Let’s face it; learning a new language sounds like a great idea, but it’s not always the easiest thing to make time. We may start off eager to learn, but keeping up the momentum is only for the strong and courageous. That’s what we used to think, that is, until we found Teach Yourself Instant Portuguese. In an era where everything comes at the snap of our fingers, who could pass up the opportunity to learn Portuguese instantly?
Well, the truth is, it’s not all that instant. The book requires 35 minutes a day for six weeks. That’s not a lot, but it still is a time commitment. The good news is that it’s a commitment that’s possible to complete, and with an end in sight, it gives us a lot more motivation to stay on it. The book is laid out in a way that schedules and maps out specific activities for the student to work on. The book organizes each topic into specific days, time frames, and exercises to help students reach their goal. This is different from most books which expect you to decide how much to study and when. This layout acts somewhat like a course syllabus, helping to structure a self-taught student’s lessons in a way that other books do not. The book also gives you a “Progress Chart” where you can record your own grades and know how you are doing and how much you’ve learned. This is definitely an added bonus to help self-taught students feel like they’re really in a Portuguese class. When one studies alone, motivation and structure are usually lacking; this book makes up for it in a way that others don’t.
Let’s face it; learning a new language sounds like a great idea, but it’s not always the easiest thing to make time. We may start off eager to learn, but keeping up the momentum is only for the strong and courageous.
If you aren’t familiar with the way Portuguese sounds or if your listening comprehension skills aren’t where you’d like them to be, then it is recommended that you buy the audio CD. The book provides students with a number of listening exercises, pronunciation activities, and exercises where dialogues are analyzed. In cases where the book is being used in a classroom setting, the CD’s can be optional, but for students who do not have a teacher or tutor present, the audio activities are an absolute must.
The book really does live up to its claim; by the end of the six week study period anyone who has followed the course outline should have a good grasp of the language and feel confident to use it in casual situations. The biggest problem with Teach Yourself Instant Portuguese is that after six weeks of diligent study, there’s nowhere else to go. Teach Yourself should definitely think about making this book into an entire series of its own.
