Delftse methode

[aokoye]

Has anyone used the Delftse Methode textbooks? A google search for posts on HTLAL.com showed next to nothing which is both surprising and not.

From what I can tell the Delftse Methode refers to both the series of books but primarily to the "green book" which is what I'll be using it to refer to for the rest of this post. The green book claims to take you to A2 and teaches you 2,300 words. It appears to be similar to Assimil but perhaps more modest in its claims in part because it has been used at a university level for over 20 years. The Delft University of Technology also has information on it as it appears to be the primary series they use for their dutch courses (for students and faculty who don't know Dutch). I should note that I know someone who took dutch classes in Gent using the green book years ago and she was really happy with it. She had moved from Spain to Gent to live with her then boyfriend and I think she may have also wanted to take some university courses.

The book is available in a number of formats including for iOS and Android - I bought it when it first came out for iOS but keep forgetting that I have it! It's a bargain at 19.99 euros as it includes the textbook and the audio (there's also a free demo version that is the first three lessons) The green book has 43 lessons that look similar to the dialogue/reading sections of Assimil but without the pronunciation aids. I've only gone through the first two lessons so far and I haven't gone through most of Assimil French with Ease but the Delftse Methode chapters appear to have readings/dialogues that are significantly longer than those in Assimil.

As I said, I have the iOS app that I use with my iPad (I don't think it would be enjoyable to use on a smartphone, even the larger ones) so I'll talk about what the experience of using it on the iPad is like. The text of the lessons is almost entirely in Dutch though you can choose which language you want the explanations in. The section that has the language choice also tells you (in the language of your choice) how to go through the lessons. You can also tap the words in the text and get the translation in the language (and the pronunciation) Each lesson consists of the text (tekst), listening training ("luistertraining"), a test (toets), and practice exercises (oefening) which is where you also find the grammar explanations (which are entirely in Dutch and consists of tables and example sentences). The text section is in for sections where the same text is presented differently. The first section contains the text and an audio button for each line of text. You're asked to listen and repeat. You can record your repetitions with the microphone to compare them but I have yet to try that. This is also the section of the lesson where you can tap on words to see their definition and hear the pronunciation. The second section asks you to listen to the entire text, presumably while reading it as well. You can click on individual lines, but I think the goal is to listen to it uninterrupted. The third section is like the first but without the text (again you have the ability to record and compare your pronunciation) and the fourth is like the second but again, without the text.

The listening training section is essentially a dictation exercise. You listen to the entire text line by line (it's the same text from the previous section) and are asked to type out the sentences, line by line. You're given an unlimited amount of times to get the correct answer but it'll only give you the choice have them tell you the right answer if one word in the sentence is wrong. My bluetooth keyboard that I had for my iPad broke earlier this year so I thought this would be a pain but it's actually not that bad. That said, your milage may vary with that one. Worst comes to worst you can listen to the sentences, write them out, and then compare them to the original text.

The test is similar to the listening training but only 10 sentences long. You hear the 10 sentences through once and then are given X amount of time to write them. You're allowed to listen to each sentence one more time before writing it and the sentences are taken from the same text that you've been studying throughout the lesson. If you pass the test (I'm not sure what percentage a pass is) then you can't take the test again and if you don't from what I can tell you have to wait 60 minutes until accessing it again. Presumably if you wanted to start the whole course over again, including the tests, you'd have to uninstall and reinstall the application as I couldn't find a setting that would wipe the test scores. The exercise section is comprised of 2+ exercises and the aforementioned grammar explanations. The texts in these exercises are different than what you've already studied (thank goodness) but go over the same concepts (vocabulary and grammar), they're also laid out in paragraphs as opposed to sentence by sentence. It's essentially a series of cloze tests with a few of the gaps containing part of the word.

It looks like there's also a hard copy of a workbook and from looking at the sample on bol.com it's essentially a rehash of the textbook but with writing promps as well. It would probably be useful to use the book (with or without the workbook) with a grammar workbook as well.

I think I'm going to attempt to do two lessons a day which should get me through the book (or rather, the app) by the end of the month. There are also two further books in the series, Tweede ronde and, Derde ronde which take you to B1 and B2 respectively. Does anyone else have any experience with this series.

[jeff_lindqvist]

I've spent the majority of my Dutch hours on that green book. I find it extremely useful: target-language only, no slow dialogues. When I decide to focus on the language again, it's my sincere ambition to finish the book.

See also my Dutch HTLAL log.

[aokoye]

It's really good to know that you found the book really useful jeff_lindqvist and thanks for the link to your log. Did end up buying and using the workbook as well or did you just stick with the textbook?

[jeff_lindqvist]

I only have the textbook and the two CDs. Maybe I'll get the workbook as well, or read a grammar book or two and then just use the language.

[AlexTG]

Are the texts interesting? And are they dialogue or prose?

[jeff_lindqvist]

Interesting enough for a textbook. Usually most lessons have dialogue+a shorter text (lasting 2-3 minutes).

[aokoye]

I've used more interesting textbooks (Rivstaart for Swedish is a good example) but it's not bone dry either. I have found that if I'm tired I get bored with this exponentially quicker than if I'm not. When I'm not tired it's more a, "ok if I learn more than this I'm not actually going to be able to keep what I learned in my head" as opposed to, "i'm forcing myself to do this because I know it'll get me where I want to be".