9Mod Newbie United States Joined 5268 days ago 1 posts - 1 votes
| Message 1 of 11 22 July 2010 at 12:04am | IP Logged |
Has anyone completed the 50's English version of this program? I was looking at it today and it looks very dense, literally speaking paragraphs in the final lessons. Does this program take you to near fluency (along the lines of a C1 or C2 speaker)?
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grunts67 Diglot Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5330 days ago 215 posts - 252 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Spanish, Russian
| Message 2 of 11 22 July 2010 at 1:11am | IP Logged |
9Mod wrote:
Has anyone completed the 50's English version of this program? I was looking at it today and it looks very dense, literally speaking paragraphs in the final lessons. Does this program take you to near fluency (along the lines of a C1 or C2 speaker)? |
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I had a quick look at it so I can't say with certitude how far it can take you in term of fluency but I would say between B1-B2. I don't believe any method can take you to a C1 or C2 level on his own.
Also, you I would not use this book as my first or primary method since it old, they were some reforms and you don't want to talk like a 80 years russian (well maybe you do.. :) ).
I am still only a beginner in Russian but I am using Assimil: Le nouveau Russe sans Peine (not a greatbook, but it does the job ok), and I think using the 50's version while take you further than my version. I show my method to a Russian friends of mine and he said that even after I have finished my method, I will still have difficulty to have a everyday conversation.
If you know French, I will suggest the Assimil from the 70's. If not, I might suggest an another method and using the Assimil from the 50s as a complementary tool.
Good luck !
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maaku Senior Member United States Joined 5602 days ago 359 posts - 562 votes Speaks: English*
| Message 3 of 11 22 July 2010 at 2:11am | IP Logged |
Assimil from the 70's is thte same as Assimil from the 50's.
EDIT: I'm wrong! (see below)
Edited by maaku on 23 July 2010 at 7:44am
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grunts67 Diglot Senior Member CanadaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5330 days ago 215 posts - 252 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Spanish, Russian
| Message 4 of 11 22 July 2010 at 2:38am | IP Logged |
maaku wrote:
Assimil from the 70's is thte same as Assimil from the 50's. |
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I disagree. The first lessons are identical but after they have the same title and but the dialogue isn't quite identical. I found there is enough differences in terms of words and syntax. Nevertheless, I have to agree that the essence of the dialogue is almost identical.
For those who have the two books in question, I have compared lesson 15 and 29.
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josht Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6474 days ago 635 posts - 857 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch
| Message 5 of 11 22 July 2010 at 2:40am | IP Logged |
I've worked up to around lesson 50 in both the 1950s version (Russian without Toil), as well as the 1970s version (Russisch ohne Mühe). While some lessons are of similar content, they diverge increasingly as you move into the later lessons. Quite different courses, and as grunts67 said, they're not at all identical.
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johntm93 Senior Member United States Joined 5355 days ago 587 posts - 746 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish
| Message 6 of 11 22 July 2010 at 5:09am | IP Logged |
I have that version but haven't used it. I've heard some good things about that particular one.
I've also been told that Assimil should bring you up to a B1 level (it might be B2). The "Using" (or advanced, there isn't one for Russian that's in English) series is supposed to take you up to C1.
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fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 7174 days ago 1152 posts - 1818 votes Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto
| Message 7 of 11 22 July 2010 at 6:36am | IP Logged |
I bought the 50s version back in the late 60s and found it difficult to work with. I much prefer the courses from Russia. I never did finish Assimil despite several attempts. I will try again.
I have the newer versions. I bought the 70s version while I was in Germany and didn't notice the difference for quite a while.
I much prefer Russian For Everybody. It is a joy to use. I have a lot of Russian material and intensive courses from Russia, almost all of it is excellent. Radio Moscow even broadcast a version of Russian For Everybody and offered free textbooks which I received while living in Germany. I still have my copy.
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LLF Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5608 days ago 66 posts - 72 votes Speaks: English*
| Message 8 of 11 23 July 2010 at 2:40pm | IP Logged |
fanatic wrote:
I much prefer Russian For Everybody. It is a joy to use.
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What approach does Russian For Everybody take ? I've been trying to get hold of a 1970s "La Russe sans peine" without success, but it looks like this may be easier to get hold of.
Does this come as a single volume ? An Abebooks search seems to show various differently title books (Let's Talk, Vocabulary, etc) so I'm wondering if you have to buy a complete set to be able to use it.
Edited by LLF on 23 July 2010 at 2:41pm
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