This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly efficient and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made more accessible by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. Fundamental principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is a comprehensive book intended for students, it can be used by anyone with an interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China) but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with clear lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.

Master Irish grammar, quickly and easily In "Irish Grammar You Really Need to Know," you will find every integral grammar concept simply explained, each illustrated with lots of examples. Even if you do not know the grammatical term in question, the book is structured so that you can look up language forms according to what you want to say. With this comprehensive resource, you will gain the confidence to communicate comfortably in Irish. Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience Tests in the book and online to keep track of progress Glossary of grammatical terms for easy reference

Lots of interest in the Irish language amongst 'heritage' learners in England and Scotland, and particularly in Ireland itself Represents the local dialect of East Connemara, rather than the 'Official Standard' which is not actually spoken by native speakers in Ireland This dialect is also used in the soap opera Ros na Run which is aired nationally and internationally via the Internet Strong team of educators and native speakers

The complete and accessible guide to learning the Maori language, no matter your knowledge level. Fun, user-friendly and relevant to modern readers, Scotty Morrison's Maori Made Easy is the one-stop resource for anyone wanting to learn the basics of the Maori language. While dictionaries list words and their definitions, and other language guides offer common phrases, Maori Made Easy connects the dots, allowing the reader to take control of their learning in an empowering way. By committing just 30 minutes a day for 30 weeks, learners will adopt the language easily and as best suits their busy lives. Written by popular TV personality and te reo Maori advocate Scotty Morrison, author of The Raupo Phrasebook of Modern Maori, this book proves that learning the language can be fun, effective i and easy! 'This is not just a useful book, it's an essential one.' i Paul Little, North & South

Do you want a solid foundation to your Indonesian studies? If you are looking for a solid foundation to your language studies for school, work or travel, this engaging course will get you speaking, writing, reading and understanding Indonesian in no time. Through authentic conversations, clear language presentations, and extensive practice and review, you will learn the Indonesian you need to communicate naturally in everyday situations - from booking a hotel room to talking about friends and family. What will I learn? Basic Indonesian is slowly and carefully introduced to ensure you progress confidently through the course and build up a foundation to allow you to feel confident in everyday situations and move to the next level of your learning. It teaches grammar, vocabulary and listening, reading, writing, speaking and pronunciation skills. By the end of the course you will reach a solid Novice High proficiency level of ACTFL (The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and A2 Beginner level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) guidelines. Is this course for me? Get Started in Indonesian is for absolute and false beginners of Indonesian. Clear and simple explanations make the course appropriate and accessible to anyone learning Indonesian. There are extensive illustrations to support the learner working on his or her own. This course is also ideal to use with one-to-one tutoring and as a classroom course. What do I get? This book has a learner-centred approach that incorporates the following features: - 10 units of learning content - covering everyday topics from booking a hotel room to talking about friends and family - Discovery Method - figure out rules and patterns yourself to make the language stick - Outcomes-based learning - focus your studies with clear aims - Vocabulary building - thematic lists and activities to help you learn vocabulary quickly - Test yourself - see and track your own progress - Native speaker audio - available as a digital download - Free, downloadable audio transcripts and vocabulary and language reference lists The audio for this course is available for free on library.teachyourself.com or from the Teach Yourself Library app. Where do I go next? If you want to advance your Indonesian, our Complete Indonesian course (9781444102338) will take you to an intermediate level of Indonesian. Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 75 years

UK's bestselling language learning audio series. The accompanying booklet is also available at: collinsdictionary.com/resources. The perfect companion for holidays and business trips in China. Easy to use - fast, flexible and portable Easy to follow - just listen, speak and learn Easy to learn - no complex grammar This course teaches you key words for the most important situations and lets you expand your language through a variety of activities. You choose whether to focus on learning the essentials or to progress to some more challenging activities - so whether you're a beginner, or you want to refresh and build upon your existing knowledge, you can become confident in Mandarin without even having to pick up a pen. Contains 1 booklet and 3 CDs with 3.5 hours of audio

