Customer Reviews

Colloquial Dutch 2: The Next Step in Language Learning (Colloquial Series)

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This is perhaps the only sequel for the basic self-study Dutch courses available out there. At least I found no other titles when I was looking for something to help me go on with my studies. So, Colloquial Dutch 2 seems to fill a market gap that would otherwise let students down. Unfortunately, the course falls short of what it could have been. I would even say that it fails on all main counts.


1) TEXTS
A good language course should have a progressive content. In other words, what you learn in Chapter 2 should build on what you learnt in Chapter 1 and prepare you to face Chapter 3. Besides, texts should be chosen according to the chapter level and illustrate the grammar points under study.

This course does nothing of that. Most texts are directly taken from newspapers and other sources, without a concern to present language gradually. Texts in the end of the book are not necessarily harder than texts in the beginning. More serious than that, however, is the fact that they are not presented to illustrate any particular language structures. You read them and that is all. There are no exercises to allow the student to practise new constructions or improve on grammar points. Such exercises as follow the texts are focused rather on the content than on the language, so that you will be asked to remember facts and tell whether assertions are true or false. At most such exercises will make you read again a paragraph; they are rather tests of memory than of language acquisition. The only advantage they have over texts that we can read in any Dutch sites is that they come with audio.


2) GRAMMAR SECTIONS
There are sections devoted to grammar, but they are often out of tune with the texts. More than once you will find a text demanding a reasonable command of grammar side by side with a grammar section explaining very basic points. If you needed the explanation, you probably couldn't face the text. And if you could face the text, the explanation is inane. Moreover, grammar sections also provide few or no exercises.


3) THE AUDIO
Besides the reading of texts, you will find audio exercises which don't feature in the book. And they are often at odds with the written material. The very first exercise involves the use of the imperative, which will be explained in the book only two chapters ahead. It also expects the student to hear a sentence, understand it, memorise it and repeat it while changing the verb mood. The book, at that time, is teaching personal pronouns. Here too, if the student is able to do the former, he doesn't need the latter; and if he needs to learn personal pronouns, he will never be able to understand the audio in the first place.


So, if you are really looking for a sequel, I think you will have to make do with this one. But if you find anything else out there, I encourage you to give it a good look. Chances are that it will be better than Colloquial Dutch 2.

Like the name says, this book is for beginning dutch students who want to advance to the next level. I never bought colloquial dutch 1 so I cant really say what its advancing from, but from going from the "Teach Yourself Dutch Series" (which i would not recommend at all) to this series has been a great improvement. This series is of course, for those who want to improve their beginners dutch. Don't expect any frills or fun activities- its purely textbook-like. I have no problem learning the new vocabulary and grammar but thats because im already familiar with most of it. I suggest perhaps going through two different beginners dutch series and then work your way through this book. I really like how i can easily navigate where i'm at in the book and what the objectives of the lesson are. I wanted to buy the rossetta stone series but they are outrageously high, so no hope there. For its price, id say its a pretty good bargain.