Teach Yourself Hindi Conversation (Teach Yourself Conversations)

This is fantastic. I already know all of the grammar covered in it, but it is great for revision. I listen to it during my daily commute and on my evening walk. It is enjoyable because it follows a loose storyline, and has touches of humour as it goes along.

The way the first two CD's work, is that there will be a conversation given, with a track explaining vocabulary, grammar, etc. There are opportunities to join the conversations sometimes. It is not a "total immersion" program, like Pimsleuer. But I think it is better for it. Because it gives explanations, the grammar can progress much more than it does on 10 CD's of the Pimsleuer method.

It teaches grammar as it goes along, covering the major tenses, in aap and tum forms, nouns and adjectives, as well as postpositions and how they change nouns and adjectives. The major gaps I noticed are that it doesn't cover "tu" forms, and it doesn't have subjunctive verbs. But it can't have everything!

One great feature is that it has sections covering aspects of pronunciation as it goes along. Very helpful for refining how you speak.

The final CD has conversations for listening practice, without much help as to meaning. It is useful for learning to understand the gist of things without knowing all the details.

Other reviewers have complained about the amount of English, but the point of this course is that you don't actually need to use the booklet. I think it balances everything quite nicely.

One warning, it moves relatively quickly, and unless you are really good with picking up languages, you will need to use a textbook as well, both in order to understand the whole course, and to go beyond the course.

All in all, it is a wonderful supplement to any textbook or course, but most people will not be able to use it alone.

I love this; its in my car, on my phone, on my laptop....everywhere!
Its easy to follow and friendly to listen to. My confidence is building already!
Thanks Rupert!

The only complaint I would have (and it must be borne in mind that I have only been learning Hindi for a month or two) is going from CD's 1 and 2 which are relatively easy to understand to CD 3 which has conversations delivered with little help and at normal-ish speaking speed. I have played them over and over and can pick out the word sounds but do not have a hope in hell of finding the meaning from a phoentic description of the sound. I can get the gist (i.e. when the married couple are having a disagreement) but as to what is actually being said- well hmmmm it is a mystery to me.

I begun learning Hindi over 14 years ago and took the initiative to learn the Devanagari Script there and then. I bought an expensive Linguaphone Course and it really got me up and running.

Like all things though, my interest faded and every now and then I'd make an effort to crack on learning Hindi. A few years ago I came across the Teach Yourself Hindi pack, book and 2 CDs and my interest re-awakened. The TYH Courses are easier to grasp than the Linguaphone one, the latter of which came with 6 poorly recorded cassettes. Also, the grammar sections are a whole lot easier to grasp so I found myself progressing quite quickly.

However, I decided to buy this three CD set (Hindi Conversation) for the car and this has been an enormous help. Although I can picture the words as they are spoken (in the Devanagari script too) you don't really need to know how to read the written word in order to progress and ingest the course. I've sharpened up my pronounciation, come across a whole new library of conversation and I've surprised myself by how much I actually know!

The course is well arranged, the diction incredibly clear and the situations described in each unit are fun. You can learn Hindi with a smile on your face (and other drivers may look at you strangely!). Play the CDs over and over again and you cannot help but pick up everyday Hindi. Your friends will be amazed (as are mine every time I speak in Hindi/Urdu at our local curry house!).

This set along with the main Teach Yourself Hindi pack and, very useful, the accompanying dictionary - aimed at English speaking people learning Hindi (unlike other dictionaries) are all you need to become fluent in a most beautiful, accessible language. You'll have fun and you might even make a few new friends along the way!

I couldn't agree more with these positive reviews. It's abundantly clear that a great deal of time, effort, thought, humour and passion has gone into these CDs. I have been using this course for two years now ... along with Rupert Snell's excellent Hindi Dictionary - I just play a few conversations each day whilst traveling in the car - it's amazing how it all sinks in!

I'm definitely no "natural language learner" - in fact, this is the first time I have ever tried to learn a language off my own back. I could not recommend this course enough to anybody even faintly interested in learning Hindi - amazingly, these CDs just make you want to learn more and more! The characters (Anjali & Amit, Mohan & Margarie) feel weirdly like friends to me now! It is a tremendous achievement to have crafted this series of conversations that teach you all the basics and more, but which don't come across as contrived or mundane.

My friend from Delhi says my Hindi has improved immeasurably since he last saw me 12 months ago. He can't believe I have learnt it all from a few CDs! My recent trips to India have been enriched by a whole new dimension. Indians are well known for their friendliness, but there's nothing like the joy on a Delhi-wallah's face when you greet him in Hindi!

Mercifully, there's no need to learn the script for this course - although I may well try to get a grip on that too now.

Learning a new language takes effort - so you need the best resources available. Look no further than this course. If I could give this six stars, I would!