Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil: The Complete Course for Beginners (Routledge Colloquials)
by Barbar Mcintyre
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List Price: $46.95
Our Price: $33.81
Your Save: $ 13.14 ( 28% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
Dewey Decimal Number: 469
EAN: 9780415453936
ISBN: 0415453933
Label: Routledge
Number Of Items: 2
Publication Date: 2008-07-09
Publisher: Routledge
Studio: Routledge
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: it's not colloquial at all
Comment: From a book that has ''Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil'' in its title you would expect something focusing more on colloquial, oral usage. But, this book got it all wrong: the focus is more on formal, written style that is close to Continental Portuguese and it's too formal for a colloquial style of Brazil (comparing it with English, it's like teaching you stuff like: It is I, or Whom shall we invite? It's too formal/bookish!). So, avoid it at any cost. The book 2 of this course is even weirder!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil
Comment: Very helpfl book if you already have knoledge of Portuguese. Personally, I think the conversation on the CD's are very fast for someone who's trying to learn Portuguese as a begginer. I consider they should speak more slowly on the first lessons, at least.
Over all, it's very helpful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites.
Comment: I wouldn't say that this course is for a total beginner. If you've already got some knowledge of the language (or if you've studied a different Romance language before and have an idea of how the grammar and syntax works), then this would be an excellent choice. It's a little intimidating at first -- the dialogues are almost all spoken at everyday speed, but this will help you develop an ear for what you'll really be hearing from native speakers. Each lesson includes dialogues, grammar notes, and exercises to test what you've learned. A small reference section at the end of the book includes grammar notes, an answer key to the exercises, and a short two-way dictionary of vocabulary used throughout the book.
For someone who already has a good foundation in the language, this is an excellent resource. Each lesson is themed for specific situations and includes vocabulary pertaining to each theme (eating out, travelling, using the Internet, etc.), and the accompanying audio, although not perfect, is accurate in portraying the intonation and speed of native speakers. This course can be your best friend if you know how to use it to its potential.
The dialogues, though plentiful, are short. There are a few reading texts scattered throughout, but these are also surprisingly short. On top of this, the review of the pronunciation guide is different from what's in the book; the book lists each letter and how it's pronounced, example words included, but the audio goes through the alphabet with different example words that a beginner won't know.
If this course seems too much at first, try something a little easier. "Living Language Portuguese : The Basics" also focuses on Brazilian Portuguese and would be a great start in learning the language. There's also "Colloquial Portuguese" for those who want a better understanding of literary Portuguese and its variations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Drill Book
Comment: I agree with the previous commentators. This a good drill and language decoding (reinforces semi-learned words and phrases) for the higher level beginner or intermediate student, but not for beginners.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Learning New Languages
Comment: In my attempt to learn Portuguese, I've purchased quite a number of books available in the market. I have my favourites, however I find it's necessary to refer to at least 3 different publications in order to get a good overview of any given foreign language of choice.
There are 3 publications that are top of my list. Teach Yourself series, Hugo in 3 Months and the above, Colloquial Brazilian Portuguese. Teach Yourself Beginners, provides an easy and yet quite comprehensive start to the language. However, the accompanying grammar explanations are given in stages, which personally I don't prefer. Which brings me to the Hugo series.
Depending on each individual's learning needs, I utilised both books simultaneously. Where the grammar points lacked in Teach Yourself, I referred to Hugo to give me the complete picture. As an example, the few initial chapters of TY, would provide the verb conjugations for only the first two personal pronouns. Although this makes sense in terms of compartmentalising the information in managable chunks, my personal style of learning requires me to see the whole picture. I need to know the whole table of verb conjugations for the complete set of personal pronouns! Such is my style ...
On the other hand, if one only refers to Hugo for their initial exposure, they might find themselves, bogged down by technical grammatical information, rather clinical and sterile, which in turn can slow progress. Which was what happened to me. If this whole process of learning is like a woman's journey in dieting, inevitably when one is too strict in their approach, you would hit a plateau. Where it seems like your brain can't possibly absorb anymore then it already has! A couple of times that has happened to me, I take a step back and refer to my Teach Yourself Beginners Series. In fact, I'll even go for a few days hiatus of not learning at all! Going back and forth between these 3 books I referred to above, I always find myself at each juncture, progressing a lot further than I realised.
In summary, thumbs up to all the above save for one critique. The audio accompaniament for the Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil, is a STARK contrast to their other publication - Colloquial Portuguese. Whilst the latter's audio aid is excellent in terms of presentation and most importantly the SPEED of speech by the speakers, the former audio aid must've been done on a budget for studio recording time! Speech on audio CD was one step away from Alvin and the Chipmunks! Too fast for it to be effectively audible to facilitate my learning needs. If anything, it provided me with comic relief ... If any buyer out there is considering only one book to purchase however, I would recommend the Colloquial Series. It infuses both the lively approach of Teach Yourself and the complete grammar explanations as how Hugo does it. Quite good actually.
And finally, a special shout out to the Earworms franchise. Although a little bit far fetched for anyone to think it can be the only language tool needed to learn a new language, (learning grammer is still pivotal) it works! In fact, I'm still referring to it time and time again during my hiatus to further entrench the sounds and words deep in the recesses of my brain. Plus the background music is actually quite hip - spanning from latin acoustics to electronica funk. Ok maybe not Top of The Charts anytime soon, but very effective. Boa Sorte!
