No comments about English-Latvian and Lativian-English Pocket Dictionary.

No comments about Teach Yourself Latvian Complete Course (Teach Yourself Language).

4 comments about Lonely Planet Baltic States Phrasebook (Lonely Planet : Language Survival Kit).

1. This book made me plan my 2-weeks summer-vacation in Estonia.



2. Actually, I love all "Lonely Planet" phasebooks and travel guides. You can't go wrong with them. These are the road warriors in our collection. They are worn, used and helpful! I want to own stock in Lonely Planet!

   So you ask, "isn't there a later edition available?" Don't let that stop you. They are using a winning format and when it comes to speaking at least Lithuanian, little has changed (Lithuanian is a really, really, really old language!)

   The book is concise and compact (3.5 x 5 x 1/2). It easily fits in any pocket. That is a major selling point. It is the perfect size to take along.

   It has an abreviated pronunciation guide compared the single language versions and no dictionary. That comes form having to divide the space between three languages, so it can't go as in depth. Still,all the essentials are here. If you are planning a few days in each place, you'll be fine.

   By the way, when you go to the Baltics, look for a copy of the "In Your Pocket Series" available at the airport or in the major hotels. It will be a great help to you. You can also find it online through a simple web search.




3. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone spending more than a week in the Baltics! Last year, I spent a semester in Lithuania, and this book made the transition much easier! From going to the pharmacy to buy flu medication, to trying to find out where the outdoor market was, to telling a doctor that I had hurt my knee -- this book was constantly by my side and helped me be very independent while in a foriegn country. I was also able to learn a lot of phrases that I wouldn't have in my Lithuanian class. My only complaint is that sometimes the phonetic guide was a bit confusing, but this rarely interfered with my communication (if it does, you can just show the phrase to the person you are trying to speak with).



4. Lonely Planet's BALTIC PHRASEBOOK covers the languages of the so-called Baltic republics, Estonian, Latvia, and Lithuanian.
   
   In terms of phrases, all three chapters cover the same ground. General matters like asking directions and shopping are included, as are more specialised things like visiting the doctor. The menu decoders are very helpful. Oddly enough, when a phrase contains a different word-form depending on what gender is spoken of, the order is "feminine/masculine" instead of the "masculine/feminine" of most phrasebooks and dictionaries.
   
   In their coverage of grammar, however, each chapter differs. That on Lithuanian includes a discussion of noun morphology, although it only shows four out of the language's seven cases. This may enable the traveller with some prior experience with inflected languages, such as Latin or Russian, to construct sentences not found in the book. However, the chapter on Latvian doesn't give any information like that.
   
   The book contains some general tourist information and maps for the Baltic republics, which makes it larger than it might be and somewhat redundant, as many travellers will already have a specialized guidebook for the region.
   
   This phrasebook may not be an essential purchase for someone spending only a few days in the region. Most young people in these three countries speak admirable English, and older shopkeepers can be addressed in Russian without problems (the guidebook line that shopkeepers here take offense at being addressed in Russian seems to be a myth).

No comments about Avots English-Latvian-English Dictionary.

No comments about Engligh-Latvian-English.

5 comments about Latvian-English English-Latvian Dictionary (Hippocrene Practical Dictionary).

1. I found this dictionary very lacking when used to translate Latvian cookbooks - In fact, most (90%) of the terms were not in the dictonary which I needed a translation for and I finally gave up after about 200 or so misses. I feel the basic foods / ingredients used in every day cooking are the very minimum which should be included in any dictionary. These are every day common items so don't think I am asking too much.

   Not very useful for translating cook books.




2. this is a great companion book for the Dicionary and phrase book.
   It has many words that the other does not .



3. The book I purchased was delivered to my house in great condition. It was if I had just bought the book at a book store.



4. If you are going to spend a good deal of time in Latvia and have the need or desire to have a solid detailed dictionary dealing with Latvian then this would be a very good dictionary to own. I purchased it when I was getting ready to go over to Latvia for the first of two Fulbright trips to Latvia and I found it very useful.



