Customer Reviews

Hippocrene Beginner's Polish (Book & 2 Audio CDs) (Polish Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Beginners might be scared off when they hear the first track, since one is immediately tossed into the deep end of full dialogues (rather than mechanical banter). But the book is structured very well, each unit includes practical dialogues with supplemental vocabulary and pronunciation sections, and the CDs use great native speakers, so you can really hone your pronunciation and accent. There are few Polish resources, and even fewer good ones. While the Penton Overseas and Teach Yourself series have a solid pedigree, I think the aural aspects of this instructional make it the best. You'll initially struggle to make much headway, but it'll pay off with quality spoken understanding of the language.

I am not happy with this purchase...I was expecting a book for beginners..This book is definitely not for people who are just starting to learn Polish...The dialogs on the CD are too fast and too difficult for beginners. Book is OK for intermediate students and discouraging for beginners.

I just got this today, and I am disappointed because I was hoping to listen to these CDs on my long commute to work, but unfortunately, the speakers on the CD only give the initial lesson title in English (ex: DAYS OF THE WEEK), and then they just go off in Polish.

I was hoping for cds that would say a word/phrase/sentence in English, and then go over it in Polish. This just does the Polish, so you HAVE to follow along in the book. Bummer.
Just because I would prefer to multi-task doesn't mean it's not a great book/cd set. I just started today and I do find it easier than just reading a book, but I did have to take 2 stars off due to what I think is a flagrant mistake on the part of the publisher.