Teach Yourself Complete Dutch - 2 Audio CDs and Book
2 Cds and 384 page Book
Are you looking for a complete course in Dutch which takes you effortlessly from beginner to confident speaker? Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Complete Dutch will guarantee success! Now fully updated to make your language learning experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher and our years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course and online.The course is structured in thematic units and the emphasis is placed on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations, to using the phone and talking about work. By the end of this course, you will be at Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features:
NOT GOT MUCH TIME?
One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.
AUTHOR INSIGHTS
Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience.
GRAMMAR TIPS
Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding.
USEFUL VOCABULARY
Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking.
DIALOGUES
Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast.
PRONUNCIATION
Don't sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you go.
TEST YOURSELF
Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress.
EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Extra online articles at: www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of the culture and history of Belgium.
TRY THIS
Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it. covers a wide range of topics and language structures for learners who want to progress quickly beyond the basics to a level where they can communicate with confidence
this course will appeal to complete beginners as well as those who want to refresh existing knowledge
the topics covered will appeal to those learning for holiday or business purposes
this edition has been completely rewritten and updated to reflect changes such as the introduction of the euro, the internet, text messaging and e-mailing
the new page design and section headings in English will make the book even easier to use and less daunting for beginners
Table of Contents:
introduction
pronunciation
Hello, come in!
What do you do?
Where do you live?
Groceries
Do you know the way?
Nice shoes!
Can I have a return to Wageningen?
Did you have a nice holiday?
I've brought flowers for you
In the past
Let's go to Antwerp
I'll send you a text message
I really don't know what I want
I know exactly how you feel
I'm on the computer just about the whole day
TV is becoming more and more banal
Key to the exercises
Strong and irregular verbs
Dutch-English vocabulary
About the Dutch Language
Dutch is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people, mainly in the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname, but also by smaller groups of speakers in parts of France, Germany and several former Dutch colonies. It is closely related to other West Germanic languages (e.g., English, West Frisian and German) and somewhat more remotely to the North Germanic languages. Dutch is a descendant of Old Frankish and is the parent language of Afrikaans, one of the official languages of South Africa and the most widely understood in Namibia. Dutch and Afrikaans are to a large extent mutually intelligible, although they have separate spelling standards and dictionaries and have separate language regulators. Standard Dutch (Standaardnederlands) is the standard language of the major Dutch-speaking areas and is regulated by the Nederlandse Taalunie ("Dutch Language Union"). Dutch is also an official language of the European Union and the Union of South American Nations.
Dutch grammar also shares many traits with German, but has a less complicated morphology caused by deflexion, which puts it closer to English. Dutch has officially three genders, masculine, feminine, and neuter, however, according to some interpretations these are reduced to only two, common and neuter, which is similar to the gender systems of most Continental Scandinavian languages.
The consonant system of Dutch did not undergo the High German consonant shift and has more in common with English and the Scandinavian languages. Like most Germanic languages it has a syllable structure that allows fairly complex consonant clusters. Dutch is often noted for the prominent use of velar fricatives (ch and g, pronounced at the back of the mouth), often picked up on as a source of amusement or even satire.
Dutch vocabulary is predominantly Germanic in origin, considerably more so than English. This is to a large part due to the heavy influence of Norman French on English, and to Dutch patterns of word formation, such as the tendency to form long and sometimes very complicated compound nouns, being more similar to those of German and the Scandinavian languages. |
