TAC 2013 - Saim - FuS7a Arabic, Hebrew, Polish

[Saim]

Na pauzi sam od svih drugih jezika, da bih što brže naučio srpski.
I'm on a break from all my other languages, so that I can learn Serbian as fast as possible.

Oni su Beogradski Sindikat English translation
Ovo nimalo nije politicki korektno
This isn't one bit politically correct
ni levo ni desno vec pravo u meso
Not left or right, but rather right in the flesh
pesnajom u vugla da ostanu bez zuba
A fist to the face, so that they're left without teeth
da frfljaju u skupstini kad raspravlja se ustav
So that they (lisp?) in the national assembly while the constitution is being debated

Ovo je buna protiv dahija
This is a revolt against the Dahis (Ottoman janissary leaders)
ovo je kidanje bukagija
This is a removal of the shackles
nad ovim nemate kontrolu
You don't have control over this
to je masovna reakcija
This is a mass reaction

Brzo budi premijera
Quick, wake the premier
cujem zveckaju lisice
I hear the handcuffs are jingling
postroj mi sve ministre
Line up the ministers for me
kljuceve od riznice
The keys of the treasury

Ajmo, raport za narod da cujem ko je krao
Come on, a report for the people, let me here who stole
sjeb'o [zajebao] nam zivote a nije odgovar'o
Fucked up our lives and didn't answer
sad ste se usemili pa nema revansizma

to je kodeks lopova niko nece da prizna

[Saim]

Konačno, pandžapski rečnik mi je doš'o!

[flag]pnb[/flag]
(original lyrics, then Gurmukhi, then word-for-word translation)

aasa wade shikariyan da rab rakhwala
ਆਸਾ (...) ਸ਼ਿਕਾਰਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਰਬ ਰਖਵਾਲਾ
hope cut/bribe hunter/s of God protector

hai duniya ve ch bohemia da bol bala
ਹੈ ਦੁਨਿਸਾ ਵੇ (...) ਬੋਹੀਮਿਸਾ ਦਾ ਬੋਲ ਬਾਲਾ
is world oh ... Bohemia's speech above

v munde punjabi rapper daa na pachande


ve kudiya ne vekh mainu maar de ne chaalan
mai aadmi anokha ...andaaz ve niraala
jithe gaddi nu roka, utthe kudiya da jaala
sada sacheya de naal lava sachi dilo yaari
jehda dil no chubje, ohna da mooh kala
naale din raat, deeva mai baala kara mai show
mere to tang rabb mera peo, na jaane kyo?
na jaane keo roz deeva mai baala
meri bhedi yaad rakh mere ghar wale tang
mera dil nam, menu ehsas
dil wich mere sada sukhi waqta di e aas
ik din aayega jaroor khushiyan da jehde langh k yaar mainu utto di dende awaz
pardesi par fir bhi dil sada desi, asi desa ch jame c pardesa ch..hava



meri kaaleya te goreyan de naal e yaari
desi putt jawaan mai vada ve shikari
tusi aadmi ho kamchor, asi aadmi haan ve chor
asi firdi ni vehle, asi bande karobari
ik yaar mera jatt, chalanda mac cut
ohnu doleyan te mann, jive hunda pehlwan
loki vekhan ohdi shaan, hunde pareshaan
raaj kare pardes ch, punjabi munda jawaan
dooja yaar patel, munda gujarati
motela da karobaar, har cheez duniya di
mainu aakhe kem cho, meh kehva maje ma
sache yaar ik dooje di karde ve seva
ik yaar mera hindu, dooja yaar muslmaan
mera ik yaar isai, ah deen na imaan mera'mil jul rehange saare desi parde wich
aish karange gore aadmi de des wich
pardesi..par fer v dil saada...........

yaara nu mere bak saare mere yaar ni jarde ...munde jame kal de...mere kolo jalde
mai piche java mere picho o gallan karde..saamne ni khade mere kolo darde
mainu rabb di saun v jehda khange murhe mere aake mainu
dekhle meri anakha cha anakha mila k meri
rag rag ch vase lahu mere des da
mai han desi putt jawaan munda pardes da
mai kara elaan, police pareshaan
uhna ton dekhi na jaaye desi munde di shaan
ohna litta mai khalota, police nu mai saada
mai haan desi zor di naare mai maara
ve naal naal mere desi munde yan di tehni
aapa aapdi gaalan kise hor nu ni kehni
vairyan di esi di tesi
mai dudh peeta ma da baneya mangalsutar des wich vaseya ch
pardesi ......

