Michel Thomas Beginner Dutch, Lesson 2

What is the Michel Thomas Method?

The Michel Thomas Method teaches everyday conversational language that will allow you to communicate in a wide variety of situations, empowered by the ability to create your own sentences and use the language instinctively. These all-audio courses were perfected over 25 years by gifted linguist and teacher Michel Thomas, and provide an accelerated method for language learning that is truly revolutionary.  

Lessons 1-8, the Beginner course: This course makes no assumption of knowledge of any language other than English and gives the beginner practical and functional use of the spoken language. The Beginner course is designed to take you from complete beginner to intermediate level.

Lessons 9-12, the Intermediate course: This course is for those with an intermediate-level foundation in Dutch, or those who have completed lessons 1-8 and want to take their learning to an advanced level.

How does it work?

The Michel Thomas Method works by breaking a language down into its component parts, enabling you to reconstruct the language yourself. Within the first 10 minutes of the course, you will be generating complete sentences on your own. It is important that you complete the lessons in order. The Method is successful because it 'recycles' language taught in earlier lessons, allowing you to build ever-more complicated sentences. Because the Method is based on understanding, not memorisation, there is no set limit to the length of time that you should study each lesson. 

In lesson 2 of the Dutch Beginner course, you’ll be able to talk about the future and use adjectives to describe nouns with…

• Verbs: 'to understand', 'to have', 'to say/tell', 'to give', 'to need' (= 'to have needed/necessary'), 'to phone', 'to stay'- only one Dutch present tense to translate the three English present tenses ('you understand', 'you are understanding', 'you do understand') 
• Pronouns: 'nothing', 'something', 'they', 'he', 'she'
• Word order in questions
• Linking word: 'for' (sense 'because')
• Verb forms for 'they', 'he/she/it'- adjectives and adverbs: 'needed/necessary', 'bad'- social communications: 'yes', 'no', 'Good morning'- time expressions: 'tomorrow', 'today', 'late', 'long' (= 'long time')
• Question words: 'how?', 'what time is it?'
• Expressing the future with the present tense: 'I do it tomorrow'
• Nouns ending in ' ation' are similar in Dutch: 'information', 'situation', 'operation', 'reputation', 'inspiration'
• Articles: 'the', 'a'
• Using adjectives in front of nouns: 'a bad situation'- noun: 'morning'

In the next lesson you’ll be able to give commands and use the Dutch 'even' to soften requests.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.