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After Assimil French | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| polywannabe Newbie United States Joined 5126 days ago 35 posts - 43 votes Speaks: English* | Message 1 of 18 17 December 2010 at 6:55pm | IP Logged | ||
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After finishing Assimil's Using French, is it realistically possible to start using Assimil french base books to learn other languages?
There have been some discussions on this before, however, I couldn't find an actual answer to this or found an entry where someone actually did this. I'm going through French with ease (after completing MT foundation) and I'm starting to get the itch to start learning German - after Using French. I would probably go the same route by starting with MT German. However, the English based German Assimil course doesn't have an advanced option (like 'Using German')...which sort of got me thinking whether I would be able to handle the French based advanced German course.....and then I thought well maybe I should do the regular course (German with Ease) using the French based as well... Has anyone tried this? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6914 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 2 of 18 17 December 2010 at 9:59pm | IP Logged | ||
This is a little tricky to answer definitively. I've gone through both Perfectionnement Espagnol (i.e. Using Spanish for the French) and Francés Perfoeccionamiento (i.e. Using French for the Spanish). Essentially it's a passive exercise - you need to be comfortable with reading grammatical terminology in French and also to understand that the notes and explanations are from the perspective of a native French speaker rather than English. To put it in a nutshell, I think you need to be able to read about French in French - not necessarily just to have completed Bon Voyage! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5376 days ago 938 posts - 1839 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 3 of 18 17 December 2010 at 10:33pm | IP Logged | ||
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I wouldn't worry about doing German with Ease (or the old German Without Toil, if you can still get the audio) in English and then moving onto the French based advanced course for German - I don't think you would lose anything. I own Perfectionnement Allemand but I haven't got to it yet and the French notes seem OK for someone who has got past Using French.
I have gone through a fair portion of the French base Le Danois sans peine (although I was just doing it for fun, and not learning Danish seriously) - and I didn't find the French translation or notes to be particularly challenging, so its perfectly possible for an English person (especially one who is terrible at languages like me) at the Using French level to use French Assimil. The one thing I would read before doing this is a basic French grammar book in French - something like the Grammaire progressive du français books. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 6957 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 4 of 18 18 December 2010 at 12:32am | IP Logged | ||
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The early Assimil literature actually recommended that you do so. My language school where I was introduced to Assimil had some Assimil brochures that suggested that once you mastered your first language that you used an Assimil course book based in your new language to learn a third, thus consolidating the second language.
I have a number of Assimil courses based in French and I no longer am even conscious that I am learning in French rather than in English. I do come across an unfamiliar word from time to time so I learn the new word in both languages. 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| polywannabe Newbie United States Joined 5126 days ago 35 posts - 43 votes Speaks: English* | Message 5 of 18 18 December 2010 at 3:15am | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks for the replies...
Interesting note about reading grammar books in French...however, funny enough, I cannot grasp grammar by reading about it...only from context, which is actually why I started and plan to start future languages after MT foundation. For me, reading grammar in French would probably be just as useless as reading it in English. I still read the Notes in the Assimil lessons but when they point out grammar points, something in my brain just shuts down or something...it just doesn't stick. Given the above, sounds like if I do MT German and then french based Assimil German it might actually work. It might be a bit harder at first but I'd be maintaining a language as well as learning a new one at the same time... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 5822 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 6 of 18 18 December 2010 at 3:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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The problem is that with new language Assimil gives a literal translation and an idiomatic translation. As the current Assimil courses are written individually in each language, you won't necessarily have learnt many of the idioms required to understand the text.
I still think you're better using your own language. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| RedBeard Senior Member United States atariage.com Joined 5913 days ago 126 posts - 182 votes Speaks: Ancient Greek* Studies: French, German | Message 7 of 18 20 December 2010 at 7:41am | IP Logged | ||
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This question comes up so often, it seems. (Great minds thinking alike?)
I didn't have plans to revive my long lost French studies, but I do own the French With Ease book. Perhaps I will work my way through it (finally!). That plus some French In Action videos, maybe a watch a few DVDs with the French audio. Then go straight to Assimil's Deutsch course. Then I'll just see what happens...maybe, maybe... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tornus Diglot GroupieRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4954 days ago 82 posts - 113 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Spanish, Swedish, Danish | Message 8 of 18 22 December 2010 at 8:31pm | IP Logged | ||
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in my opinion it is possible to do it, it might be harder but it will strengthen your french. you will learn a different french, you'll learn the french of explanation, and it's always great to be able to explain things withouth translating to your native language. in the long run, you'll be better off
in my case, i've already follow some course lectured in English which is not my native language, and i didn't have any problems 1 person has voted this message useful |
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