ਆਸਾ - hope, desire, wish (alternative form - ਆਸ)
ਵੱਢਣਾ - to cut
ਵੱਢੀ - bribe

[Saim]

[flag]pnb[/flag]

Very tentative English translation of Nachna Onda Nei by Tigerstyle, plus Gurmukhi transcription

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyfoi5rEP20

Giddhe Vich Nachdiye Naare Ni
ਗਿੱਧੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਚਦਿਏ ਲਾਰੇ ਲੀ
Oh woman, dance to the Giddha style

Sun Husan Diye Sarkaare Ni
ਸੁਨ ਹੁਸਨ ਦਿਏ ਸਰਕਾਰੇ ਲੀ
Listen oh one of beauty, oh government (?)

Giddhe Vich Nachdiye Naare Ni
ਗਿੱਧੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਚਦਿਏ ਲਾਰੇ ਲੀ
Oh woman, dance to the Giddha style

Sun Husan Diye Sarkaare Ni
ਸੁਨ ਹੁਸਨ ਦਿਏ ਸਰਕਾਰੇ ਲੀ
Listen oh one of beauty, oh government (?)

Unjh Dil Taanh Nachda Naal Tere
ਉਂਝ ਦਿਲ ਤਾਂ ਨਚਦਾ ਨਾਲ ਤੇਰੇ
Otherwise? so heart will dance with you

Dil Taanh Nachda Naal Tere
ਦਿਲ ਤਾਂ ਨਚਦਾ ਨਾਲ ਤੇਰੇ
So heart will dance with you

bhaavein Pabh Chakna Aunda Nayi…
ਭਾਵੇਂ ? ਚੁਕਣਾ ਔਨਦਾ ਨਹੀਂ
even though cannot lift (pabh?)

Baanh Farh Ke Nachan Nu Jee Karda
ਬਾਂਹ ਫਰ [?] ਕੇ ਨਚਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਜੀ ਕਰਦਾ
I want to dance from the arm, shoulder blade [?]

Ki Kariye Nachna Aunda Nayi
ਕੀ ਕਰਿਏ ਲਚਨਾ ਔਨਦਾ ਨੀ
what to do, don't know how to dance

Mehak Avve Teithon Chandan Di
? ਆਵੇ ਤੇਤੋਂ ?
? comes from you ?

Tere Naaga Varge Waal Kudhe
ਤੇਰੇ ਨਾਗਾ ਵਰਗੇ ਵਾਲ
Your absence like hair, (?) girl

Tainu Vekh Ke Aini Khushi Hovey
ਤੈਨੂੰ ਨੇਖਕੇ ਐਨੀ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀ ਹੇਵੇ
When I see you I'm so happy

Gedha De Ke Hoyu Ki Haal Kudhe?
ਗੇਡਾ ਦੇਕੇ ? ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਕੁਡੇ
After one round (?) how are you girl?

Tu Te Vaang Shama De Baldi Ae, Vaang Shama De Baldi Ae
ਤੂ ਚੇ ਵਾਂਗ ਸ਼ਾਮ ਦੇ ਬਲਦੀ ਬਲਦਾ
On you like evening burning ?

Saanu Tanh Machna Aunda Nayi!
Then we don't know how to (machna?)

