Hi there!
Someone told me about Assimil who seemed to be really glad about using it. So I was wondering if anybody else used it to learn any language. And how useful the concept really is, especially with rather complicated grammar. Like, I can easily imagine learning English or Spanish or Portugues using that concept, but not so much it being useful for German, Polish, Finnish, Arabic languages.
Pff, and this is stupid, so I wrote in English, being native German and wanting this to be a general question/ discussion about learning just any language and now I put it into learning German. I am delighted.
Ah ok, thanks again @Allie.
@Diana Owaykn unfortunately it is not for free and I do not think it had a download version. For me a book and all audios will be around 100 €
I have already used Assimil and I really like it.
I don't stick to one single method, so I can't say what you can expect if you rely solely on it, however, it really gets you going and introduces grammar in a way you assimilate it gradually, instead of presenting lots of rules and charts you can't really understand when you're starting to learn a language.
The first lessons use basic vocabulary, which grows as you learn and the same happens with grammar and other aspects of the language.
I think it's quite "complete" when compared to other methods, as you practise listening, reading, some writing, grammar and translation. Besides, there are many units that cover lots of different vocabulary. Another positive point is that the lessons are not particularly long, so that you can squeeze them in a busy schedule. However, I'd recommend to use it combined with something else, such as Pimsleur, for example, so that you can speak more.
I do think it's good, especially if you're a complete beginner and have no clue where to start or, maybe, if you already know something about the language and would like a more systematic approach to it. If you have a good level, it may not be the best option, though.
Cons are: it requires determination, as you have lessons EVERYDAY for a couple of months and you don't interact much. Depending on your budget, the price can be a problem as well.
What I meant with "good level" is: you already have some solid knowledge of the language, you know grammar well, you already feel confident to talk,etc.
I started using Assimil for German.I already knew some things, but was still quite elementary and some grammar points were complicated. As Assimil offers a structured and gradual approach, it has helped me a lot and it was way better than reading random grammar topics in other books or sites.
As mentioned by Aliph, you it's made for self study, so you don't require external help, which is quite handy.
I haven't really studied them, but I also checked the versions for Norwegian, Italian and Greek and they seem pretty consistent. It's one of my favourite methods and I've recommended it more than once.
But we all have different ways to learn. I'd give it a try. If it doesn't work, there are plenty of other approaches ;)
