dictionary or a tutorials???

[jonmahoney04]

Thanks for this review. I've already been using "Le nouveau Russe sans peine" and I quite enjoy it.

I'm jealous though, seeing the older editions. They do look much better.

[fadibk]

I do believe that the Assimil method is the best one out there. I bought the German series " l'allemand sans peine", and this was the only material I needed to pass the Zertifikat Deutsch, (B1 level in the European language framework).

Now I'm moving forward with their second book "perfectionnement allemand", and I'm preparing to do the B2 test.

This being said, it's a shame that this series isn't that well-known in the US. Rosetta stone? please!!

[zocurtis]

Hey Prof.

I'm looking for a book for Haitian creole. Any suggestions?

[ProfASAr]

Assimil does make a Creole course, but it is more specifically for Guadeloupe than for Haiti, and I do not know how different they are. Other than that, I do believe I recall having seen a course or two specifically for Haitian in an AudioForum catalog some while back.

[zocurtis]

Thanks I'll google it.  I live in The Bahamas where alot of Haitians try to migrate every year and the language is becoming very important for Bahamians to understand. Thanks again.

[zocurtis]

Hey Prof.,

I've ordered Assimil Spanish and French. I already in the intermediate level of spanish but in my opinion its still really bad. Perhaps I can refine it a little better with this course, thank you for you suggestion. Hopefully, they'll arrive soon.

God bless.

[pierreparis]

I thought again about your comments about the new Assimil collection (available only in France i think for now)... I have bought "L'Italien" and i already had "l'Américain".

My first impression is that i felt a little disapointed... but i thought as well how much it was difficult to enter in the Grec Sans Peine one...

I think they try to make it easier for the real beginner. And for sure, there are a lot of silences to delete for the others... Maybe they could have put more lessons...

[jedone11]

日本語がわかりますか

[MashaGu]

日本語！

私は長い間勉強しなかって、たくさん忘れてしまったんです．

練習しましょうか。

[everkz]

sir, you are my hero!

[pierreparis]

so... mea culpa :)

[pierreparis]

I must say that you're a little right though... i have checked new "american with ease" and considering the new italian i can see in your vid, the texts are indeed a bit slighter.

"L'américain sans peine" is not a bad book, but well texts are very short, cultural aspects in notes are a bit too important (even though i enjoy it, trying to get the american english accent, specific vocabulary in it etc).

[dustinjm1]

would anyone happen to know where the "2nd gerneration:, (late 60's-early 70's) books that Professor Arguelles so highly recommends in this video. If ofcourse you have no info on 1 substantive source to purchase from I'm looking for german,Russian,and Spanish all for an english speaker.

[zocurtis]

Amazon

[pierreparis]

I disagree about the fact that the text is less consequent now. You compare editions of different languages... :).

For instance, the text for the Italian is the same since the eighties, the only difference is in the recordings - the actors in the 80's play it faster.

[Jonzwelet]

Pierreparis, I believe you are simply wrong here. I have both the 1980's L'italien sans peine and the 2004 L'italien collection sans peine, and the texts are totally different!

You are certainly right, however, in that the 1980's actors read the text at a normal rate of speech, while the current audio is unnaturally slow.

[pierreparis]

I have the book with Francesca and Davide, living in Milano. And there are two recordings of this text : one old, one recent. The older is fast, the newer is slower... in fact, both are useful. (the faster was a little too fast for beginners... but when you get the slower, it's useful to listen it with the faster).

I find this method excellent.

***

For the french, the texts are a little different, adapted to modern french, and they are more numerous...

I think you can't be so systematic, maybe..

[mistercuddles]

have you got the recording where lesson 73 is Rome 2004?

[Joshdboz]

I wonder if the lack of bilingual formats has to do with the common belief among teachers that using a translation is somehow cheating. This is most absurdly put on display in the old grammar-translation books (and even many today) that stubbornly refuse to give all the translation answers in the back of the book. The other day I was leafing through a copy of the bilingual "German Stories", and the author explicitly prefaces by attacking this myth that using a crutch is counterproductive.