Tere Nain Pehla Hi Kaatil Si
ਤੇਰੇ ਨੈਣ ਪਹਲਾ ਹੀ ਕਾਤਲ ਸੀ
Your eyes first killed

Pa Surma Kehar Gujare Ni
Quarter graphite ? oh Gujjar

Saada Ang Ang Khid Da Haan Diye Jadh Lak Nu Jhoote Maare Ni
Dar Lagda Gussa Na Kar Javey, Dar Lagda Gussa Na Kar Javey
Haal Dil Da Dasna Aunda Nayi…

Oh Vekh Ni Konne De Vich Phullanwalia Jhaati Mar Reya
Tainu Khabar Nayi Jasveer Tere Ni Nakhre Kinjh Sahaar Reya
Gal Ched Layee Bhainiwalle Ne, Gal Ched Layee Bhainiwalle Ne…
Par Dil Vich Vasna Aunda Nayi!

Hopefully I'll be able to do a better translation with the Pattiala dictionary once I'm back in Serbia

[Saim]

[flag]pnb[/flag]

Kali Denali by Bohemia English translation Gurmukhi transcription

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F2mwVDkWkk

Lafzan da khel alfazan da mail, wajdi beat
Word game, word filth, the beat beats

main drink pe ke gaddi di seat ch likhda geet
After drinking a drink in the car seet I write a song

umeed mainu lokan nu pasand aa mere geet
I hope people like my songs

mere geet sun loki sikhde ne cheti reet
My songs, listen people soon learn the style

eh rasam revaj es desh de,
It's a custom ? of this country

bhangg aap pinde chitta dujeyan nu wechde,
cannabis oneself small (chitta dujeyan?) sell,

gall gall te gali galoch
? and street ?

main jadon da main jammeya main ghar waleyan te bojh
when I

meri soch nashe ch mainu ni hosh main cocane piti mainu charheya ve josh
My thought/cognition, intoxicated, to me oh consciousness [?], I cocaine (piti?), to me (chareya) excitement

mere nerhe ne jehre oh ajnabi ne sare,
my nerhe, ?, they all strangers

mere toon door rehnde ne mere ghar wale
my ? is far, my house people

[Saim]

[flag]pnb[/flag]

Translation (Aaja Mahi RDB):
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 205AA5bzdV

Aaja Mahi, Aaja Mahi (Come on lover, come on lover)
Aa Soniya (Come beautiful...)
Ve Aake Aaj Mere Gal Lag Ja Tu (...come and hug me)

Jadon To Tu Rus Ke Oh Mere Naal Dholna
Ever since you got angry with me
Bhuk Nahi Lagdi Na Changa Lage Bolna
I dont feel hungry nor do I like talking
Roz Udikyan Tenu Roz Bulavan Main
Every day I think of you and call you
Balke Diva Teri Takdi Rava Mai
Like a lamp lit at night, I wait for you to come


Verse 1 Vocab

ਮਾਹੀ [mahi] - lover

ਗਲ ਲੱਗ [gal lagg] - embrace?

ਰੁਸਾਉਣਾ [rusaun.a]- to displease (so presumably [rusn.a] - to be displeased/get angry? [intransitive form], ruske after getting angry i.e. conjunctive)

ਜਦੋਂ ਤੋਂ [jadon ton] - from when, since (jadon = when [en], jab [hi], ton = from/"ablative marker")

ਭੁੱਖ [bhukkh] - hunger

ਰੋਜ਼ [roz] - daily

ਉਡੀਕਣਾ [ud.iikn.a] - to wait, expect

ਬੁਲਾਉਣਾ [bulaun.a] - to call

ਤੱਕਣਾ [takkn.a] - to expect, look

ਬਲਣਾ [baln.a] - to burn

ਦੀਵਾ [diiva] - lamp


Verse 2
Ek Pal Tere Kolo Kive Rave Door Ve
I cant stay away from you even for a moment
Chad De Tu Gussa Naal Chad De Garur Ve
Forget about your anger and leave your attitude
Kehnda Si Tu Kasma Pyar Di Niba Vange
You had said you'll be true to the vows of love...
Sache Pyar Pa Ke Saare Jag Nu Dikavange
U'll find your true love and show it to the world


Verse 2 Vocab

ਕੋਲੋਂ [kolon] - from

ਕਿਵੇਂ [kiven] - how?

