Assimil Spanish with Ease (1987 version). Is it worth it to make it my primary resource ?

[Jaleel10]

Majority of the reviews and responses i've seen are good to great from the book but few have said that it is pretty bad. Should I just ignore those disparing comments and continue with this version. At the moment I can't afford the 2014 version and it is not available in my country. It also isn't available through 'other' avenues.

I will be supplementing it with Glossika, A grammar book, Flashcard apps and coffee break.

[Speakeasy]

Welcome to the forum, Jaleel10! I look forward to your reading your comments in numerous other discussion threads. Now then, as to your question.

My Experiences
I have used three different versions/generations of the Assimil Spanish courses and I enjoyed them all.

Amazon Customer Reviews
The vast majority of the reviews of the of Amazon Customer Reviews, whether in English or in French, of "Assimil Spanish with Ease" are quite positive whereas, in my opinion, the negative reviews either express disappointment with issues other than the course content or reflect unrealistic expectations from materials of this type.

Previous Discussion Threads - Language Learners' Forum
The Assimil courses are frequently discussed in this forum and in its predecessor and I suggest that you search both of them for comments. Unfortunately, I have never mastered the Search function of this forum and cannot be of much help. Furthermore, many of the comments are often included in discussion threads that began under a separate, or a more generalised, subject heading. Nevertheless, I did manage to come across the following:

Assimil Spanish Without Toil vs. Spanish With Ease
https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5364

Previous Discussion Threads - HTLAL
The How-To-Learn-Any-Language (HTLAL) forum preceded this one and, while there is now less activity on that forum, the archives serve as an amazingly rich source of information. You might find the following discussion interesting:

Spanish Without Toil Versus With Ease
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33942&PN=29

While there are certainly other approaches to searching the HTLAL forum, I have found that the "G-search" provides a reasonable list of discussion threads. With a view to limiting the search results, I bracket my search criterion with quotation marks as shown in the image below. Here is the LINK to website:

How-To-Learn-Any-Language (HTLAL)
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/default.asp

EDITED: Tinkering.

IMAGE: HTLAL G-Search for "Assimil Spanish"

[Andy E]

The 1987 version was one of my primary resources for first learning Spanish. I say "one of" because I had already purchased Platiquemos by the time I was introduced to Assimil for the first time on the HTLAL site and was loathe to put that aside entirely. In hindsight and given a choice between the two, I would go for Assimil.

I find review comments slightly bizarre at times - this is an example Assimil 1-star review on Azamon (.com):

I bought this material to use for "shadowing." The book was so small that it was too difficult to use, either for study or the shadowing technique. As a result, I returned it.

Which seems to be more of a comment on the reviewer's eyesight than anything....

[James29]

Majority of the reviews and responses i've seen are good to great from the book but few have said that it is pretty bad. Should I just ignore those disparing comments and continue with this version. At the moment I can't afford the 2014 version and it is not available in my country. It also isn't available through 'other' avenues.

I will be supplementing it with Glossika, A grammar book, Flashcard apps and coffee break.

The 1987 version was my primary resource too and I loved it. It took me from Pimsleur to FSI. I used it for about 45 minutes a day every day for probably something like 9 months. It really transformed my Spanish from beginner Pimsleur-ish Spanish into a solid intermediate. Then I was easily capable of moving on.

There is really nothing at all wrong with the course. I would have to agree that I think the New French with Ease course is better, but that is not a knock on the Spanish course at all. Some of the lessons in the Spanish course are a bit goofy, but I think that is the way it is meant to be intended. The audio has a very strong Spain Spanish so be aware of that. I help numerous people find Spanish resources and I would not hesitate one bit in recommending the 1987 Spanish course. Go for it!

[Jaleel10]

Wow. This is very motivating. I'm definitely willing to put in the hours required to achieve my personal goals with this book.

Did you continue with a Castilian Spanish accent in your jouney or did you adopt a neutral accent ?

Oh and what resources should I be supplementing my beginner studies with ?

The study guide I have planned:

Mornings:
Lingvist revision
Glossika [Old version] (my daily reps)
Spanish radio in the background while I am doing my morning hobbies: drawing, gaming or cleaning dishes

Afternoon:
Study/Do exercises from grammar book: Complete Spanish Step by Step
Spanish songs in the background

Evenings:
Assimil


Am I doing too much ? I will be on leave for a month and really want to dedicate majority of my freetime to studying Spanish. And I haven't really followed a 'schedule' for independent studies. Anything else I can do or trim down ?

[emk]

Am I doing too much ? I will be on leave for a month and really want to dedicate majority of my freetime to studying Spanish. And I haven't really followed a 'schedule' for independent studies. Anything else I can do or trim down ?

For full-time study, this looks pretty reasonable. When I was studying French full-time, I made it from A2 to B2 (with a certificate and everything) in just 4 months.

Keep in mind that you only have a certain number of "high quality" hours in the day, after which your brain will be completely fried. Spend these hours wisely.

• High-quality hours: Assimil, grammar books (if you like that). For some people, this works best in the morning, or when you get a chance to sit down and focus.
• In the nooks and crannies: Anki reps! But try to keep it under 30 minutes a day, or maybe 60 minutes if you really love Anki and you have fun cards. If you're not careful, spaced repetition will overwhelm you and steal too much time from other activities. Also, if a card makes you say, "Oh, no, not that again," just suspend it and forget it. Do not let trash pile up in your decks! Cards should be "Easy come, easy go."
• After your brain is fried: TV, music, radio, whatever. Find something easy and amusing that doesn't require any special effort.

If you're at a level where you can enjoy native media, it's time to go shopping and find stuff that's fun and easy.