5. I am very dissapointed in the book you sent me.
   I do not know when was the last time this dictionary was edited.To claim that this dictionary is exellent resource for students,travelers etc.is wrong.For example - on page 277 under "Latvia" it is indicated "Latvia"
   as "Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic". Latvia has been indipendant since Aug.1991. The same holds true for the other Baltic states. I do not know what the publishers agenda is, but Amazon should take a look at this and not sell books that publish wrong information.
   Sincerely,
   John Leimanis

No comments about Book2 English - Latvian For Beginners: A Book In 2 Languages.

4 comments about Eastern European 12 Language Phrasebook (Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian and Ukrainian)(Phrasebooks S.).

1. This guidebook is a handy, compact reference for simple survival and simple courtesy-based conversation. It is suited for the traveler who intends to visit the countries that feature these 12 languages, but not for the student who is trying to learn one particular language. Alternatively, the book will serve well the student of a language who needs a quick reference for simple phrases, should he stumble.
   
   The book features simple greetings and situational phrases, such as at the airport or the restaurant, along with a brief history of each language. It also has a section devoted to telling time, which I found lacking, since it did not cover all the times of the day (just the times within 9 o'clock, and how to say "noon," "afternoon," and "evening," for example). One of the book's strengths is its phonetic pronunciations for each translated phrase. Although I found some pronunciations were incorrect (in the Lithuanian section), it will help you in a bind.



2. Well-organized list of phrases in twelve languages. It would be ideal for a trip through several different countries in eastern and central Europe, but if you were going to spend any serious time in a single country, you would want more. It has the drawbacks common to all phrasebooks -- the phrases may not be the ones you actually need. Because this one is so compact, there is no room for glossaries or any advice on customs or grammar.
   
   Still, it has a lot of phrases in a compact, easy-to-use package.
   
   I bought this for a short trip to Romania, where I socialized largely with Hungarian speakers. Didn't need it urgently, and so rarely tested it "under fire" -- doctor, train connections, etc. But it helped me learn a few basic phrases in two different languages at the same time, which allowed me to at least seem polite. (Of course, I kept using Romanian phrases among Hungarians and vice-versa, which defeated the purpose a little, but that's not the book's fault!)



3. This is a quick way to make your needs know as you travel through a number of countries which speak other languages especially Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian and 9 others. The basic transliteration used in the book is the same throughout the book. Familiarity of the basic outline of the 350 phrases should be done, some of which are compounded therefore you have to count the words to point to the correct one. I don't know if an audio transcript has ever been done of the book-it would be useful!The book is pocket size and fits into the back pocket of my jeans. You may want to use a removeable tab to the language in demand for easier use



4. Item as described. I haven't used it yet, but will take it on a trip to Central Europe in a couple of weeks. I'm sure it will be helpful.

5 comments about Latvian-English/English-Latvian Dictionary & Phrasebook.

1. This book has alot of helpful information, and it actually explains how the differnt tense and verb modifications are made. The phrases it contains may help you visit the country. overall for the tourist its a great book, for anyone serious about learning latvian, look elsewhere.



2. The book I purchased was delivered to my house in great condition. It was if I had just bought the book at a book store.



3. Excellent little book, that I needed to write cards and some letters,
   shipped , packing everything was excellent



4. The dictionary arrived in a timely fashion and was in excellent condition. I would not hesitate to order from the seller in the future.



5. Generally, a very good overview of the Latvian language with fairly good explanations of pronunciation, grammar, etc. Consequently, something had to give considering the size of the book and the would be the size actual dictionary. It's a little light in this regard but overall a good value for the money.

1 comments about Teach Yourself Latvian Complete Course with Audio CDs (TY: Complete Courses).

1. I've now had this book for one month.
   
   The combination of CD:s and book is good. The book is pedagocically written.
   I first bought the "Colloquial Latvian"-book but it covers different areas of the language to fast for me.
   
   Learning a new language requires a lot of work. I listen to the different areas over and over again and do the excercises. Now I can say some easy sentences.