Learning German Has Never Been Easier! Whether you are studying the language in school, planning a trip to Germany or Austria, or trying to learn the basics of the language closest to English, "German Made Simple" is the perfect book for any self-learner. Void of all nonessentials and refreshingly easy to understand, German Made Simple includes:
- Basics of German grammar
- Modern German vocabulary
- German pronunciation guide
- German reading exercises
- German economic information
- Common German expressions
- Review exercises
- Complete answer key
- German-English dictionary

Learn Japanese in no time with Paul Noble's tried-and-tested method. Ever tried to learn Japanese and found it too hard? Bestselling language coach Paul Noble has a quick and easy way to get you back on track with his unique tried-and-tested method. Keeps things simple with three basic rules; don't skip anything, don't try to memorize anything and cover up to test yourself. A fun, jargon-free way to learn Easy-to-understand Japanese pronunciation PROVEN to work; Paul can teach anyone a language, even people who think they're incapable Paul's course teaches you how to speak Japanese more effectively, giving you the building blocks to form a huge range of conversations. This is a practical way to learn the aspects of language that you'll actually need and use; from booking a hotel room to navigating a menu, Paul will effortlessly build your confidence and give you the tools to handle any vacation situation. You will unlock a range of vocabulary you already know. There is nothing so complicated in foreign languages that it cannot be made simple." Paul Noble A quick, easy and fun way to unlock your basic language skills. Perfect for beginners, this book will give you all the information you need to build basic conversations and get by on your travels.

One of the best ways to learn a language is by studying the media that native speakers themselves listen to and read, and popular songs can also reveal much about the culture and traditions of an area where the language is spoken. Following on the success of his Kilma Hilwa: Egyptian Arabic through Popular Songs (AUC Press, 2015), Cairo-based Arabic teacher Bahaa Ed-Din Ossama now brings together twenty songs in Modern Standard Arabic performed by popular singers of the Arab world from Abd al-Halim Hafez to Fairouz and builds a variety of language lessons around them, with notes on vocabulary, grammar, and usage, and communicative exercises in listening, writing, and speaking. The songs are graded from easiest to most difficult, and each lesson includes a link to a performance of the song on YouTube, the lyrics of the song, and notes on the songwriter, the composer, and the singer. Students using this unique book will not only improve their Arabic skills but will also gain an insight into the cultural landscape of the Arab world. The book can be used in the classroom or for self-study.Includes songs by: Abd al-Halim Hafez, Fairouz, Fuad Abd al-Magid, Karem Mahmoud, Kazem al-Saher, Muhammad Abd al-Wahab, Nagat al-Saghira, Rima Khashish, and Umm Kulthum.

UK's bestselling language learning audio series This edition of the Easy Learning Polish Audio Course is the perfect companion for holidays and business trips abroad. * Easy to use - fast, flexible and portable* Easy to follow - just listen, speak and learn* Easy to learn - no complex grammar Easy Learning Polish teaches you key words for the most important situations and lets you expand your language through a variety of activities. You choose whether to focus on learning the essentials or to progress to some more challenging activities - so whether you're a beginner, or you want to refresh and build upon your existing knowledge, you can become confident in Polish without even having to pick up a pen. Contains 1 booklet and 3 CDs with 3.5 hours of audio

Brazilian Portuguese made fun--and fast! Whether you are planning a vacation, adding a valuable second language to your resume, or simply brushing up on your skills, The Everything Essential Brazilian Portuguese Book is your perfect introduction to the Portuguese language. With easy-to-follow instructions and simple explanations, this portable guide covers the most important basics of the language, including: The Portuguese alphabet and translation Greetings and conversation starters Common questions and answers Describing people and places Verb tenses and sentence structure Basic conversation skills for dining out, conducting business, or shopping With The Everything Essential Brazilian Portuguese Book, you will be speaking--and understanding--Portuguese in no time!

Revised and edited by Norman Itzkowitz. Proven from years of success at Princeton University, this comprehensive grammar and exercise book yields maximum results in 23 lessons covering all essentials of grammar from alphabet to progressive verb forms. Enables students to quickly understand and use basic patterns of modern Turkish. Full glossary.

