Russian in Three Months (Hugo)

It’s not perfect, of course (complete grammar tables in an appendix would have been useful, for instance), but its only real fault is a shortage of exercises, which was mainly a problem in Chapters 3 and 4, where the accusative and dative cases are introduced. Where German is concerned, this is the steep part of the learning curve and there’s just no getting around the need to practice these cases pretty intensively before there’s any point moving on. I ended up having to put the book aside for a week so I could work through my own exercises. This did the trick, but it really shouldn’t have been necessary.

As for the claim that you can learn German in three months without an immersion course? Well, maybe and maybe not; but the recommended one hour or more of study per day adds up to more than 90 hours over three months, so it’s not at all unrealistic provided you can spare that amount of time.


Best Japanese course encountered so far   December 16, 2002
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

The main problem with learning Japanese using the Hugo course is the use of romaaji (Japanese written in English letters) rather than Japanese characters. I overcame this by purchasing a good Japanese dictionary and a guide to Japanese writing. Aside from this, the course provides a very good, easy to follow introduction to Japanese, which would be suitable for anyone wishing to learn more than just the basic phrases. There is a strong emphasis on grammar, enabling the construction of sentances at an early stage, and new vocabulary is introduced using sample sentences and dialogues rather than difficult to remember lists.


Very well thought out way into russian   December 12, 2002
3 out of 7 found this review helpful

I have very much enjoyed doing this course. Having done a few language courses - or rather, having started and not completed a few language courses - including a couple of other russian ones, I can say that this is one of the best. The exercises are well weighted and the explanations clear and logical. I am within striking distance of the end now and the feeling of achievement is palpable.

Russian seems to me quite a complicated language, but the course is organised so that you don't really realise how much left there is to learn until you are quite a way through the course, and by that time you can speak a lot already so you are motivated to continue.

There is a nice little story to keep you going through the lessons - though it is all set pre-1991, so the characters keep saying things like 'go to metro Marx Prospekt!', and the notes say things like 'of course, this has been renamed now.'

I would highly recommend getting the cassettes - it can make the difference between finishing the course and giving up at lesson 2; and in any case ... [the price]... is really a very small amount to pay for a grounding in another language. Note that you don't need to buy both the cassettes and the book...you get the book with the cassettes.

2 minor criticisms. Firstly, I have spotted 3 or 4 typos in the russian which can frustrate you when you are doing exercises. Secondly, due to the gentle introduction to the language's grammar, you don't come across some simple situations such as going to a restaurant or learning how to say 'I have' until quite late in the course. Thus, if you are going to russia shortly, you probably won't make it to these sections. However, any amount of russian will be useful to bluff your way through these situations.

In general then I would recommend this very highly (12/12/02).


Most impressed   June 18, 2002
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

I am currently about half way through this course, and am very impressed with it. Learning foreign languages does not come easily to me, and I was rather apprehensive about tackling Arabic, but have found this course very user friendly. I like the way that you build up your vocabulary - almost without noticing - as the rules of grammar are explained.

The one complaint I would have regards the cassettes. The male speaker on the tapes is fine, and speaks clearly and at a regular pace, but the female seems intent on speaking as quickly as possible, and I find it very hard to hear what she is saying, let alone repeat it.

That aside, I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wanted to learn Arabic, and will definitely use a Hugo course to learn another language.


Really good if you're starting from scratch   February 1, 2002
4 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a great book & the cassette is really helpful with the pronunciation of Portuguese, which can at first sound really strange to a foreigner! In addition to using the audio exercises in conjunction with the book, I suggest just playing the tape a few times in the background, so you get used to the way the language sounds. The only thing about it I would critise is the amount of quite tricky grammar they include - it's difficult to get to grips with, not always that well explained, and you're unlikely to need a lot of it at the vocabulary level you can expect to achieve in 3 months, especially if the book and tape are your only exposure to Portuguese. Still, if you are good at picking out and learning the necessary and just skimming over the more difficult points, then this is an excellent choice.