Hi there!
Whenever I first come across a language learning method/system/platform, I usually have one of two reactions:
A) This looks neat but it’s only available in four languages (looking at you, Assimil)
B) It’s available in 100+ languages? Must be a scam!
Now, I’m not always as Manichean in my judgment. And it’s always better to try something out than to grumble.
I heard of Olly Richards’ Short Stories or Beginners series but never had the opportunity to use them. I felt I could already read proper, unadapted texts in my target languages. And if you’re at that level with yours, there’s really no need, in my opinion, to read stories written or edited for students. But as I’m learning Swedish from scratch, I’m in a position to explore more methods.
So far, I can only judge the book by its cover by the first story and the overall method. The story reads easily, with a lot of repetition and simple vocab. Interestingly, it doesn’t feel too adapted, and you can actually enjoy reading the story. Plus, it features meatballs, which is super Swedish. And the method is pretty straightforward:
1 Look at the illustration and read the chapter title. Think about what the story might be about. Then read the chapter all the way through. Your aim is simply to reach the end of the chapter. Therefore, do not stop to look up words and do not worry if there are things you do not understand. Simply try to follow the plot.
2 When you reach the end of the chapter, read the short summary of the plot to see if you have understood what has happened. If you find this difficult, do not worry. You will improve with each chapter.
3 Go back and read the same chapter again. If you like, you can focus more on story details than before, but otherwise simply read it through one more time.
4 When you reach the end of the chapter for the second time, read the summary again and review the vocabulary list. If you are unsure about the meanings of any words in the vocabulary list, scan through the text to find them in the story and examine them in context. This will help you better understand the words.
5 Next, work through the comprehension questions to check your understanding of key events in the story. If you do not get them all correct, do not worry; simply answering the questions will help you better understand the story.
6 At this point, you should have some understanding of the main events of the chapter. If not, you may wish to re-read the chapter a few times using the vocabulary list to check unknown words and phrases until you feel confident. Once you are ready and confident that you understand what has happened – whether it’s after one reading of the chapter or several – move on to the next chapter and continue enjoying the story at your own pace, just as you would any other book.
The text has no parallel translation which is probably a good thing. Learning is not about understanding 100% but about being able to get by with however much you understand. Each text comes with a concise glossary and reflection questions.
Also, from what I understand, stories in other languages differ, so you won’t be bored using this method in case you’re learning several languages (and it’s available in at least 15 languages, including Turkish and Irish).
The only drawback I found is you have to purchase the audio version and the text version separately. Which is, probably, normal, but I’d rather have it as a single unit, as the audio is as useful as the text. However, if you buy the audio via Audible (using 1 credit, for example) and you get the e-book from https://readers.teachyourself.com/, you get 50% off.
I’ll be using the book for the foreseeable future, and I’ll let you know more once I’m done with it.
Have you had any experience with this series? Let me and others know!
In my experience, audio is the most helpful even in the first months. I'd go with any book + audio or content with subtitles in the target language. Reading is not a main goal of mine, so I usually focus on listening!
I had a similar book in Korean, but even as a beginner it felt a bit too easy, like food chopped too finely.
I always wondered if these stories were any good, I'd love to get your opinion once to try a few more!
I always say that whatever brings you joy is the best method to learn a language. I keep watching cartoons in Finnish not only because its easier to understand than stuff for adults but mainly because the Finnish horror series (or any language horror series) available on Netflix would simply scare the shit out of me even if I didn't understand a single word.