Do you want to improve your Italian using a learning style that suits you? Why not Mind Map your way to fluency? Following the huge success of the Language Revolution Beginner level, international best-selling author and inventor of Mind Maps(R) Tony Buzan continues on his quest to alter the way language is learnt - forever. Collins Language Revolution Beginner Plus is: Flexible - Whether you are completely new to Mind Mapping or already a convert to Tony Buzan's revolutionary language learning techniques, you can reach a new level of conversational ability with Beginner Plus. Fun and easy - All you need is your imagination, a sense of humour and coloured pens. Effective - Mind Maps(R) are a system proven to successfully unlock your brain's potential for learning and memory, and are used by many of the world's most successful politicians, business leaders and educators. Unit 1: Welcome! Unit 2: What do you do? Unit 3: I feel like ...Unit 4: In touch Unit 5: My home Unit 6: At the estate agent's Unit 7: Then and now Unit 8: Travelling Unit 9: At the wedding Unit 10: Congratulations!

The "Grammar Detective" invites readers to get to grips with English grammar by solving a series of short murder mysteries, each of them illustrated. There are then further exercises - word searches, crosswords and puzzles all come together to help introduce and reinforce grammatical skills and knowledge. The book introduces aspects of grammar such as nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, clauses and phrases, and includes a variety of test exercises. It also demystifies punctuation, and explains full stops, colons, semi-colons and speech marks. This fun and engaging book is an ideal introduction to English grammar for students, or a handy refresher course for those whose knowledge of grammar and punctuation is a little rusty.

Volume 2 (Master Course) contains the following main chapters: 61 theoretically important games for independent analysis; Encyclopaedia of variations; Summary of the 3.e5 system; Games for further study; Latest theoretical developments. This two-volume work is intended for a broad range of chess enthusiasts. The author guarantees that anyone making a thorough study of the available material can expect an improvement in his playing strength in this system of approximate 200 Elo points.

Every language has a basic vocabulary of similar words and expressions. Adrienne's acclaimed "Gimmick" approach offers both the beginner and the seasoned traveler a fast and effective route to this lexicon by teaching language as it is actually spoken. Adrienne's vocabulary lists are contemporary, practical, and uncensored -- you'll find words here that aren't in any other language book -- and they group together families of words, which makes expanding your vocabulary painless. For the more advanced student, access to the Gimmick's expansive array of colloquial expressions will add an impossible-to-fake native fluency.

Whether you're trying to learn the rudiments ("My name is Steve"), travel with globe-trotting panache ("The Louvre has many paintings by Monet"), or get out of a prickly situation ("May I call my lawyer?"), Adrienne and the Gimmick will show you the way.

The well-known grandmaster and theoretician Evgeny Sveshnikov has used the Closed Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5) more than 150 times in tournament play with a score of more than 70%. Many theoretically important games have been excluded by the author from official chess databases, and here they are exclusively published for the first time. Volume 1 (Basic Course) contains the following main chapters: Historical Overview of the Closed Variation; Plans for White and Black on the Basis of Thoroughly Annotated Games; A Lesson on the Blockade; 70 Test Positions: What Would You Play?

Are you looking for a complete course in Bengali which takes you effortlessly from beginner to confident speaker? Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Complete Bengali will guarantee success! Now fully updated to make your language learning experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher and our years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features. The course is structured in thematic units and the emphasis is placed on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations, to using the phone and talking about work. By the end of this course, you will approach Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Author Insights Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Grammar Tips Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding. Useful Vocabulary Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking. Dialogues Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast. Pronunciation Don't sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you go. Test Yourself Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Try This Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it. The audio for this course is available for free on library.teachyourself.com or from the Teach Yourself Library app. Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 75 years.

Are you looking for a complete course in Malay (Bahasa Malaysia) which takes you effortlessly from beginner to confident speaker? Whether you are starting from scratch, or are just out of practice, Complete Malay (Bahasa Malaysia) will guarantee success! Now fully updated to make your language learning experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher and our years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course and online. The course is structured in thematic units and the emphasis is placed on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations, to using the phone and talking about work. By the end of this course, you will be at Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. GRAMMAR TIPS Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding. USEFUL VOCABULARY Easy to find and learn, to build a solid foundation for speaking. DIALOGUES Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast. PRONUNCIATION Don't sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you go. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it. This pack includes a book and one MP3 CD of audio material. Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 75 years.