Teach Yourself Portuguese Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) [Paperback]

Manuela Cook (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071431721 | ISBN-13: 978-0071431729 | Publication Date: April 27, 2004 | Edition: 4

Lounging in Lisbon? Teach yourself Portuguese!

With Teach Yourself it's possible for virtually anyone to learn and experience the languages of the world, from Afrikaans to Zulu; Ancient Greek to Modern Persian; Beginner's Latin to Biblical Hebrew. Follow any of the Teach Yourself Language Courses Audiopackages at your own pace or use them as a supplement to formal courses. These complete courses are professionally designed for self-guided study, making them one of the most enjoyable and easy to use language courses you can find. Audiopackages include an instructional paperback book and two companion 60-minute audio CDs.

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Prepared by experts in the language, each course begins with the basics and gradually promotes the student to a level of smooth and confident communication, including:

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• Step-by-step guide to pronunciation and grammar.
• Regular and irregular verb tables .
• Plenty of practice exercises and answers .
• Practical vocabulary and a bilingual glossary .
• Clear, uncluttered, and user-friendly layout .
• An exploration of the culture .
• And much more .

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 4 edition (April 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071431721
• ISBN-13: 978-0071431729
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top for pronunciation, April 18, 2006

By 

G Reyes (Madison, WI, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Portuguese Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) (Paperback)

I am using this course as an absolute beginner and someone who does not find languages easy to learn. I find the course quite good, with a steady progression building up on what you learn. For me though top marks go to the way pronunciation is taught.

The course exposes the learner to different accents so you can understand native speakers wherever you go and also gives the learner the opportunity of practicing different accents. European and Brazilian accents are contrasted in the units in the book and the CDs.

Furthermore the CDs have a special section with detailed practice on how to distinguish and pronounce Brazilian and European Portuguese accents for all the sounds in the language. This corresponds to a very long table in the book in the Pronunciation section (pages 287-293) where you can find every sound, an English sound alike, the location in the Portuguese word, and how to pronounce it. You look at the sound in the table and listen to it on the CD. You can't go wrong!

117 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lounging in Rio, Lisbon, Luanda, Maputo?, December 29, 2004

By 

monicafrom nprovidence - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Portuguese Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) (Paperback)

Lounging in Rio, Lisbon, Luanda, Maputo? This course is for you, as it is for me!

This is an excellent course by all standards: structure, progression, vocabulary, pleny of practice and enjoyable exercises. But there is also something very special about this course that suits my learning requirements and I had not found before. This is what I would call a mid-atlantic course, with Portuguese you can use wherever you need it, a neutral Portuguese for both sides of the Atlantic. This is what I needed for my work takes me to more than one country where I have to communicate in Portuguese. And the course works. They can understand me! I strongly recommend this course.

103 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My first recommendation, April 9, 2005

By 

lalarupp (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Portuguese Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses) (Paperback)

I had tried other Portuguese courses before but this one is in my opinion the best. It covers practically everything you can think of in terms of vocabulary for different situations but without getting too much. Every word you learn appears to crop up again in a different context so you make the most of it with least effort. Different topics are entwined so you can use what you have learned in one area for another. For example you combine color (red) with clothes (red blouse) and shopping (red box) and how to identify people (the lady with the red bag) and so on. I really like the method. It makes the language look logic and easy to grasp and use.

I have also found another very good book by Manuela Cook. The title is Portuguese Verbs Explained, an essential guide. It was published in the UK. It tells you all about the Portuguese verbs in a very accessible way (even I understand it!) and how to make sentences with them. It also explains how they compare with English verbs, translating into and from. The course and the verbs book are musts if you want to learn Portuguese well, quickly and enjoyably. Full marks to Dr Cook from me!