5 comments about Czech-English/English-Czech Dictionary and Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks).

1. Essential phrases to help make a vacation in a foreign country more enjoyable



2. This book includes a Czech-English and English-Czech dictionary, as well as a basic grammar section and even a short history of the Czech Republic. After looking at several Czech dictionaries, this is the one that I've found to be easiest to use and is best suited for a tourist or casual student of the language.



3. This is a great way to learn how things are spelled and translating from english to czech. It also helps a little with pronunciation. However, it is best when used with a language program. Such as Pimsleur or any other program that helps you learn how to speak the language.



4. If you make a trip to the Czech republic and want to understand a few words, while you are in the airport, restaurant, city centre etc. then this book is appropriate for you. It provides a brief list with the most common words you will need, when staying in Czech republic for a few days. But remember! Only the most common. If you need something more detailed, you have to look for an appropriate dictionaty.



5. The Czech to English dictionaryCzech-English/English-Czech Dictionary and Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary andthat I purchased left me a little disappointed. It did a very good job explaining grammer but many words that I have read online cannot be found in the dictionary but can online.

5 comments about Polish, Basic: Learn to Speak and Understand Polish with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur).

1. I can't understand if anybody can learn polish by this course. Without any written material, I think it is impossible. Stay Away!



2. Although very repetitive, these CDs make you memorize difficult polish phrases and words. Polish is definitely a very difficult language to learn, and this CD is very helpful.



3. This item was a gift for my 17 year old nephew, who is of Polish extraction. He hopes to visit to Poland next summer. Apparently he is really excited by it and is enjoying the learning process.



4. I am planning a trip to Poland, and bought this set of CD's to try to learn a few words and phrases. Trying to read the Polish words in books was very difficult... their letters don't always sound the way ours do! This method doesn't use visuals, only audio, and your own memory. It is surprisingly easy to learn to roll off sentences in Polish, and know just what you're saying. I highly recommend this product.



5. It's too dialect specific and can make it hard for you to be understood to actual polish people (I believe 'quoloquial' is the term I'm thinking of)

2 comments about Teach Yourself Bulgarian Conversation (3CDs + Guide).

1. This product is good for basic travel needs. It is good for use in the car and will teach the needed skills for leisure travelers. If you need s more complete understanding of Bulgarian the book based version would be better.



2. I am a huge fan of Pimsleur language courses, but this rather different approach is extremely engaging. Like Pimsleur it is very much audio oriented although there is a written booklet with it.
   
   The speaker is engaging, and the lessons move very fast. To make the CDs more compact, they often tell you to go back and replay some parts if you think you should. Pimsleur would just repeat the part on the CD if they think you should hear it again.
   
   As advertised, it is a course on conversation and not on survival as a traveler. I don't think they ever tell you how to say "I am an American," or how to say you need to find someone who speaks English. Fair enough, phrasebooks will tell you those things. This course does cover many travel skills by the end. But it embeds them in a basic conversational context.
   
   In general this approach expects you to make a lot of decisions yourself about how to absorb the material. The advantage is shorter CDs and maybe more control, the disadvantage if this is your first foreign language is that you must be a good judge of whether or not you have gotten what you need out of a given lesson.
   
   They explain more points of grammar than Pimsleur would, and they give some extremely nice pointers in the second part of the course about how to hear Bulgarian as it is actually spoken, with dropped sounds and words blended together.
   
   Overall it is more demanding than Pimsleur, and faster, and relies more on your ability to guide yourself. Pimsleur is great. But I'm not sure they offer Bulgarian. Kovatcheva and Holman's approach may just be greater -- of course a lot will depend on you!

1 comments about Eastern Europe: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. My husband and I used this book and the "Mediterranean Europe Phrasebook" during a 4-week, 7-country tour in Eastern Europe. They were perfect for our purposes - each country we visited spoke a different language, so we didn't have the ability to learn too much of each. The books had almost all of the essentials, and (both fortunately and unfortunately) we found plenty of help in English to fill in any blanks. Great (almost) pocket-size as well!
   
   However, if you're only visiting places with one or two languages, I'd recommend getting the books for the individual languages instead.
   
   Have a fantastic trip! ;)

5 comments about Teach Yourself Ukrainian Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses).

1. I bought this book when I was an exchange student in Ukraine... I did not have any previous experience with the language. I found the book to be immensely helpful, but gave up on the cds. I found the reader spoke too quickly to comprehend, I couldn't keep up. Just so you know, another exchange student (to Czech Republic) had the same problem with the Czech cds. Otherwise, a good (although your only) choice.



2. I found by following the book & cd together is too hard it does not take enough time on learning the language before going into dialogue. You have to keep rewinding to learn letters etc.



3. It's content was obviously prepared well however:
   
   1. the type size is too small, especially for the Cyrillic characters that are boldfaced; this suggests that...
   
   2. the book dimensions are too small; although it's obviously intended for portability, still...
   
   3. the authors should've been more helpful with tips and such about the learned ability of reading Cyrillic, and...
   
   3. the explanation of the grammatical terms are insufficient (e.g., how many people know what "instrumental case" means without consulting reference material?), and finally...
   
