Teach Yourself Complete Catalan

Book and 2 Audio CD's

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Teach Yourself Complete Catalan - 2 Audio CDs and Book

*learn how to speak, understand and write Catalan
*progress quickly beyond the basics
*explore the language in depth

Are you looking for a complete course in Catalan which takes you effortlessly from beginner to confident speaker? Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Complete Catalan 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 Catalonia.

TRY THIS
Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Comprehensive - a thorough introduction to Catalan, this book contains everything you need for your next holiday or business trip. Accessible - new vocabulary and structures are introduced step by step through dialogues.
Up to date - this new edition has been completely rewritten to reflect current teaching methods and the Catalan language as it is spoken today. Easy to use - the new page design and introduction of artwork make this edition more attractive and easier to use.

Table of Contents:
Introduction and Pronunciation guide
Unit 1 Benvingut! Welcome!
Greetings and introductions;
Attracting someone’s attention;
Saying and askin where someone is from
Unit 2 On vius? Where do you live?
Introducing other people;
Exchanging personal details;
Talking about your family;
Asking and saying where places are (I)
Unit 3 Una cita An appointment
Making an appointment;
Asking and telling the time;
Making a simple call;
Asking and saying where places are (II)
Unit 4 Anem a comprar Let´s go shopping
Asking about prices and paying for purchases;
Asking about opening and closing times;
Describing quantities, size and weight
Unit 5 Què fas? What are you doing?
Talking about what you are doing now;
Discussing your daily routine;
Saying how often you do something
Unit 6 Al restaurant At the restaurant
Talking about preferences;
Ordering meals and drinks;
Asking for and giving suggestions
Unit 7 Els transports Transport
Booking a train or plane ticket;
Expressing opinions about people or things;
Making simple comparisons
Unit 8 De vacances On holidays
Asking for or booking a room in a hotel;
Identifying different kinds of accommodation;
Hiring a car
Unit 9 Gira a la dreta Turn right
Identifying public places;
Asking for and giving directions;
Giving instructions and distances
Unit 10 Vaig néixer a Eivissa I was born in Ibiza
Talking about key events in your past;
Saying how long ago something happened;
Talking about someone's job/profession;
Greeting someone on a special occasion
Unit 11 Quin vestit més bonic! What a nice dress!
Talking about clothes in a shop and trying them on;
Talking about sizes and colour;
Describing a person's physical appearance
Unit 12 Festa major Local festivities
Talking about events in a recent past;
Talking about incidents in the city;
Talking about your pastimes
Unit 13 Demà plourà! Tomorrow it is going to rain!
Talking about projects and events in the future;
Talking about the weather;
Asking for services in a bank;
Replying to an invitation;
Sending apologies
Unit 14 Oferta de treball Work opportunity
Discussung requirements for and details of a job;
Talking and writing about obligations and responsibilities
Unit 15 No em trobo bé I don’t feel very well
Expressing moods and physical feelings;
Saying what is wrong with you;
Giving and listening to advice;
Unit 16 Això no era així It wasn't like this before
Discussing how things used to be;
Asking for and giving opinions
Taking it further
Reference tables
Key to exercises
Catalan-English Vocabulary
English-Catalan Vocabulary
Index

About the Author(s):
Anna Poch Gasau is a native speaker and an experienced teacher of Catalan to adults. She has been teaching at universities and schools in France and England since 1996. Alan Yates is former Professor of Catalan Studies at the University of Sheffield and has recently received a prize for his services to the teaching of Catalan.

About the Language

Catalan is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian) and in the city of Alghero in the Italian island of Sardinia. It is also spoken, although with no official recognition, in the autonomous communities of Aragon (in La Franja) and Murcia (in Carche) in Spain, and in the historic Roussillon region of southern France, roughly equivalent to the current département of the Pyrénées-Orientales (Northern Catalonia). The Catalan language developed by the 9th century from Vulgar Latin on both sides of the eastern part of Pyrenees mountains (counties of Roussillon, Empúries, Besalú, Cerdanya, Urgell, Pallars and Ribagorça). It shares features with Gallo-Romance and Ibero-Romance, and started as a dialect of Occitan (or of Western Romance). As a consequence of the Catalan conquests from Al-Andalus to the south and to the west, it spread to all present-day Catalonia, Balearic Islands and most of Valencian Community. During the 15th century, during the Valencian Golden Age, the Catalan language reached its highest cultural splendor, which was not matched again until La Renaixença, 4 centuries later. See also History of Catalonia After the Treaty of the Pyrenees, a royal decree by Louis XIV of France on April 2, 1700 prohibited the use of Catalan language in present-day Northern Catalonia in all official documents under the threat of being invalidated. Since then, Catalan language has lacked official status in that Catalan-speaking region in France. On December 10, 2007, the General Council of Pyrénées-Orientales officially recognized Catalan language as own one of the department and seek to further promote it in public life and education.

After the Nueva Planta Decrees, administrative use and education in Catalan was also banned in the territories of the Spanish Kingdom. It was not until the Renaixença that use of the Catalan language started to recover. In Francoist Spain (1939�1975), the use of Spanish over Catalan was promoted, and public use of Catalan was discouraged by official propaganda campaigns. The use of Catalan in government-run institutions and in public events was banned. During later stages of the Francoist regime, certain folkloric or religious celebrations in Catalan were resumed and tolerated. Use of Catalan in the mass media was forbidden, but was permitted from the early 1950s in the theatre. Publishing in Catalan continued throughout the dictatorship. There was no official prohibition of speaking Catalan in public or in commerce, but all advertising and signage had to be in Spanish alone, as did all written communication in business. Following the death of Franco in 1975 and the restoration of democracy, the use of Catalan increased partly because of new affirmative action and subsidy policies and the Catalan language is now used in politics, education and the Catalan media, including the newspapers Avui ("Today"), El Punt ("The Point") and El Periódico de Catalunya (sharing content with its Spanish release and with El Periòdic d'Andorra, printed in Andorra); and the television channels of Televisió de Catalunya (TVC): TV3, the main channel, and Canal 33/K3 (culture and cartoons channel) as well as a 24-hour news channel 3/24 and the TV series channel 300; there are also many local channels available in region in Catalan, such as BTV and Td8 (in the metropolitan area of Barcelona), Canal L'Hospitalet (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat), Canal Terrassa (Terrassa), Televisió de Sant Cugat TDSC (Sant Cugat del Vallès), Televisió de Mataró TVM (Mataró).

Teach Youself Complete Catalan - Book and 2 Audio CD's