Assimil Language Courses / El Catalan Sin Esfuerzo / Catalan for Spanish Speaking People (cd's sold separately) (Catalan and Spanish Edition) Paperback – June 29, 1979

Excellent textbook; I'm also very imPressed with the quality of the binding which reflects its content. I suggest also getting the corresponding CD's since they're essential

El Catalan sin esfuerzo is, unfortunately, one of the very few titles available to those interested/forced to learn the language. The book is very old and does not reflect the evolution of the language through time. This is obviously reflected by the dialogues and the terms that are presented to the reader.Diving more deeply into the contents, half of the book covers the Catalan culture, including details that are questionably interesting for those willing to learn the language, such as the laws that define the region as an autonomy. The lessons are quite short, no more than 2-3 pages each. Each starts with a very short dialogue, its transliteration and traduction to Spanish.There is no real coverage of the grammar. Some chapter, at the very end, do anyway present some details, without diving too much into the details. The audio that comes with the book is quite good and definitely helps learning the pronounce.Wrapping it all up, a decent book to learn idioms and listen to the spoken language. There are few alternatives in the book store. Anyway, while this could have been a good title many years ago, with the internet available to all of us, we can access to more interesting content for free. The local government provides grammar and courses for free. Spoken language is freely available through Youtube and streaming channels. Forvo also helps listening to specific spoken words.

An excellent book for Spanish speakers wanting to learn the norms and basics of speaking Catalan, one of the several Romance-based languages found in Europe. Spoken by over 7 million people in Spain, France, Andorra (it's official language) and Italy (Sardinia), Catalan is one of the ten most spoken languages in the European Union (although it is not recognized as an official language of that organization. This book will appeal to those interested in traveling to Catalonia (Spain), Barcelona, the Balaeric Islands for pleasure or business. It also is an excellent book for those interested in Iberian/Catalan Studies and/or Linguistics. Will make an excellent book to read on a plane or train.