Reviews (2)

To help you understand you kids!
My husband is Russian and my kids understand and speak Russian, This tape and book helped me learn to pick out words when I hear them in a conversation. Now my in-laws have conversations and I answer them in English.

Also my daughter loves singing the songs.

Russian for the younger set
I thought this was a very cute introduction to Russian. The tape is a great idea because you can tell if you are pronouncing words and phrases correctly. It could have been improved by using traditional Russian songs instead of translated American songs. Also--I could live without the guy oversinging the songs in English. All in all, a very good way to support your child's interest in Russian language. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The series is very good...
When I first started learning German over 2 years ago, a native speaker recommended to me the Pronounce it Perfectly in German set to help me pronounce more like a native (I have since been told by native speakers that my pronounciation is flawless). Now that I'm taking up spanish again (it's been 6 years/since I studied it in high school) I have purchased this Spanish version and I like it very much. The 180 minutes of intruction starts with detailed audio and written instructions on how to pronounce each vowel, consonant, and the dipthongs. This is done by two native speakers that read off around 10 words for each sound and give time for you to repeat the word before they say it once more to verify you said it correctly. After all the sounds are covered, topics such as sentence intonation and the running of words together is covered. The tapes end with five conversations between people from 5 different Spanish speaking regions with time for you to repeat each sentence the second time the interview is read.

I can honestly say that these cassettes are very helpful and worth the price. My only complaint is that they don't come on CD. ... Read more

Book Description

This updated language-learning book presents an informal, user-friendly Spanish course for non-Spanish speakers who need to learn fundamental words and expressions in Spanish in order to communicate with Latino employees in the household or workplace. This new edition keeps up with current social trends, taking into account the increasing frequency in which Anglos and Spanish-speakers converse, not only as employers and employees, but also as co-workers. Rather than emphasize dry rules of grammar, author William Harvey teaches informal, idiomatic conversational Spanish. Passages in the book recreate typical scenes in household or workplace with appropriate dialogue passages. This book can also be purchased as a package that includes three audio compact discs. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Pitiful
There is more to the Spanish language than the verbs "barrer, limpiar y cocinar". The socioeconomic message that this book carries is degrading to native Spanish speakers. It is unfortunate that people would use only this book in an effort to learn such a beautiful and rich language.

The Spanish Book I Can't Live Without
We have a Latin American person living in our home now who only speaks Spanish, and I have taught myself how to "converse" in Spanish in just over a month, thanks to this book and the cassette tapes. I have checked out many Spanish books at the library, but none gets to the heart of conversation like Household Spanish does. The introduction of vocabulary is useful and gradual, and the presentation of verb conjugation comes at just the right speed. To complement this quick-start book, I have purchased a Spanish/English dictionary and a workbook for reinforcement. With this combination, I can say almost anything, but it helps if your Spanish speaker is very patient!

An instant vocabulary builder of terminology in the home!
This mini dictionary focuses on "household terms in Spanish". Don't expect anything more or less. The book is divided into seven chapters each with thematic vocabulary. Within each section there are mini sections that focus on cultural themes (temas culturales), a review of what has been taught (repasemos), key words (palabras claves), to name a few sections. There is a pronunciation guide in brackets beside every word but I don't think it would be helpful if you are a true beginner in Spanish. I believe that sounds and phonetics need to be taught to ensure correct pronunciation and accentuation. I found the vocabulary to be interesting at times but there are so many ways in Spanish to say a word it just depends where a person is from but I think that Barron's tried to use the most generic word at all times. I really believe the book is good if you want to learn some Spanish vocabulary without having to worry about grammar and sentences etc. If you decide to purchase this book you will instantly increase your vocabulary and most of all know how to say everyday household terms in Spanish. This is a fun resource for learning Spanish vocabulary.

