49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great way to learn this beautiful language, October 7, 2004
This review is from: Teach Yourself Hungarian Complete Course Audiopack (Paperback)
I am learning Hungarian ( for about 1 year ) & French ( for about 5 years ). This book with the CD's is great. I would like to get some other learning materials, especially with more vocabulary, but my approach in French has been to buy every CD I could lay my hands on & learn them. Teach Yourself Hungarian has been very helpful, especially since I have a native Hungarian who has been helping me. The units are very easy to follow, but I especially like the beginning because the first tracks on the first CD are the alphabet & pronounciation tips; VERY HELPFUL! Learning this alphabet has been a challange, so I go through that track every day & I'm noticing my Hungarian friend isn't laughing quite as much as before........although that may be due to boredom & not any improvement on my part. The introduction is also well done with some good tips on how to approach learning Hungarian although the tips apply to any language. Baldgog vagyok, viszlat!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good introduction to Hungarian, and enough for tourist use, August 1, 2006
This review is from: Teach Yourself Hungarian Complete Course Audiopack (Paperback)
Like the rest of this series, this book is intended for self study. This is not the best way to learn a language (get a tutor) but for many people it is the only practical way. For this task, this book is very useful, and the audiopack essential.
The course begins with pronunciation and spelling. The spelling is fine, but I thought the pronunciation part of the tapes should have been longer, with more repetition and drilling.
The next group of chapters emphasizes practical language skills for a tourist in Hungary -- restaurants, stores, public transportation, asking directions, and so forth. This is well designed, with useful choice of vocabulary and grammar. The only thing I'd change would be to add a section on ice cream flavors, since the local ice cream is so good!
The last part moves into a real langauge course. The book and tapes are still thoughtfully designed, but at this level it's really hard to make progress in the language -- you need a teacher or informant so that you can speak. The book has written exercises, and I've made some progress in reading Hungarian, but a book like this can only do so much.
Still, the program as a whole works. I've been able to speak and understand Hungarian in predictable set-piece environments such as restaurants, train stations, and shops. Both the book -- and the beautiful language and fascinating people -- have made me want to do more.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nagyon Jo, October 22, 2006
This review is from: Teach Yourself Hungarian Complete Course Audiopack (Paperback)
My mom's entire family is from Hungary. She speaks it and I've grown up learning little words and phrases, but about three months ago I decided to seriously start learning the language.
This book is a god-send. I could have little conversations with my mom after chapter 1!!!!!!!!!! This book is great!!! Buy it if you're serious about learning the language. If you're just looking for tourist information, this book will defidently help, but you could probably find something cheaper.
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