   4. the index is too brief.
   
   It still gets four stars though simply because of its excellent and comprehensive content.



4. The book arrived in excellant condition. Shipment fast. A pleasure to do business with sellers like this one. In fact we bought a second one. Thank You



5. WHOA! The first chapter teaches 33 sounds/letters in lower case type and then shows the same 33 in cursive? That's 66 different symbols to absorob before one has even gotten to page 12. Way too crammed and frustrating.
   Also, the use of two different fonts (New Times Roman and another thicker font) on the same page are not helpful; the letters do not resemble one another enough. Now we're up to 33 printed letters, 33 cursive 33 in one font and 33 in another. Might seem picky but not if one's trying to differentiate between a Ukrainian "L" and "P: I found myself wishing for a magnifying glass and I don't even wear glasses.
   
   I'll use this text as a weak reference (glossary is irritatingly incomplete.) I've learned more on line in 2 hrs.with a headset than I have dilligently studying the first chapter of this text for about 20 or more hours.
   
   PS:
   I'm a veteran English teacher, have heard Ukrainian spoken most of my life by fluent grandparents and believe I communicate adequately in French and Spanish.

5 comments about Polish Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Books).

1. This publication was very helpful. I will use it in the future.



2. What a find!! Anyone travelling to Poland will find this
   phrase book really handy! Wish I had it with me the last
   five times that I visited Poland. It covers everything
   that you will need to know about food, restaurant odering,
   sightseeing, travel, doctors, etc. etc. You'll never leave
   home without it again!!!!



3. I thought this would be more useful phrases for everyday Polish, not for travel to Poland. It's a very good travel book. Sections broken down well so you can easily find the right phrases, but this is more for travel.



4. The book is nicely organized! I speak polish and I bought the book as a gift; I was nicely surprised to see that for those who do not speak the language, this book is well written. Most of the words have great pronunciation, which is important since this could be difficult part of learning the language for someone who is not accustom to hearing it. I certainly recommend it for those who want to use this aid book to communicate in Poland!



5. not good, not bad, any little word book will do if that's all you are looking for

5 comments about Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, a Textbook: With Exercises and Basic Grammar.

1. Those of you using this book will be glad to know that the textbook [...] now provides answer keys in separate Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian versions at no charge.
   An excellent aid for all of us!



2. I will be travelling in Croatia for several weeks later this year. I took two years of college level Russian years ago (a very similar language), and completed Pimsleur's Croation CD's with little effort and no problems. I have several phrase books, but wanted a textbook to expand my vocabulary and dig deeper into the language.
   
   With all that behind me I first found myself in lesson one wondering why they chose the vocabulary they did, and then was confused by the sheer abundance of information I had to carry into the second lesson. Lesson 2 completely lost me. I found myself having trouble with the english portions explaining the grammer, let alone the Croation. So, 25 or so pages into the 380 page book I was fried.
   
   In fairness, this book was obviously not designed for self study beginners or near beginners like myself. However, the reviews that are posted here led me to believe that this would help me with my needs and it did not do that. That's why I give it 2 stars.



3. This text is so far above any other in the field that there is hardly any competition worth mentioning. It (and its companion volume) combine a comprehensive and thorough course with a balanced and sensitive treatment of the heartbreaking issues that brought about the politically motivated separation of what is essentially one language. Each chapter has parallel texts of the Bosnian, Croation and Serbian dialects, with the Serbian offered in both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. Also offered are huge (and relevant) vocabulary, thorough explanations of the aspects of grammar that are most daunting to English speaking learners (particularly those who have never studied another Slavic language). The complex case system is set out and its many idiomatic usages are treated in detail. Coverage of the verb (and its system of aspects, which emphasizes the whether or not the action of the verb is completed or ongoing, habitual or something that happened or will happen at a particular moment in time) is among the best I've seen for any Slavic language. The book is stuffed with lots of good (and interesting) exercises and the quality of the CDs that come along with it (you get separate sets of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian) is as good as you could ask for. Also in the book is interesting and authentic material from the greatly underappreciated body of literature that has been written in this language. The book is beautifully illustrated too- lots of pictures, both of the cities- Sarajevo, Zagreb and Belgrade, and the countryside and coast as well. Anything not to like? Well, it would be nice to have an answer key as well, but I just noticed in another review that keys to the exercises are sold separately (and individually) for each of the three languages/dialects.



4. Everyone!
   
   I recently ordered this textbook from Amazon. While flipping through it I noticed, and I kid you not, that my book has pages 325-356 printed TWICE, in place of pages 293-324. So, in other words, my textbook goes like this: 1-292, 325-356, 325-481. What the?!?!?!
   
   I cannot imagine I'm the only person with this problem, as the book appears to be bound perfectly fine. However, I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this.
   
   If others have this issue, what are we supposed to do? I think I'm already passed the 30-day return policy, since I didn't pick it up right away when I bought it.
   
   I am shocked that such an error occurred. If anyone can help, please post a comment!