[Liface]

Hmm, what did he back that up with? I'd like to read that preface because that's what I've always though as well.

[DopeSpace9]

Are all of the courses in english? I'm particularly interested in that Russian book you mentioned.

[ProfASAr]

Their excellent older Russian course was offered in many languages other than French, but unfortunately I do not believe that English was one of them.

[TheBlueOcarina]

Ich finde diese Reihe toll. Ich lerne gerade japanisch und dadurch dass ich es lese und nebenbei noch die Kanji lerne, kommt es mir gar nicht vor, wie das typische Lernen.^^

[nannivena]

ma studi pure il cagliaritano?

non dire di no, ho visto il libro!

[robertogan]

Danke fuer den Vorschlag, ich werde es mit Assimil versuchen!

[Breiniak]

Assimil is a great series. Personally don't use them, but have tried them for German LONG ago.

[Nikad9]

does anyone know if there's an "English - Bulgarian "course?? I speak Russian and English, but it seems that the only way to learn Bulgarian with ASSIMIL, is to start from styding French ;)

[relf20]

Are there any online resources to come by the older edition Assimil courses (specifically German for me)? I've tried ebay and some online used/rare/out of print book shops but couldn't find anything.

[domitato]

Prof, is there one an Assimil course to learn Polish from English? I know there is from Frech, but I'd need from Enlish, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. Thanks in advance.

[ProfASAr]

Not from English, but I believe I have seen the course in Italian as Il Polacco Senza Sforzo

[pythonbyte]

There's also a Polish course written in French "Le Polonais", but not in English.

[SLADODET]

I am an american who speaks fluent french and therefore many of the assimil courses do benefit me somewhat but I must say that assimil courses are neither the best nor the worst to use while studying a particular language.I've been using the one for bulgarian while I am studying the language here in bulgaria and I believe that it has helped me somewhat to better understand the grammar as well as listening comprehension.

[Zahaack]

Do you know if they ever printed a course for Icelandic? If not what is a good book for Icelandic. Right now I'm using Colloquial Icelandic which is decent but for some reason it didnt come with the tapes. So it's almost useless.

[ProfASAr]

No, they never made an Icelandic course. Linguaphone did make a good one, however, and if you can read German, you can use Pétersson: Lehrbuch der Isländische Sprache.

[hobbitofny]

I have been looking for the Russian course with cd or cassette tapes or records. No luck in any of the time periods. They do not plan an English speakers book on Russian :(

[ProfASAr]

You might try the Linguaphone "Russian Course for a relatively similar learning experience, although it is not as good (in particular, the audio throughout is lugubriously didactic). If you are specifically and particularly interested in learning a given language, this will not apply to you, but if you are interested in learning several, this is a good illustration of why one of the main principles of polyglottery is: learn French and German first so that you can then use them to learn others.

[goosefrabbas]

I know there are many, many French Assimil courses, though maybe I'm overestimating Assimil... but why German?

[ProfASAr]

Wait for the Buske review that I am uploading even as I write. There are so many scholarly resources available in these two languages that striving to become a polyglot without learning them first is akin to hobbling yourself in order to set out to go hiking.

[goosefrabbas]

Also, I've heard that Assimil will get you to B2 level. Is that after a With Ease or a New...With Ease or the Using course? And how many different Assimil courses do you think should be worked through at one time? As I said, I'm currently doing New French With Ease, Spanish with Ease (though I already have a lot of experience in Spanish), and I recently started Italian With Ease. Since I have a lot of free time this summer, do you think starting German With Ease, too, would be too much? Thanks!

[ProfASAr]

The answer depends. Have you looked at my website or read some of my writings in "Lessons in Polyglottery?" If you can study the way I propose in the discipline of polyglottery, then the more languages you study at a time, the more progress you will ultimately make. However, if you are a more typical learner, tackling four languages at one time is not a good idea.