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: it's not colloquial at all
Comment: From a book that has ''Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil'' in its title you would expect something focusing more on colloquial, oral usage. But, this book got it all wrong: the focus is more on formal, written style that is close to Continental Portuguese and it's too formal for a colloquial style of Brazil (comparing it with English, it's like teaching you stuff like: It is I, or Whom shall we invite? It's too formal/bookish!). So, avoid it at any cost. The book 2 of this course is even weirder!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil
Comment: Very helpfl book if you already have knoledge of Portuguese. Personally, I think the conversation on the CD's are very fast for someone who's trying to learn Portuguese as a begginer. I consider they should speak more slowly on the first lessons, at least.
Over all, it's very helpful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites.
Comment: I wouldn't say that this course is for a total beginner. If you've already got some knowledge of the language (or if you've studied a different Romance language before and have an idea of how the grammar and syntax works), then this would be an excellent choice. It's a little intimidating at first -- the dialogues are almost all spoken at everyday speed, but this will help you develop an ear for what you'll really be hearing from native speakers. Each lesson includes dialogues, grammar notes, and exercises to test what you've learned. A small reference section at the end of the book includes grammar notes, an answer key to the exercises, and a short two-way dictionary of vocabulary used throughout the book.
For someone who already has a good foundation in the language, this is an excellent resource. Each lesson is themed for specific situations and includes vocabulary pertaining to each theme (eating out, travelling, using the Internet, etc.), and the accompanying audio, although not perfect, is accurate in portraying the intonation and speed of native speakers. This course can be your best friend if you know how to use it to its potential.
The dialogues, though plentiful, are short. There are a few reading texts scattered throughout, but these are also surprisingly short. On top of this, the review of the pronunciation guide is different from what's in the book; the book lists each letter and how it's pronounced, example words included, but the audio goes through the alphabet with different example words that a beginner won't know.
If this course seems too much at first, try something a little easier. "Living Language Portuguese : The Basics" also focuses on Brazilian Portuguese and would be a great start in learning the language. There's also "Colloquial Portuguese" for those who want a better understanding of literary Portuguese and its variations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Drill Book
Comment: I agree with the previous commentators. This a good drill and language decoding (reinforces semi-learned words and phrases) for the higher level beginner or intermediate student, but not for beginners.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Learning New Languages
Comment: In my attempt to learn Portuguese, I've purchased quite a number of books available in the market. I have my favourites, however I find it's necessary to refer to at least 3 different publications in order to get a good overview of any given foreign language of choice.
There are 3 publications that are top of my list. Teach Yourself series, Hugo in 3 Months and the above, Colloquial Brazilian Portuguese. Teach Yourself Beginners, provides an easy and yet quite comprehensive start to the language. However, the accompanying grammar explanations are given in stages, which personally I don't prefer. Which brings me to the Hugo series.
Depending on each individual's learning needs, I utilised both books simultaneously. Where the grammar points lacked in Teach Yourself, I referred to Hugo to give me the complete picture. As an example, the few initial chapters of TY, would provide the verb conjugations for only the first two personal pronouns. Although this makes sense in terms of compartmentalising the information in managable chunks, my personal style of learning requires me to see the whole picture. I need to know the whole table of verb conjugations for the complete set of personal pronouns! Such is my style ...
On the other hand, if one only refers to Hugo for their initial exposure, they might find themselves, bogged down by technical grammatical information, rather clinical and sterile, which in turn can slow progress. Which was what happened to me. If this whole process of learning is like a woman's journey in dieting, inevitably when one is too strict in their approach, you would hit a plateau. Where it seems like your brain can't possibly absorb anymore then it already has! A couple of times that has happened to me, I take a step back and refer to my Teach Yourself Beginners Series. In fact, I'll even go for a few days hiatus of not learning at all! Going back and forth between these 3 books I referred to above, I always find myself at each juncture, progressing a lot further than I realised.
In summary, thumbs up to all the above save for one critique. The audio accompaniament for the Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil, is a STARK contrast to their other publication - Colloquial Portuguese. Whilst the latter's audio aid is excellent in terms of presentation and most importantly the SPEED of speech by the speakers, the former audio aid must've been done on a budget for studio recording time! Speech on audio CD was one step away from Alvin and the Chipmunks! Too fast for it to be effectively audible to facilitate my learning needs. If anything, it provided me with comic relief ... If any buyer out there is considering only one book to purchase however, I would recommend the Colloquial Series. It infuses both the lively approach of Teach Yourself and the complete grammar explanations as how Hugo does it. Quite good actually.
And finally, a special shout out to the Earworms franchise. Although a little bit far fetched for anyone to think it can be the only language tool needed to learn a new language, (learning grammer is still pivotal) it works! In fact, I'm still referring to it time and time again during my hiatus to further entrench the sounds and words deep in the recesses of my brain. Plus the background music is actually quite hip - spanning from latin acoustics to electronica funk. Ok maybe not Top of The Charts anytime soon, but very effective. Boa Sorte!
Intended for self-study or class use, this course offers a step-by-step approach to written and spoken Portuguese with no prior knowledge of the language required. It includes exercises for regular practice; a vocabulary and pronunciation guide; answer key; and reference section. By the end of this course the reader should be able to communicate in Portuguese in a range of everyday situations. Two 60-minute cassettes are available to accompany this text. Recorded by native speakers, these cassettes can be used on any audio system and complement the book, helping you with pronunciation and listening skills.
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