Household Spanish
Best Spanish/English book of its kind. I'm recommending it for our local police department (where I work.)

great resource
I recently started using a cleaning service and thought I had picked one where they spoke english but when the ladies showed up I learned that only the owner of the service speaks english. This book has been so very helpful, along with another book called "Your Housekeeping Source Book for the non-spanish speaking home owner." These two books have been invaluable to me. This book, household spanish, gives you the tools you need gramatically and word-wise to make sentences (simple ones) which is useful if you want to go beyond the very basics. It also has some helpful tips like putting labels on certain items etc. Great resource! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Sending it back.
Please take my review knowing this: In 1976, I earned admission to Sophia University's "Year In Japan" program. My self-directed preparation came from a 1950s lesson book, but an excellent home stay arrangement allowed me to update my antiquated vocabulary and jump from beginner to intermediate level classes after one term. Of course, language skills atrophy without practice, as I discovered on subsequent, short trips to Asia. Recently, I was motivated to resume serious study.

Languages evolve, so I was a bit put off by the "February 1990" copyright date of Barron's "Mastering Japanese: Hear It, Speak It, Read It, Write It," but at least, I thought, it would be an improvement over my 1970s texts. I was wrong. Barron's merely wrapped a new cover on a 1963 university text. As for reading and writing Japanese, the introduction (p. xv) clearly states, "This textbook is concerned only with spoken Japanese." Everything is written - seemingly by typewriter - in one of the Roman alphabet schemes long since abandoned. The introduction also makes it clear that the text was designed specifically for classroom use, rather than "at your own pace, in your spare time" as claimed by Barron's.
In short, this is a repack of old material. I commend the textbook's admonition that each lesson "requires many hours of class work supplemented by outside study and, if possible, laboratory work." No one should pretend that it is easy to learn Japanese. A downfall of many, more modern courses, is the claim that learning can be quick and painless, a claim "proven" by teaching a large vocabulary of Japanese words adopted from English. Barron's "Mastering Japanese" does not do this. But if one is going to put forth hours of effort, one should invest in a course that teaches contemporary Japanese. This is not it.

This book is a great and easy way to learn japanese!
if you want to learn japanese FAST than you really should buy this book. Trust me because i have bought many books and i have gone to many language classes just to learn how to speak japanese. so what im basically saying so far is that ya mid as well spend ya money now because as soon as you start trying your never gonna stop looking for a useful source to learn japanese, because it really is a complicated language and it is so very different than english so you need to find a easy way to learn japanese. So like I said you might as well get it over with and spend about 60 dollars on a book but seriosly, it a lot better than just trying to look for a good japanese book when it doesnt seem to be very helpful. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good Singing
Lively music, familiar tunes. Too fast for language learners to follow. I listen and learn the songs in my car, then teach them to my students. I bought the other two (Teach me more Spanish, and Teach me even more Spanish) and I and my kids love them all!

There is one song and dialog for each month of the year.

Great Way for a Small Child to Learn Spanish!
When I was Six and a half, my family went to Paraguay to adopt my sister. For those of you that don't know, In paraguay they speak Spanish. So that I could communicate in Paraguay, Mom Bought me a copy of Teach Me Spanish. We played the tape in my grandmother's car on the way to the airport to catch the plane. I loved it, but sadly, I have lost it. It's got La Cucaracha, The Wheels on the Car, The More We Get Together, and Many other childrens songs sung in English and Spanish. And the Teach Me series has songs sung in Spanish, French, German, and Believe it or Not Japanese, Mrs Mahoney, Could you do one in Czeck, for those going to Czeckoslovakia? (I don't know if I'm Spelling it Right) You would change the world ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Leaning Swedish in Song
This cassette and book is good for children who wish to learn Swedish in melody. [songs]. Not for adults.

