Customer Reviews

Not upto the usual Colloquial Standard - By: Mr. P. A. Johnston, 06 Jan 2009
The first thingin using a book to learn a language is you feel confident about the book & I don't with this one.
For example the scripts of the dialogues are not complete & don't feel to flow. One says for example here you are not expected to remember then it finishes with a test on them (Numbers pg 25)
Also not sure who uses cassettes these days so why can't the book give references to the actual sound clips.
The grammar certainly could have been written better, the description of word order(pg 22) doesn't seem to mention object??
Final dislike is there is not much of a specific vocabulary for each chapter.
Feels sort of cobbled together.
As said could do a lot better.

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An excellent introduction for the beginner - By: , 07 May 2000
Colloquial Norwegian aims to take the absolute beginner to a reasonably competent level of language ability, & it succeeds. It's an accessible, friendly book which illustrates grammatical concepts well whilst keeping the reader entertained with amusing dialogues involving the 'Dale' family who are featured throughout the book. A few concepts are not always introducedin a logical order but on the whole the structure is good, teaching the language & vocabulary by using a different topicin each chapter. There are lots of very varied exercises (both written & aural) which test your knowledge & stretch your ability without being boring or repetitive. The aural exercises are an essential part of the learning so don't be tempted to buy the book on its own - make sure you get the cassette pack that goes with it too, or you'll be missing out on a lot. Throughout the book the language used is fairly neutral, erring on the side of colloquial (as the title implies) but with plenty of guidance about more formal terms when required. It also has lots of guidance about actual language usage & so the book is very practical & down-to-earth but it does this without compromising grammatical basics. Overall, a well-written book which, with a bit of regular study, should teach enough to help anyone get aroundin Norwayin a matter of weeks.

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Could be better... - By: , 12 Apr 2000
One maybe gets the main steps for the language but it is far from being concise & the grammar definitely could be easier... For example, why teach 'past participle' when still not mentioned 'simple past'? Talk about the auxiliary verbs but onlyin some tenses & then changing subject completely... Ah, & the exercises besides from being boring, have some strange meanings like "she ought to make my bed" or "she ought to iron my shirt"? (pg 88).