Complete Afrikaans Beginner to Intermediate Book and Audio Course: Audio eBook

by Lydia McDermott

Do you want to be able to listen to, speak, read and write Afrikaans confidently? Do you want the convenience of being able to learn at home or on the move? Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Teach Yourself Complete Afrikaans – Touch & Listen will guarantee success!

Touch & Listen ebooks are a groundbreaking new approach to language learning that include recordings of pronunciation and conversations within the pages of the books themselves – right where you need them.

In the past you used to have to juggle separate books and CDs/MP3s to master listening, speaking, reading and writing. Not anymore. Thanks to the latest enhanced ebook technology, you can learn and practise all four language skills plus grammar and vocabulary from a single ebook that you can read and listen to on your tablet device or smartphone. First, touch the on-screen play buttons and listen to native speakers conversing on scores of current topics. Then rewind. Or pause. Whatever you need to do to make sure you’ve fully understood what you have just listened to. When you are ready, complete the activities with the convenient notes feature. You are in control. It’s that simple.

STRUCTURE The course is structured in thematic units based on real-life situations and with an emphasis on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations, to using the phone and talking about work.

NOT MUCH TIME? Get started with a 1-minute introduction to the key principles of the language.

GRAMMAR Follow easy-to-manage steps to give you a clear understanding of the language.

VOCABULARY Use clearly marked lists to make it easy to find and review the most useful vocabulary.

DIALOGUES Touch & Listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast.

PRONUNCIATION Don't sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you travel.

INSIGHTS Look out for lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author’s many years of teaching experience.

FEATURES Make full use of the wealth of convenient ebook features, including highlighting, making notes and a built-in dictionary.

PROGRESS Rise to Level B1 of the Common European Framework for Languages: Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions.

TEST YOURSELF Use the unit tests to keep track of your progress.

Genres: Reference

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 28, 2005

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another standard Teach Yourself language aid. The Afrikaans language is a neat sounding language in my opinion. It evolved from the Dutch vernacular of Holland (Hollandic dialect) spoken by the largely Dutch settlers (and then by the native Africans who associated with them) in South Africa, where it gradually began to develop distinguishing characteristics in the course of the 18th century. Afrikaans is now considered its own language and has distinct morphology, grammar, and spelling that differs from standard Dutch.

1. How are you?
Afrikaans: Hoe gaan dit met jou?
Dutch: Hoe gaat het met je?

2. I am fine/well, thank you.
Afrikaans: Ek is oukei, dankie.
Dutch: Hoe gaat goed met mij, dank je.

3. Good morning
Afrikaans: Goeiemore
Dutch: Goedemorgen

4. Good night:
Afrikaans: Goeie nag
Dutch: Goedenacht

The book is broken into the usual lessons to include greetings/introductions, going on a trip, eating & shopping, etc. Each chapter has an audio dialogue related to the topic that is helpful. The vocabulary lists, grammar explanations, and basic review exercises are helpful at learning the language. I would recommend this publisher or the Routledge Colloquial series if you or someone is serious about language self-study. Thanks!

[D J Rout · Rating 5 out of 5]

This updated version has been adapted to fit post-Mandela South Africa. Afrikaans is in decline, swept away by the acceptance of other African languages and the pervasion of English, but it's still popular enough to be worth learning, at least as an insight into a civilisation gone with the wind, so to speak.

But the Kindle can't pronounce Afrikaans to save itself, so you will go quietly insane if you're using the text-to-speech function. I mean, it does a better job than it did with Beowule but that isn't saying much.

A book well worth your acquisition.

[Ama]

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