Well worth the read!
I'm new to all this, so I bought what I thought would be the best primer on Swedish...and am I glad I did. Not only does the author cover all the basic techniques Swedish (modified hand-roll, deep muscle, oil/no-oil, and best choice of tables) but does so in a clear, page-turning and often humorous manner. I suggest it highly! ... Read more

Book Description

Rhyme Time--French: Book with accompanying audio cassette, packaged in colorful, sturdy plastic album.Contains French translations of 32 familiar English nursery rhymes and songs. Including such favorites as ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Book!
This is a wonderful book/tape to use in teaching EFL to youngsters. My colleagues and I have used it in several courses that we have taught and it was always a success.Highly recommend! ... Read more

Book Description

The Cambridge Latin Course is a well-established introductory program in four Units, originally developed by the Cambridge School Classics Project. Under the sponsorship of the North American Cambridge Classics Project. This proven approach includes a stimulating, continuous storyline, grammatical development and cultural information carefully woven throughout the text, a complete Language Information section now bound into the student's volume and, for the first time, color photographs that illustrate the Roman world. Also available are a thorough Teacher's Manual, a workbook, and cassette tapes. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

liber iocularis
This is a wonderful introduction to Latin for middle and high school students. It takes a more or less "whole language" approach to Latin, a novelty in itself. It is not very thorough in terms of grammar (cases and conjugations, for instance), but it's a great tool for getting kids interested in Latin. This mostly occurs because the stories are FUNNY -- and that's a great way to start with the language.

questions
I was wondering if someone who had used this previously could review it- I have used up through book 3 of this series but have never even seen the workbooks- how useful are they? Should I bother trying to buy one for unit 4? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a great way to start learning Turkish
I bought this book/cassette to learn a few words and phrases before going on vacation in Turkey. I'm not trying or expecting to actually learn Turkish, just to be able to know a few polite words, and be able to order lunch in a cafe. So my high rating reflects this goal.
This book and cassette are really easy to use. What I particularly like is that you can listen to the cassette when walking, for example, and the explanations and translations are included so you can understand what is going on without constantly referring to the little book (unlike some other lessons I've tried, where you really cannot follow the tape unless you are reading along in the book).
It was clearly put together by a real teacher -- it helps you learn step by step, and repeats things, and leaves long enough pauses for you to repeat.
I wish there were a sequel, because I'm ready to learn a little more... ... Read more

Book Description

It's open house at George's school, and George gets to try his hand at painting in the art room. What he creates, however, is not a pretty picture! George is still a clever monkey, though, and in the end, he makes the open house a happy occasion for everyone. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Curious George Goes to School
Story and graphics were poor. This is just a bunch of screen shots from the curious george movies, and has no real story line. Any of the books that are derived from the movies seem to have similar problems.

CURIOUS GEORGE GOES TO SCHOOL
MY CHILD WAS ASK TO READ THIS BOOK FOR HER CLASS AND TELL HOW SHE ENJOYED THE BOOK AS WELL AS THE ILLUSTRATIONS. THE CLASS WAS DELIGHTED AND SO WAS HER TEACHER. NOW HER TEACHER HAS ASKED ALL THE STUDENTS TO PICK A CURIOUS GEORGE BOOK TO PRESENT TO THE CLASS BECUASE IT WAS EASY TO READ, FULL OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND IT KEEP THEIR ATTENTION. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Life Saver
We don't know if it is effective yet with learning Spanish, but this tape is the only thing that will calm my 10 month old daughter. We just traveled for 16 hours straight and for some reason, this tape helps to place her in an amiable mood. The songs are sung in both English and Spanish, switching between verses and sometimes between words. They are very catchy tunes and not annoying like some other children's songs we have had to listen to repeatedly. We own both the Spanish tapes, I and II as well as the two German tapes. We would recommend the Spanish tapes to anyone who would like their kids to be familiar with another language, as long as it is supplemented by other learning methods. The German tapes are another matter; they are sung out of key and not at all melodic. They will become annoying the second time you hear them and anyone with kids could tell you, you'll be listening to them more times than you would like to count. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It works!
This course is excellent. I was originally trying to learn Greek with Hugo's Greek in Three Months, but when after 4 months I was not even halfway through, I decided I'd try Language 30. This was a very smart thing to do. I listened to the tapes every day for three months. .By the time I got to Greece 3 months later, I was able to say everything I needed to say and understand everything I needed to understand. I was amazed. I had no problems, even in remote areas where no English is spoken. My Greek neighbors at home tell me my pronunciation is excellent. The good thing about the course is that if you decide to study Greek seriously after your trip, you already have a lot of practice using proper grammar and a seemingly instinctive knowledge of sentence patterns. If you're planning to study Modern Greek in the fall, you could spend 22 minutes a day all summer listening to one side of each tape and have a huge head start that would no doubt make you the star of the class. Since each side is only 22 minutes long, it's not too difficult to squeeze in a few minutes of study that would otherwise be wasted. I found that I retained more if I listened to one side of one tape until I could respond quickly to at least 50% of the exercises before moving on to the next side of the tape. I listened to the tapes on my Walkman while on the treadmill at the gym and studied the phrasebook while I rode the subway to and from work, so learning Greek did not take up a lot of my time. I would recommend this course very highly for travelers and for students. It gets five stars from me.