ਛੱਡਣਾ [chad.n.a] - to leave

ਗਰੂਰ [garoor] - arrogance

ਕਸਮਾਂ [kasman] - vows


Verse 3
Yaad Teri Aundi Mere Dil Nu Sataundi Ve
I miss you and it troubles my heart
Puch Na Taariyan Nu Kive Tarpaundi Ve
Why are you teasing me
Rukh Hai Pyar Di Te Sone Jahi Deedaar Di
Love is in the air
Seene Naal Lag Ja Mai Khari Vaaja Maardi
Come into my arms


Verse 3 Vocab

ਸਤਾਉਣਾ [sataun.a] - to torment, annoy

ਰੁਖ਼ [rukh] - direction

ਦੀਦਾਰ - sight, appearance

ਖਰੀ - honest

ਵਾਜ - sound

Translation Jatt Ho Giya Sharabi Panjabi MC

http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~rad/mit-bh ... arabi.html

ਮੋਢਾ - shoulder

ਮੁੱਛ - moustache

ਜਾਂ - or

ਪੁੱਤ - son

ਵਾਰ - sacrifice

ਸੜਕ - street

ਵੈਰੀ - enemy

ਸਿਰ - head

ਫੋੜਨਾ - break, smash open

ਜਾਣੂ - known, acquiantance

ਤੁਰਨਾ - to leave

ਚੁੰਮਣਾ - to kiss

ਭੁੱਲਣਾ - to forget

ਜਦ - when

[Saim]

Mislim da je Benny Lewis iz fi3m.com u pravu kad kaže da se uvek mora držiti ciljevi u vidu. Dakle, sad ću to probati:

Onlajn štoperica:

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/ge ... uage+Goals

(Stavio sam kao homepage na Chrome)

Ciljevi:
C1 Katalonski, Španski, Srpski
B1 Holandski, Pendžabljanski
A2 Grčki, Urdu

Možda je to malo ambiciozno ali mislim što više imam nemoguće ciljeve, sto više ću zapravo naučiti.

Određenije:

Engleski: više ne koristi stvarno... jebo te engleski, jedino na fejsu, malo na unilangu i na fi3m-u, da razgovaraš sa prijateljima iz Australije i da čitaš o ciljevima i jezicima da ih učim ... nema više how-to-learn-any-language, rationalskepticism, youtube, i tako to

Srpski: Cilj je da steknem čvrst C1 nivo, u glavnom citanjem (samo da ne zaboravim), imam papir koji kaže da sam položio C1 ispit ali to je sam jedan papirčić, moram da učim ne samo da budem zadovoljan i da zaboravim. Pisaću TAC na srpskom al' ne znam šta ću više raditi za aktivnu sposobnost... najbitnije je da obogatim rečnik tako da književnost je hitna stvar

Španski: malo po malo, gledaj TV, pričaj sa ljudima, uživaj u okolnosti, već si na B2 i za 4 meseca kad već ne možeš baš sa svima na katalonskom stećićeš veći nivo, možda ne baš C1 ali mnogo bliže ćeš biti

Katalonski: hardkor intenzivno učenje, biće mi težak kurs ali moraću da koristim tako da valjda neću položiti ispite ako ne steknem bar B2 do kraja semestra . isto kao i španski, ali moram da se više trudim sa ovim, jer sam sada samo na A2 nivou, koji nije uopošte dovoljno!

