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Assimil Using Spanish - A Cautionary Note | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| CaitO'Ceallaigh Triglot Senior Member United States katiekelly.wordpress Joined 6669 days ago 795 posts - 829 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, Russian Studies: Czech, German | Message 25 of 59 22 July 2006 at 11:26am | IP Logged | ||
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My copy of Using Spanish arrived yesterday. I've been intrigued by all this talk of active and passive waves.
So I just finished Lesson 1. And by the way, on page two, we're introduced to a new English sentence: "...there are so many people who always waffles (sic)". It is a sloppy translation, but I think as long as we understand the meaning, then it's okay. My question is a slightly different topic, but relates to this specific program: what do I do. I was so looking forward to these active and passive waves, but the instructions don't mention that. There are no instructions! Is it just assumed that Using Spanish readers have already used the other Assimil Spanish course, and just know what to do? Would you suggest I go through the first thirty (there are sixty) lessons passively before starting over with the active wave? I'm really don't want to perdir tiempo andándome por las ramas. Gracias! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| patuco Diglot Moderator Gibraltar Joined 6827 days ago 3795 posts - 4268 votes Speaks: Spanish, English* Personal Language Map | Message 26 of 59 22 July 2006 at 12:10pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm sure that you meant:
perder tiempo andando por las ramas As regards Assimil, I think that doing the first 30 lessons passively before an active wave seems OK. You could always modify your plan according to how things are going. Edited by patuco on 22 July 2006 at 12:11pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| CaitO'Ceallaigh Triglot Senior Member United States katiekelly.wordpress Joined 6669 days ago 795 posts - 829 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Russian Studies: Czech, German | Message 27 of 59 22 July 2006 at 12:27pm | IP Logged | ||
Of course that's what I meant. I'm assuming that after thirty lessons, I won't make these errors. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6915 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 28 of 59 24 July 2006 at 2:59am | IP Logged | ||
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Katie,
I had the same problem with Using Spanish - working out where or whether to do the Active Wave. In the end I haven't bothered - with the exception of the exercises, spoken and written I've been doing passive-only. I've simply found the poor translations made it too difficult. In hindsight, I should probably have produced my own set of notes and translations into English for the lessons to work from. Can I suggest that if you do start an Active Wave, you begin it at Lesson 29? The reason being that this will then fit the two waves into a matched set of six lessons + review lesson - so both waves end a cycle on a revision lesson. This is now the With Ease course worked. Andy. P.S. From memory, one of the notes for lesson 1 regarding "waffling" has the following: andar(se) por las ramas - implying that usage of se is ok but optional. The example in the dialogue doesn't have the pronoun. This is one of those examples where producing your own notes would be beneficial and an example of something that I was going to look up but forgot about. Edited by Andy E on 24 July 2006 at 8:33am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| georgedick Diglot Newbie United States Joined 6510 days ago 18 posts - 18 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Italian, French, Catalan, Latin | Message 29 of 59 24 July 2006 at 12:50pm | IP Logged | ||
I've been working on Using Italian for about a week, and there are no instructions for the exercises- there's just a set of sentences in Italian with the translations in English on the opposite page, just the like the rest of the text for the book. My copy of Catalan sin Esfuerzo came shortly after (still waiting on the CDs, though), and the exercises in there are the opposite: they are in Spanish, with instructions to produce the Catalan for each given sentence in Spanish. In any case, just what am I supposed to do with these exercises? Thanks, George 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Farley Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6904 days ago 681 posts - 739 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English*, GermanB1, French Studies: Spanish | Message 30 of 59 24 July 2006 at 1:55pm | IP Logged | ||
George, The vagueness of the instructions can be irritating regarding the whole active wave and exercises. I pieced together what to do by comparing the directions to a couple of Assimil books. As best as I can tell, the first exercise in each lesson, the 5-6 sentences with audio followed by a pause, are to be translated back into your native (or base) language on the passive wave and then back translated on the active wave. The fill in the black exercises are naturally a bit more self explanatory. The course is flexible so you can use it to meet your needs. I usually just make sure I can pronounce the exercises the first time around and then on subsequent revisions back translate them. John Edit: You might find this topic useful. Edited by Farley on 24 July 2006 at 2:04pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| CaitO'Ceallaigh Triglot Senior Member United States katiekelly.wordpress Joined 6669 days ago 795 posts - 829 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Russian Studies: Czech, German | Message 31 of 59 25 July 2006 at 7:04pm | IP Logged | ||
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I found a previous thread from not too long ago on using Assimil.
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?T ID=3091&PN=0&TPN=1 Scroll down to Omicron's post, which includes a snippet from the Italian without Toil series. From what I've read, no two Assimil books cover the instructions in the exact way. Later on, you'll see some instructions that suggest you repeat each sentence after it's been said. Don't memorize it, but just get your mouth moving in that way. So I'm starting Lesson Three in Using Spanish. I'll try it this way. This should be a very interesting experiment, at least! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Andy E Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6915 days ago 1651 posts - 1939 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 32 of 59 26 July 2006 at 2:56am | IP Logged | ||
I think all of us who have Assimil have found a method of using it through experimentation that differs to some degree from the ways others use it. Certainly, how I've ended up approaching the second course (through trial and error) has differed from the With Ease course. Andy. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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