Not a bad value, but a bit tedious
This set is a decent value. For your money, you get a fairly broad range of phrases and vocabulary. However, the organization of information assumes that you can keep interest listening to a bunch of discrete phrases repeated one after the other with no conversations or anything remotely natural. If you can, in fact, maintain interest while listening to these tapes repeatedly, then you'll do well with this set. If, on the other hand, you need something more dynamic, you might do well to look elsewhere.

Outstanding & Easy to Use Training Aid
Language 30: Greek, is an outstanding tool for travelers planning to visit Greece. The native speakers on the audio tapes are excellent models. Several times I was mistaken as a native speaker while traveling in the Greek islands and Peloponnese after using this course. The study aid is easy to use. Two audio tapes follow the provided phrase book verbatim, a big plus; no flipping through pages trying to match up the audio with the printed information. The pocket size phrase book is formatted in a straight forward manner which allows it to be referred to with ease and speed if you need a quick refresher. ... Read more

Book Description

Sing 'n Learn book and CD (Second edition) introduces Mandarin Chinese to children the fun and natural way using many familiar melodies as well as native children's songs from China. Children will enjoy learning basic vocabulary and pronunciation through popular themes such as greetings, numbers, family, animals, weather, colors and more. The song book contains illustrations featuring Penny and Tommy Panda while the digitally recorded CD has 22 vocals in Chinese as well as music only for Karaoke style singing. The book also includes English translations, pronunciation guide, suggested activities and instructional guides. The Sing 'n Learn Chinese is the first of its kind to be released in the United States and it is also in use in China. It is also the only title with the lyrics in both traditional and simplified characters and romanized pinyin pronunciation system. No prior knowledge of Chinese is necessary! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great for kids
My 4 year old son just loves the songs. He will listen to it three or four times a day. He has learned all the words in book. All the Chinese say he has very good pronunciation. A friend of mine recommended this book to me. She says they have worn out the tape once and are now on to the CD. The singer sings and also says clearly the words to the songs.

Skull-splitting headache guaranteed!!
If you enjoy a thumping, skull splitting migraine headache, then Sing N Learn is for you.

As a longtime language instructor, I agree with the attempt and effort that this series makes, but it is the execution that ultimately weakens Sing N Learn Chinese.

To be sure, there are much, much better ways to learn Chinese. In fact, I would recommend this title only as a last resort and after you've thoroughly exhausted traditional ways to learn Chinese.

The songs contained herein are renditions of popular Chinese folk songs. WARNING: Most of the words sung throughout are inaudible. While the accompanying workbook aids in comprehension, it isn't enough to get you through the annoying vocals of the entire Sing N Learn series.

Indeed, most of the songs contain blood-curdling vocals accompanied by low fidelity musical arrangements making listening to the songs almost unbearable. (My students asked me to turn it off after one song). Overall, the musical and vocal quality is definitely poor and grating at best. I will bet an entire year's paycheck that my dog can howl better than the vocals on this tape. Do yourself a favor: try something, anything else other than this series to learn a foreign language. "*"

My 2 year old loves it - what else matters?
My two year old wants to hear this CD again and again. He sings the songs to me and corrects me if I make a mistake!