Holandski: Kao i sa sprskim, da pređem od neizvežbanog do čvrstog B1 nivoa, malo po malo ću čitati onaj Routledge Intenzivan Kurs, i te ostale knjige koje imam, ništa strašno

Urdu: ništa jebiga

Pendžabljanski/Pandžapski/Pendžapski ili šta već:
hoću ovo da učim ali ne znam da li ću moći da ga uguram u raspored, hteo bih neki b1 nivo da steknem ali možda je to suviše ambiciozno, bar neki A2 eventualno, da se osećam udobno sa jezikom, to su moji koreni moram da naučim

Grčki: Imam ovaj čas na fakultetu, neću morati toliko da radim u slobodno vreme, ali malo ću eventualno na LiveMochi ili Italkiju samo da ga koristim, onda ću videti posle šta ću s njim

E pa super, dogovoreno! Ako ispunim bar 50% ovih ciljeva to će biti veliki uspeh!

uređivanje: pravopisne greške

[Quabazaa]

Bueno te escribo en castellano porque como me dice GoogleTranslate, no querés utilzar el inglés. Yo intento no escribir/leer tanto inglés tampoco, pero a veces es difícil evitarlo ahora que vivo en Australia. Hace falta tener más disciplina.

¡Buena suerte con tus objetivos! Quizás llegás a 60% Son muy interesantes los idiomas que estás aprendiendo. ¿Cuánto tiempo viviste en España ya?

[Saim]

Jeje, gracias por el ánimo.

Llevo 2 semanas aquí. Ahora estoy muy satisfecho con mi progreso con el catalán, así que no creo que mis objetivos sean tan poco realista.

¿Cómo es que tienes un nivel C2 de castellano? ¿Supongo que has vivido mucho tiempo en Argentina? ¿Por qué te has mudado a mi país de origen?

[Saim]

Chak Glassy Imran Khan English translation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRONdlDzVEc

Tu, aaja tu sade kol
Come to us
Kyon tarphanve sanu hun
Why now to us (tarphanve?)
Sanu tere dil di lor, lor, lor, lor
We need your heart
Ronh, akhian raatin haye ronh
Night eyes, cry?
Tenu yaad karke saujaun,
remembering you, decorate?
Sanu tere dil di lor, lor, lor
We need your heart

Hai patli patang vargi
Like a delicate kite
Jerhi charheyan di seene aag laave

Sanu eh tu sohni lagdi
We find you attractive
Jiven sohna lagda eh Punjab eh
As if ?finding attractive? Punjab
Tere husan da koi na jawab
There's no answer to your beauty

Hai patli patang vargi
Jerhi charheyan di seene aag laave
Sanu eh tu sohni lagdi
Jiven sohna lagda eh Punjab eh
Tere husan da koi na jawab veh

Chak gilaiss te kal tan na tu vekh
Drink glass, and black? see
Nachke tu hun thumke deh
After dancing now flirtaciously
Rajkeh aaish ve karde ne
After enjoying and living a life of pleasure
Punjabi munde hai
There are? Punjabi boys

[Saim]

Goal updates:


[flag]ca[/flag] - going really well, read more in Catalan than in English, speak in Catalan at uni, etc.
[flag]es[/flag] - don't really care to get this up to C1 this year, no real need or interest. I'll bother once I'm fluent in Catalan
[flag]sr[/flag] - haven't done much, definitely don't consider myself C1. I should try reading consistently, making it part of my routine.
[flag]nl[/flag] - succes! haven't forgotten everything, doing bits and piecies here and there. will try and get to a B2 level closer to when I go to the Netherlands next time.
[flag]pnb[/flag] - have decided to switch to Hindi-Urdu for the time being, because I've finally made the *click* in my mind for it.
[flag]ur[/flag] - going well, around very low B1, understand most of movies and stuff
[flag]el[/flag] - know next to nothing, class hasn't been communicative enough, will now try and do stuff in my own time

new goals

[flag]ca[/flag] C1, unchanged
[flag]es[/flag] nothing
[flag]sr[/flag] nothing, but keep using it
[flag]nl[/flag] ditto
[flag]pnb[/flag] nothing for the time being
[flag]ur[/flag] solid B1
[flag]el[/flag] do well in my class!