5. I've had this book for about a month. I also have the companion grammar book and the audio CDs. This is my first Croatian course so I don't have anything to compare it to, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It's a little disorganized, in my opinion. I don't like the fact that you're given exercises without answer keys and must go to the website to download them, for one. There are way too many annotations that refer you to either the grammar book or another part of the book and you end up paging all over the place to find the reference. Maybe once I get a little more understanding of the language and a little farther into the book it will make more sense. It does seem to get pretty deep into the language so I imagine if you worked your way through this book and the grammar book you would probably be fairly comfortable with speaking or writing it. I plan to update my review once I've gotten a little farther along with this.

1 comments about Bulgarian (Lonely Planet Phrasebooks).

1. I love the Lonely Planet phrasebooks. Everything is color coded and catagorized by possible need. I listen to audio and look at many language books and these are the best and most fun.

5 comments about Ukrainian Phrasebook.

1. This pocket guide to Ukrainian was indispensible to me during my two week visit to this country. I carried it with me everywhere I went and consulted it almost constantly. In all that time it was always helpful and accurate. The only time it let me down was in drawing a distinction between a wild rabbit and a domestic one. Each word is given in the Ukrainian Cyrillic spelling and then in a phonetic transliteration with accented syllables in bold. Each section has an introductory piece that gives general background information. Useful phrases and sentences followed by a list of major relevant words complete each section. The end of the book has an English-Ukrainian vocabulary. A Ukrainian-English vocabulary would also have been useful, but would have repeated the vocabularies in each section. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Truly invaluable to the clueless traveler.



2. My trip to Ukraine wouldn't have been the same without this wonderful little book. And Ukrainians were flattered that a foreigner tried speaking Ukrainian to them instead of Russian. It contains the phrases you need and easy to understand pronounciation guide. It really helped break the language barrier and I made new friends in a new country. The entire Lonely Planet series is the best among travel guides, and I've travelled a lot using various guides.



3. This little book is terrific for anyone interested in the Ukrainian language. It has very good explanations of the alphabet and grammatical rules of Ukrainian. It also teaches MANY useful phrases and words for the traveler, and it gives phonetic pronunciations of every word and phrase (as well as the actual Cyrillic spelling).
   I have a close friend in Ukraine who has told me that my pronunciation of the Ukrainian words (as they appear in this book) are perfect.
   However, be certain of your purpose for using this book. If you want to learn to speak the Ukrainian language somewhat fluently, it will take a lot more than this book (but this book is an excellent starting point).
   If you are simply planning to travel to one of the major Ukrainian cities (Kiev, Odessa, etc.) in the near future, you would probably be better off with the Russian version of this book instead of Ukrainian. Everybody in the major cities still speaks Russian as their primary language. Most of them understand Ukrainian, but Russian is still the first language for most people. I understand that this is slowly changing (universities, etc. are changing EVERYTHING over to Ukrainian). And if you plan to visit a small town in Ukraine, many of them speak ONLY Ukrainian. My suggestion is to get both the Ukrainian and the Russian versions, so you will be able to communicate clearly no matter where you are.



4. I visited Kiev were they really only speak Russian. They do speak Ukranian but only in the area that is furthest away from the Russian border. Other than that the book was very good and I really enjoyed the tidbits of information in the book.



5. This is a great little book. It has lots of information and plenty of phrases to help you take control of the language. I love that it fits in my purse!

5 comments about Czech: Lonely Planet Phrasebook.

1. It's true what they say; the natives are more friendly when you make an effort!
   
   I have purchased a variety of language guides for a number of languages (Czech, Italian, French, German), and I have always found the LonelyPlanet phrasebooks to be the best. Their size makes them very portable and discrete, they are very well organized, and have good, easy to use 2-way dictionaries for when you're in a pinch. They also don't take themselves too seriously, and include sometimes laughable - though potentially very useful - sections on things like clubbing, and "intimate" times. The guides claim to be "more essential than socks (and lighter on the nose)." I think this sums them up nicely.
   
   In particular, I found that the Czech language guide did a fantastic job hand-holding the reader through the admittedly arduous task of learning to pronounce all the different consonant- and vowel sounds with their plethora of accents. Be sure to start there.
   
   In short, this is an indispensable guide, and an absolute MUST for anyone traveling to the Czech Republic.
   
   Five stars.
   
   
   
   P.S. One word of warning: no book can really teach English speakers the infamous [r-with-upside-down-^] or "rzh" sound - as in the composer Dvo[rzh]ak - since the sound does not exist in our language. You'll see what I mean, no doubt. I suggest searching online for an audio clip of this consonant. The word [rzh]eka, for river, is an excellent example, if you can find it. Happy traveling!



2. Easy to navigate, well laid out, very useful so that you know all the right things to say (and do) - great



3. This book was more than I expected. Will help me when I go to Czech Republic this year. The pronunciation aid is a little hard for me to use since I am dyslexic.



4. I love this phrasebook, it is easy to go thru and very helpful to pronounce the language. Kimberly Riha



5. This is a fantastic guide to the Czech language! I learned the few words that I was able to use while in Prague from this book! It's kinda tough to use it in conversation. 50% of Czechs speak english anyway, so you won't be totally lost, but it's always nice to make the effort to say a few words in their language. Na shledanou!