This CD is entirely in Mandarin. At the end of the songs, the music from the entire CD is played over again without the voice, so you can sing it yourselves. Included is a book that has English translations, traditional and simplified Chinese characters, pinyin spellings with tone markers, and a glossary. (The glossary has the most important words, but not every single word that is used).

Be aware that this CD does not "teach" Chinese by itself. If the child doesn't already speak Chinese, the material needs to be presented by a parent or teacher. The songs (there are 22 of them) have been selected so that most of them can be "acted out" in some way, allowing the parent or teacher to illustrate the meaning of the song while singing it. For example, one favorite song of ours asks "Where is mommy?" and then answers "Here she is!", and you can play along with a Peek-a-boo type game. Likewise, there are two songs naming bodyparts similar to "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." In the book there is an Activity Guide with ideas for each song. I am very much in favor of this "total immersion" style of learning, especially for young children.

As a beginner myself, the task of learning the songs has taken quite a bit of effort. (To be honest, I am making my way through them at a rate of one every month or two). The songs are sung very quickly on the CD, and the English translations in the book tend to be correct English rather than literal translations. I have had to do some research to make sure I understand the meanings of each word individually. But, since I want to learn Chinese myself, this is not a bad thing. I am very grateful that this is a CD instead of an audio cassette, making it easy to repeat a song over and over while learning it. I could complain about the fast pace of the songs, but I think that it probably adds to the preschooler appeal.

One caveat is that the tone of a word is not usually clear from hearing it sung. By that I mean, I can learn a word from the song and sing along with it, but when I try to speak the word later I find that I don't know which of the four tones to use. The tones are indicated in the book, but as a memory aid the songs do not help reinforce the tones. I think that that is an inherent limitation of music as a tool for learning Chinese and not a criticism of this product in particular. It is probably best to use a combination of approaches anyway and not expect one product to do everything.

(I could also complain that every time I want to remember the word for "mouth" in Chinese I have to sing to myself "'I have two ears, I have two eyes, I have one nose, and I have one . . . . ' Oh yeah, that's it!". But hey, at least I can come up with it eventually!)

From an adult aesthetic point of view, most of the songs don't appeal to me very much. The electronic keyboard accompaniment sounds kind of like a hyper-active circus to me. I find it quite annoying when I realize that I have left the CD on and it is playing the part with just the background music and no words. Most of the songs seem to have familiar (ie, boring) western melodies - there are at least three to the tune of "Are you sleeping." But a few, like the "Frog Song", sound more like Chinese folk songs and appeal to me more.

But given the limited number of products out there, I say this one is helpful and motivating, so what else could I ask for?

The jury's still out
I bought this tape expecting that there would be children singing these songs (I don't know what prompted me to think that); instead it's an adult woman with a rather high voice. My 3 year old son has only listened to the tape once because I found the music and singing a little grating the first time we heard it. Also, I think that the songs are sung a little too fast for beginners, even though I am a Chinese speaker and can understand what's being said. I may just need to play it hundreds of times, as I do most of my son's music tapes, for him to learn the words.

sing n learn chinese
these song are great, my daughters not only learn the chinese language but also the english version of these songs. This item is used at our play group and the children love this tape. the tape is music and words are clear each word can be understood it is a must. ... Read more

Book Description

This attractive paperback book-and-audiocassette combination is anew title in Barron's "I Can Read" series.They introduce a second language tochildren of pre-school and early school age. An appealing story comes with full- color illustrations on every page, accompanied by simple text in two languages.The tapes repeat the books' bilingual texts so kids can hear the actual soundsof spoken French and English. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Get Dressed Robbie
I am passionate that my children will begin foreign language develoment early. I have been spending 1/2 hour per week day having them do a French activity (cd rom, music, videos) for the past year. My 7-year-old is losing interest but became motivated when she was introduced to Get Dressed Robbie. She is easily able to read the English to her 2-year-old brother and is working on the French. My children are picking up vocabulary and grammar naturally through this books and others in the collection. I appreciate the pronunciation guide and the encouragement to parents to attempt to pronounce even if we may be off! ... Read more