Product Description

This course book contains 25 thematic and carefully-graded units on reading, writing speaking and listening, and covers a variety of everyday topics, progressing from introducing yourself to writing a CV. The emphasis is on communication throughout, with important language structures introduced through dialogues on the accompanying recording. Exercises are included to enable you to practice the new language and monitor your learning as you go, and tips on grammar and pronunciation also feature. Cultural information should help you get the most out of the language and understand what makes the Portuguese tick.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #250314 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

The Bulletin of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Council, nº. 109
‘This is indeed an extremely practical course that also provides an excellent grounding in the language’

Review
'This is indeed an extremely practical course that also provides an excellent grounding in the language.' (The Bulletin of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Co )

... the course with its excellent audio backup must surely be one of the best on the market for learning Portuguese ... (International Journal of Iberian Studies, vol 15, )

About the Author
Manuela Cook is a specialist in Portuguese Language Studies and Fellow of the Institute of Linguists, London. Over the years she has taught and examined at all levels, from basic to post-graduate, and has written language courses and other Portuguese learning materials for both sides of the Atlantic.

Customer Reviews

My first choice
I first bought this course to give myself a good start before joining classes. Little I knew at the time that my class teacher was going to recommend this course. I am glad we agree on the choice.

The course is very easy at the beginning, just right for an absolute beginner. As you move on through the units, new information always relates to something you have learnt before. This has a double effect, it helps ou remember what you already know and sits comfortably on it.

The book deals with all sorts of topics you need. You start by saying hello and learn the basics for food, travel, accommodation, emergencies. In the subsequent units you go through all this again at a slightly more advanced level. And so on. I quite like this method.

You get lots of help in a number of ways. Pronunciation is one of them. The sounds are explained in the units, there is a detailed pronunciation table in the appendix and everything is also on the recording. You can't go wrong!

There is also another thing I quite like in this course, the way grammar is introduced. Grammar is there, but it is not overbearing. It is very clearly explained, it helps you understand what you are saying and the way you are saying it, but there are no boring grammar drills. That's good!

An excellent course!
This is one of the best courses I have ever come across to teach yourself a foreign language. It is packed with useful info and thoughtful guidance for the self-taught learner. I like the way it appears to guess your needs as you arrive in a Portuguese speaking country, what you first need to say. You learn an 'emergency kit' to start with. Then it all comes back at a more developed level. And again, and again, in a spiral effect that helps consolidate and build up on what you already know.

For me top marks go particularly to the thorough info on pronunciation. The 'How to pronounce it' paragraphs in the units give you a step-by-step explanation of the Portuguese sounds and special help with the harder ones, like the nasals. Then as a sort of appendix to the units you have a whole section on pronunciation. This includes an extensive table with all the Portuguese sounds, how they are pronounced, with English sound-alikes, position in the word, and examples, all very clear. Differences on 'both sides of the Atlantic' are throughly explained. An added advantage is that you can choose the accent that best suits where you are going to speak your Portuguese and, relating to the audio, pick as your model a speaker that matches the variation you want as explained in the units and the table at the back of the book. With all this help, I have actually been able to teach myself the language! A big thank you to the Author.

Why I think it is excellent
As a beginner I really enjoyed this course. It gave me what I needed to get by on a first visit. The first five chapters are very easy to follow with hardly any grammar but covering all the essentials. There is also a self help kit that enables you to communicate practically without knowing the language. You can write down questions, etc. by substituting words. This is a great help. Look at unit 5 and all the previous ones. Now I am attending classes but still using the course at home to complement what the teacher says. I hope to get to the end and I am confident my Portuguese will be quite ok. I really think this is an excellent course in the way it teaches the language from beginner to more advanced levels.