[flag]el[/flag] Greek

κάν'το σωστά - Athens Giants English translation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7spiUA_ug3w

Για άλλη μια φορά κάνουμε τη διαφορά
For another time, we make the difference
ποτέ δεν μένουμε στα ίδια η φάση μας προχωρά
We never stay on the same, our phase/stage proceeds
όσο χτυπάει η καρδία μαγκά ο ρυθμός δεν σταμάτα
As much as the heart beats, maga? the rhythm doesn’t stop
να ξέρεις κάτι πως απλά κάνεις hiphop, κάν'το σωστά x2
Know something, that you simply do hip hop, ? precisely

[modus.irrealis]

[/i]όσο χτυπάει η καρδία μαγκά ο ρυθμός δεν σταμάτα
As much as the heart beats, maga? the rhythm doesn’t stop

That's just a typo -- it should be μάγκα from μάγκας = (very roughly) "guy".

να ξέρεις κάτι πως απλά κάνεις hiphop, κάν'το σωστά x2
Know something, that you simply do hip hop, ? precisely

κάν'το σωστά = "do it right"

[Saim]

Summer goals

July -
[flag]sr[/flag] Upper C1 Serbian
[flag]pl[/flag] Upper A2 or lower B1 Polish

August -
[flag]pa[/flag] B2 Punjabi
[flag]ur[/flag] B1 Urdu
[flag]ar[/flag] A2 Arabic

Back to uni

September --> December
Only:
[flag]ar[/flag]
[flag]he[/flag]
To B1?! (under revision depending on how I go in summer, but I do need to get these to a decent level soon to be able to follow class without much stress)

Note to self: Don't get too distracted by [flag]ar-MA[/flag], [flag]ar-apc[/flag], [flag]sl[/flag], [flag]fr[/flag], or [flag]pt[/flag]!

[Meera]

Hey Saim !! Nice list of languages,glad to see you back here

[Ciarán12]

Hey Saim, I don't know if you've already posted some of their stuff but if you like Dutch rap you should try looking up "De jougd van tegen woordig" (that's the band's name).

[Saim]

Jeugd and tegenwoordig. Luister je ze ook graag?

And thanks Meera.

[Saim]

September Update

[flag]sr[/flag] Upper C1 Serbian

Spent loads of time speaking Serbian, learned lots of slang and other important social vocabulary, but I'm still lacking on the formal/written level (goddamn heritage language!). I need to read more.

[flag]pl[/flag] Upper A2 or lower B1 Polish

Upper A2, I wouldn't say so. But I definitely had some fun conversations in Polish in Serbia (with Poles on the Serbian course), in Poland and then even in Barcelona (met some Poles at couchsurfing meetings). I'm really glad I started learning it, because I ended up spending a week in Poland after the Serbian course! At first I went to visit a Catalan friend who was on a Polish course the same time I was on the Serbian one, and then I have Polish friends from Serbian courses that I visited. The Slavic intercomprehensibility thing really helped, though, so I'm not sure where I'd place my Polish. Somewhere in A2, but it's strange to judge when you speak a very similar language and your understanding is much higher than your speaking.

[flag]pa[/flag] B2 Punjabi
[flag]ur[/flag] B1 Urdu

Didn't end up going to Pakistan because of Spanish visa issues. Oh well, there's always next time. I'm really keen on learning Punjabi to an advanced level, but given my current Semitic focus at uni and my flirting with Polish (and that damn French) on the side, I don't think I can find time for it...

[flag]ar[/flag] A2 Arabic

I'm actually going pretty well with this! I've been using Assimil Arabic With Ease, which is a great course. I've also been doing 6 hours a week of Arabic lessons at a school near where I used to live, so I've been going up quite quickly. My teacher even speaks to me mostly in Arabic now! It's funny how much you can understand if you pay attention and you have a context for it. Anyway, I've mostly been learning vocabulary related to politics, because that's the most relevant to my needs with fuSHa. Making friends with MSA is not a big priority (I'll wait till I'm ready to take on Moroccan for that), so I'll focus on formal vocabulary for now.

Anyway, I'm confident I'll pass my Arabic exam on the 10th.