[goosefrabbas]

Hi Professor. I have a few questions about Assimil. I'm currently using New French with Ease and Spanish with Ease. In the French course, I'm on lesson 70 and so far the only tenses that have been covered are the present and past with etre and avoir. Even around lesson 30 in the Spanish course, the present, past, future, conditional, present perfect and subjunctive. Is the Spanish course moving very fast, or are the New...With Ease courses `that` dumbed down?

[ProfASAr]

Yes, I am afraid the newer courses are indeed that "dumbed down," as you provide another excellent example with this contrast between an intelligently moving older generation Spanish course and the current French offering.

[pierreparis]

There are very few differences between french Assimil 1980 and french Assimil now...

In fact, there are just more lessons now.

Plus the French as it is spoken ignores the passé simple... so, there's no need to introduce it quickly. (Simple past is very used in Spanish...)

[madass88]

The meathod i have heard for being very good, is to first go through the language with a michel thomas course, and then work through assimil. I have gone through the languages in spanish and mandarin through the MT method.

I found the assimil spanish with ease from 1987 on amazon and i am about to order that. The question i have, is the chinese (mandarin) with ease course from the 21st century any good? Would you recomend it?

[ProfASAr]

If you watch my shadowing demonstration video, that is the very course I am using myself as my primary introduction to the language. I wish they had put more cultural content into the Chinese course, but yes, still, I would certainly recommended it. However, you must edit the audio before you use it to get rid of all the blank space, as this course has frustratingly long gaps randomly placed between random sentences.

[tullochgorum]

When you criticise the current editions for dumbing down, to what extent is this offset by the availability of the advanced courses (for some languages) which cover idioms, literature, regional accents etc?

[ProfASAr]

I do not believe it is offset at all. The advanced courses are available for only a literal handful of languages, and even if one does exist for a given language, it would still be preferable to have an initial course that was up to former higher standards.

[tullochgorum]

Thanks Professor - hard to argue with that!

[tullochgorum]

Very useful - I was dithering but on the basis of this review I'm going to give the method a go...

[PhilG91]

Well, there's not much to say - it's a great review!

I am 16 years old and I've been learning 4 different languages with Assimil now. I don't have much experience with other foreign language learning series, but I really love exploring new languages with Assimil. I'm proud to have "Französisch ohne Mühe" and "Englisch ohne Mühe" from the 1970's.

Your other reviews are also very interesting!

Liebe Grüße aus Österreich,

Philipp

[Tritone]

Is there any way to get an older generation assimil course?

[ProfASAr]

It requires a hunt through used bookstores and their virtual equivalents. If you happen to live in a city that has an Assimil or general European bookstore type distributor, they sometimes drag old copies out of storage. It is a shame in general that older courses are not preserved in a kind of language museum/resource center. One of my aspirations is to use my own collection as the core of just such a place, part of the library of an academy for Polyglottery.

[Lagwagon555]

Great review. I've been using Assimil (French) for a month or so now. Like you said, this method isn't for people who need to know in advance, the grammar and so on. I think, that's me. Are you able to reccomend a grammar based course to use alongside Assimil? I saw your Colloquial and TY reviews, and those might seem suitable. Which is the better for French? Thanks in advance.

[ProfASAr]

The old series TYS would be a good supplement if you feel the need to do more written translation exercises to solidify your knowledge. I do not know either the current TYS or Colloquial books, and as I said in the video, you should examine them volume by volume to determine their value. If you want a systematic birds eye overview of the grammar plus some good supplementary audio, you may be well served by the current Hugo's offering - I hope to post a review of the Hugo series tomorrow.

[booksinchina]

Excellent review.

[ProfASAr]

Nolit - Beograd, 1974

[Jonzwelet]

Thank you, this was very interesting and very helpful. Just to be perfectly clear, though, you are saying that the quality of these courses has declined relative to their own old standards and not to any special degree relative to other courses, correct?

[ProfASAr]

Correct. As Assimil course produced in 2008 is almost certainly going to be superior to any other course produced for that same language in 2008. However, that same Assimil 2008 course will also certainly be inferior to a vintage 1968 Assimil course.