No comments about Collins Dutch Phrasebook: The Right Word in Your Pocket (Collins Gem).

No comments about Cinema for French Conversation: Instructor's Manual, Second Edition.

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Dutch Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks).

1. Since I am a beginner in studying Dutch, I try every possible way to look for books and courses which are able to help myself improve my knowledge of the Netherlands. To know a country or a state or a nation, the best way is to understand what the people think, how the people lead their lives and the language they use. "The Rough Guide to Dutch" I think it is good for the beginners. It is a so-called "dictionary phrasebook." you can get not only basic vocabulary and phrases but also daily life information. In my opinion, to choose the book is a good idea to help yourself. It is a pocket book that you can bring it to everywhere without any trouble. Everytime and everywhere you want to enlarge your vocabulary, it is at hand. It is full of basic & daily vocabulary. The more you attempt, the more you earn!



2. I bought this book before going over to the Netherlands for a business trip. I found the book VERY confusing and VERY unusable. The pronunciation guide is very misleading. For example, it leads you to think that the "n" at the end of every word should be pronounced as "u" as in bus, which is totally untrue. The content is arranged in dictionary format, and is thus unhelpful at all for the beginner. I highly recommend AGAINST this book. BTW, most people in the Netherlands can understand and many can speak English, so if you go over there for a short stay, you don't need to learn Dutch at all.



3. I agree with the first reviewer in that the pronounciation is off for the -en sounds (and a couple others, perhaps), but this book seems to be a useful guide for the casual tourist. Most of the travel items are the often-used phrases that folks would need. (Especially if you're in amsterdam or Rotterdam, where dropping that -en for the -eh is typical)



4. I took a copy of this along with me on a trip to the Netherlands, primarily for assisting in understanding signs and menu items more than as a phrase book. Unless you plan to travel to very rural areas, you will have absolutely no problem getting along/around in NL. Just learning a few phrases of greeting, please/thanks, and goodbye (for courtesy's sake) is sufficient.

   A plus for providing some Dutch grammar basics, which might spark an interest in more in-depth study. A minus for an unnecessary section on vulgarisms. The translations of some phrases are a bit too "interpretive" for my taste, some of the translations could be a bit more literal (or provide a literal meaning of the Dutch phrase). The pronunciation guide is not completely accurate, either.

   If you're just heading to the Netherlands or Belgium on a brief holiday, you really won't *need* a phrase book. A waiter will be happy to decipher the menu for you if it is not multi-lingual. You won't really need to know the road signs unless you're driving (and with the excellent public transportation system and bicycle paths/lanes, you probably won't). And if you're seriously interested in learning Dutch, it won't offer you anything you can't learn in a more substantial book.

   Save the money, and put it toward your Lonely Planet guidebook.




5. I used the book for two weeks driving around and doing business in The Netherlands and Belgium. It's sized so that I can keep it in a back pocket so I always had it with me. It might be a great book for people who have had some instruction and need refreshing. Since I had "never seen Dutch before" it was impossible to have a conversation using it.
   I never expected to talk, just read signs. But each time I tried, I only found half the words I needed. (I was driving and parking on my own and I'm sure I bypassed legal parking or parked illegally but was lucky. I also completely misunderstood a "there's major traffic problems, find alternate route" sign because too many key words weren't listed.) A section of "common signage" would be really helpful.
   The menu section was useful for $5-10/meal restaurants (whose staff may not be very good with English), but leaves out most of the fancy things at a good restaurant. (where there will often be someone who speaks enough English) (And if you're going to be in the area you have to treat yourself to good food - there's so much of it).
   I try not to be an Ugly American, but found that it was better to greet someone in English, because they'll instantly switch over to continue the conversation. But if you start in Dutch they assume you understand and chatter on too fast to follow. Get a local to show you how to say "thank you" and "goodbye" and other key phrases for the end of your conversation - there are lots of locals out there laughing at our mispronunciation of words that can't be described through dictionary phoenetics and include sounds that don't exist in American words.
   
   I wouldn't go back without it, but I'm still looking for a replacement that meets my needs for my return in a few months.

2 comments about NTC's Compact Dutch and English Dictionary.

1. The English word "because" is not in the English/Dutch section of the book. There are no genders of verbs or pronunciation guides.



2. This book offers little more than a list of words with no other information. It doesn't provide any guide to pronunication or usage and doesn't give the gender for nouns. I was also unable to find entries for some very common words and have spotted a few errors along the way. I recommend spending a little extra for the New Routledge Dutch Dictionary; it's much better.

2 comments about Vocabulearn Dutch: Level 2 (VocabuLearn).

1. This is a very good resource to learn Dutch. Essentially, it is a vocabulary audio book. In the booklet, you can find all the words pronounced, and the advantage is that both Dutch and English equivalents are presented. So, you are going to eventually have an intuitive grasp of pronunciation and will learn tons of important words and expressions. I am using it in combination with good textbooks and software. That seems to work the best.



