great for beginner

this is great a great coarser have tried a few but this is by far the best, all the way through the coarse you keep repeating and he keeps brining things you have learnt from the beginning so if you do forget you will be reminded almost finished this and I can't wait to start the next step

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Must Have.

This is the best i have yet come across. It focused on language structure, verb conjugation and particles.

Pros:
The structured approach leads you quickly and easily through the main aspects;
The pace is perfect - with short but clear chapters requiring minimal repetition;
Explanation is excellent but not overlong;
The Japanese voice actor is clear and measured, leading you through the detailed sound, and then (although still slowed down) pronouncing it as would a native Japanese;
You don't need Hiragana or Katakana;
Widely applicable: when a new point is made it also clarifies how this principle/approach can be more widely applied; and they nearly always can.

Cons. You pick up some vocabulary and verbs as you go, but this is not the focus and I find this an advantage. You may not; however there are plenty of sources for vocabulary and verb lists out there. This focus on language structure is something that I haven't come across before. I wouldn't change a thing.

I am just finishing this up now and pre-ordered the next (I think it is called next steps). I have made far more progress far more quickly than with any other course. Cannot wait to start the next, and I hope that from there they will bring out an advanced follow-up.

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1 person found this helpful

Well paced

You get your callbacks all the time so you have no choice but to remember what you’ve forgotten

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The MOST Useful Japanese Language Tool Out There. Period.

Paul Noble does an incredible job of systematically breaking down Japanese into easily absorbable chunks that really stick in your mind. The spacing and repetition of core grammatical principals, such as particles and tenses, is handled expertly, and never waivers or gives way to tedium throughout the entire twelve-odd hours of the course.

Highly recommended for those of us who have been intimidated by this complex and nuanced language, or have tried and failed previously with convoluted or rote learning tools.

In conclusion this is an absolute must for newcomers, and for those who have been deterred in the past. Both Paul Noble and Collins have really got the golden ticket here, especially when compared to DK's awful '15 Minute' efforts. You put in the time and you're in more than capable hands with these chaps. Right, I'm off to start the 'Further Steps' course!

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An excellent introduction to Japanese

This is a very nice and gentle introduction to the Japanese language. It also works well as a refresher of the fundamentals if you're somebody who's been studying Japanese for a while, like me. However, as others have pointed out, this is a tiny amount of the vocab/grammar that you'll need to know to be fluent in Japanese. It takes thousands of hours of study to become fluent in the language so a 12 hour course is going to serve as an introduction at best.

I would still highly recommend this course though. All the vocab in here is very useful and it's particularly good at getting the sentence structure of Japanese into your head. Hopefully Paul will continue this series because there's so much more to teach and this is definitely an excellent method.

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Great for beginners

The book is great for absolute beginners who do not know any words in Japanese.Even though I enjoyed it is not for someone who mows the basics of Japanese language.I like the fact that it gives you the opportunity to repeat a word or a question but since I know Japanese to a certain level I had to stop midway.
As I said the book it is amazing but for absolute beginners who do not know any Japanese at all.
One comment though: As the author mentions it’s true that in Japanese you do not need to use pronouns all the time because it’s based more on context I would have appreciated if he would have used some of these.
But apart from that immaculate.

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Brilliant

listen to this whilst i am working. very simple very effective. Worth your money and time!

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Finally making progress with Japanese

I’ve tried a few different self-paced methods for learning Japanese but have always given up after a few weeks. I’ve found Paul Noble’s course engaging and felt like I was always making progress. I even had a break of a couple of months and when I came back to it and while I had to go back a few chapters I found I hadn’t forgotten everything and quickly picked up the rest. I’ve downloaded the next volume and I am looking forward to learning more.

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Brilliant learning tool

I was looking for some course ideal to refresh my Japanese before traveling there again. This wonderful book seem ideal! Highly recommend. Especially if you have forgotten what you have already learned.

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Great, audiobook!

amazing, so easy to learn. wish there were more books besides this and the next one.

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