Dutch With Ease (book only)

This pack aims to take users from scratch to having a solid base in Dutch within six months, and to feel comfortable with the language in as little as three months. In only half an hour a day users will move ahead naturally until they are at ease with all the basic structures needed for communication and become familiar with the basic words and grammar of Dutch. The method comprises two phases: the passive phase, in which users simply repeat what they hear and read, and the active phase, in which users begin to create sentences and imagine themselves in a variety of everyday situations.

Summary: It is easy!
Rating: 5

Assimil's Dutch With Ease is exactly that…gemakkelijk! It is based on dialogs which students read and then look at the translation. While I'm not a fan of learning by translation, this method was helpful in the first few lessons until eventially I only had to look up the occasional word. Moreover, the text is amusing with little cartoons throughout the text written in Dutch to keep you motivated to learn. I've enjoyed the method so much that I've bought Assimil's "Le polonais sans peine" (Polish without Punishment: French version) and "German Without Toil" (1950s edition).

When I first undertook my lessons with this book, I had the help of native Flemish-Dutch speakers to guide me with the pronunciations. Dutch pronunciation is easy enough to learn, but I would recommend a native speaker's help rather than going at it on your own from the crude pronunciations guides most self-teaching language books offer. If a native speaker's help isn't available, you probably want to consider buying a cassettes with the book.

Veel geluk!