+[flag]he[/flag] Starting Hebrew before uni, doing it as part of Italki's Fall Challenge to do 20 hours in 5 weeks. I think that'll give me a good kickstart, since the early level is always the hardest, and then I can take it a bit easier.

Back to uni

September --> December
Only:
[flag]ar[/flag]
[flag]he[/flag]
To B1?! (under revision depending on how I go in summer, but I do need to get these to a decent level soon to be able to follow class without much stress)

+[flag]pl[/flag] B1 Polish - I will be sitting in on Polish classes at my uni, even though it's not part of my degree

At the end of September I'll revise my plans for what level I want in MSA and Hebrew for December.

Note to self: Don't get too distracted by [flag]ar-MA[/flag], [flag]ar-apc[/flag], [flag]sl[/flag], [flag]fr[/flag], or [flag]pt[/flag]!

[/quote]
Have been distracted majorly by French - I've even considered going to a French exchange, but I'm not sure about that... Been distracted by Dutch, but that's OK because it's a language I can already get by in, even if a bit rusty - so just low-level maintenence. Not been distracted by Portuguese, Moroccan, Levantine or Slovene, thankfully.

This is great, putting it in writing really helped me evaluate how well I've done and what I want to/can reasonably expect to achieve over the next few months. I should do these updates more often.

[voron]

I've been using Assimil Arabic With Ease, which is a great course

I'm surprised that you found it great. To me it seemed like one of the worst Assimil books ever. I would expect the first few lessons to deal with simple nominal sentences and present tense sentences (Ahmed is a student. He is a bad student etc), and introduce basic everyday vocabulary. Instead, it overwhelms you with a boring text with highly non-trivial grammar ("we wish from you non-smoking") which the book doesn't even attempt explaining, and unfrequently used words (like "attention" in the first chapter). Perhaps it gets better later on but I couldn't get past the first 3 lessons.

This is how I would expect a beginner's text (4-5th Assimil lesson) look like:

Husband: There is a lot of food on the table. There is meat, and chicken, and fish, and rice, and fruit!
Wife: Don't eat it!
Husband: Why? I'm very hungry!
Wife: Because we have guests.
Husband: Who are they?
Wife: They are my mother and father. The food is for them.

That is, I like it a lot when the texts are humorous, even when the humor is very basic. Some Assimil books have it, and others don't.

[Saim]

I did think it was a bit weird, but I stuck with it and it helped me quite a lot. I haven't used any other Assimil book before, so I didn't have any basis for comparison.

[Saim]

Com que l'any acadèmic a la UB comença aviat, pensava que seria útil escriure més sobre les meves metes aquí. Clar, ja he explicat quins són els meus objectius, però també he de pensar en com ho faré.

Plans de 1r quadrimestre - (16 setembre - 20 desembre)

[flag]ar[/flag] Àrab estàndard modern [flag]ar[/flag]
3 hores setmanals de Àrab instrumental a la universitat
3 hores setmanals de Àrab III a la universitat
1 hora setmanal llegint (Wikipèdia, notícies)
2 hores setmanals de classes particulars

[flag]he[/flag] Hebreu [flag]he[/flag]
3 hores setmanals de Hebreu modern III
2 hores setmanals traduint cançons
els classes particulars encara els he d'organitzar

[flag]pl[/flag] Polonès [flag]pl[/flag]
3 hores setmanals de Llengua polonesa II
1 hora setmanal traduint cançons

[flag]nl[/flag] Holandès [flag]nl[/flag]
Una pel·lícula al més
1 hora setmanal llegint el llibre Of ik gek ben, o bé qualsevol cosa interessant que trobo per internet

[flag]pa[/flag] Panjabi [flag]pa[/flag]
1 hora setmanal llegint el pdf de la lectura graduada que tinc o articles de APNA i Sanjha Panjab
Per fi aprendre el sistema de numeració panjabi per poder fer-la servir en botigues barcelonines

[flag]sr[/flag] Serbi [flag]sr[/flag]
3 hores setmanals llegint (fòrums i blocs i tal)
Una pel·lícula al més