2. Unlike their Level 1, I found this a very odd collection of words and expressions. It is disappointing. The format is nice though, allowing time to repeat (or guess) each word and phrase.

No comments about Berlitz Dutch Pocket Dictionary (Berlitz Pocket Dictionaries).

3 comments about Say It In Dutch: Over 1,400 up-to-date practical entries.

1. This pithy phrasebook is ideal for someone who just needs to get by in Dutch. Dutch is not a particularly difficult language for English speakers, so that helps. Other than tourist oriented sentences and an index, the only other material is a table that explicates pronounciation. Again, no big deal here. Pretty much anything a tourist might need to say is here.

   The only things that might make it better would be a crash course on conjugating verbs, and a glossary at the back for supplementary vocabulary.




2. This pithy phrasebook is ideal for someone who just needs to get by in Dutch. Dutch is not a particularly difficult language for English speakers, so that helps. Other than tourist oriented sentences and an index, the only other material is a table that explicates pronounciation. Again, no big deal here. Pretty much anything a tourist might need to say is here.

   The only things that might make it better would be a crash course on conjugating verbs, and a glossary at the back for supplementary vocabulary.




3. In short, I use many phrase books for different languages, and this one was very good and worth the price.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Dutch: Complete Course (Teach Yourself Language Complete Courses).

1. It is a good german course, it begins with the classical method of self introducing and advance to more complex figures. As in any language that I learned you must take your time, pay attention and be consistent.



2. Having grown up and matriculated through elementary and high schools as well as college in The Netherlands, I know what a difficult language it is. It has oftentimes been compared that, for a non-Dutch speaking person, it is akin to learn Mandarin.
   
   Not quite impossible, but very, very difficult.
   
   A book and CD set cannot possibly cover all of that for the Dutch language, and the dearth of sets like these for Mandarin proves my point.



3. if you don't know a thing about the dutch language this is certainly not a good starter book. I've read better books and better explaination. being dutch myself I know what I'm talking about.



4. Excellent book. From the first chapter my confidence grew. I then jumped to chapter 4 - which was excellent for doing my shopping. As my knowledge grew and confidence too, I wanted to learn more. Have recommended the book to all the expats living here in Holland!



5. This book would be difficult for an absolute beginner in Dutch. If a person already has some familiarity with the language (just a little vocabulary and grammar), it is a good resource. The accompanying CD is excellent. Persons who would benefit from this book would need to be self-motivated and organized in order to retain the skills/knowledge presented.

2 comments about A Reference Grammar of Dutch: With Exercises and Key.

1. I would recommend this grammar to anyone who has some background knowledge of Dutch and who needs an easy-to-use reference work. The grammar is clearly explained, the exercises are adequate. All examples are provided with English translations, and the book distinguishes between beginning and intermediate learners of Dutch. As a result, it tells the reader what is essential and what is more sophisticated knowledge. The book tries to be "user-friendly:" This means that grammatical terminology has been kept to a minimum. The only part that I did not like about this book is that the topics are arranged alphabetically. So, if you are interested in, say, the present tense formation of Dutch, you look it up under "present tense", the past tense is located under "past," etc. Such an organizing principle does not give a clear overview of the verbal system in Dutch. The same can be said about pronouns, adjectives, etc. This organization of topics also defeats the need for an index at the end of the book. But, in spite of this shortcoming, this is a good tool for intermediate learners of Dutch.



2. I would recommend this grammar to anyone who has some background knowledge of Dutch and who needs an easy-to-use reference work. The grammar is clearly explained, the exercises are adequate. All examples are provided with English translations, and the book distinguishes between beginning and intermediate learners of Dutch. As a result, it tells the reader what is essential and what is more sophisticated knowledge. The book tries to be "user-friendly:" This means that grammatical terminology has been kept to a minimum. The only part that I did not like about this book is that the topics are arranged alphabetically. So, if you are interested in, say, the present tense formation of Dutch, you look it up under "present tense", the past tense is located under "past," etc. Such an organizing principle does not give a clear overview of the verbal system in Dutch. The same can be said about pronouns, adjectives, etc. This organization of topics also defeats the need for an index at the end of the book. But, in spite of this shortcoming, this is a good tool for intermediate learners of Dutch.

1 comments about Conversational Dutch: Learn to Speak and Understand Dutch with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur).

1. I have been enjoying the CD's but when I got to Lesson 11, it referred to a booklet. There was no booklet with the CDs. So, I called the 800 number on the box and requested that they send it to me. I received it about a week later. Unfortunately, the booklet doesn't match the CD. I am not pleased that I had to request the booklet in the first place. I am seriously annoyed that I still don't have the right book!