• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Elementary Chinese

The Chinese you need.

Learn More Chinese in Less Time.   START HERE
  • Start Here
  • About
  • Chinese Courses
  • Blog
  • Best Chinese Books
  • Best China VPN
  • Merchandise
  • Resources

Assimil Chinese With Ease Review

March 2, 2020 By Kwadwo

BOOK REVIEW

Way back when I first started to learn Chinese, I was based in Paris, France. I know, a strange place to start learning Chinese. But, that’s a story for another time.

This book was hugely popular and very common among Europeans learning Chinese. I’ve finally got around to reviewing it. Let’s see whether it really does help you learn Chinese with ease?

Europe’s Top Language Learning Method

  • 49 all-inclusive and progressive lessons
  • 91 exercises with key
  • Chinese-English lexicon
  • Grammar summary

This book was originally written in French so, whilst very good, there will be some translation errors throughout.

Will these small errors get in the way of your Chinese language learning? Honestly, probably not.

The Assimil method

‘Assimil is a revolutionary self-study method based on the simple, effective principle of intuitive assimilation. This is the natural process through which you learned your own language. With lively dialogues, simple notes, and practical exercises, the Assimil method will bring you to a level where you can converse comfortably.’

This method is strong, effective and it’s been working for lots of folks all over Europe for maybe longer than you’ve been alive. Assimil was founded in 1929!

Content

  • A selection of texts literature, journalism, politics, and daily life
  • Substantial new vocabulary
  • Idioms and expressions that are vital to mastering the subtleties of Chinese
  • Advanced grammar
  • Systematic revision to consolidate what you have learned
  • A unique witty style that tried and tested

The lessons are absorbable. They are really small, compact and Assimil includes a lot of explanation, not just for each dialogue, but even for the practice exams.

The basic sounds are included with the CD or mp3 version. Get whatever one makes sense to you but drill those sounds from the beginning.

The chinglish explanations are excellent. They restructure the sentences in the format that Chinese use so you can get to grips with their sentence structures. That helps me to see how Chinese express themselves.

The cool thing is the Assimil system is one that you can use on your own, you don’t need a class or tutor to accompany your efforts.

Assimil breaks down your study into two phases. The first is passive and then comes active.

Passive phase

  • You’ll read through dialogues using the phonetic transcription as a guide (or listen to the recordings if you have them — which I strongly suggest you do)
  • Repeat each sentence out loud
  • Read the translation on the facing page
  • Use the notes to understand distinctive features of the language
  • Test yourself using the two exercises (with answer keys) that accompany each lesson
  • Review what you have learned each week in a concluding review lesson

Active phase

  • Once you are halfway through the course you will know enough to go onto the active phase
  • As you learn each new lesson you will also review an earlier one, following their instructions, and translate the dialogue from English to Chinese

Their Promise

“With regular study, in just a few months you will be able to speak fluently and naturally!”

This promise is a bit overblown, you can get quite good at Chinese. Fluent is just a few months is pretty far-fetched. Read this article to find out why.

But of course, the progress you make, all depends on the effort you put in. With 49 lessons to get you to a B1 level, you could do a lesson a day and in about a month and 3/4 you’ll be finished. That might make your brain explode though.

What Level Am I?

B1/A1 is the common European framework level for language acquisition.

The “A” Levels
Basic user

The “B” Levels
Independent user

The “C” Levels
Proficient user

When you get to Level C you’re basically a Chinese Ninja. Oh, Ninja’s are technically Japanese. You’re a Chinese Kung Fu Martial Artist!

If you want to compare the Assimil language learning method with Living Language Chinese, check out this video where I review it.


Want more book reviews from me?
Click here for my comprehensive list of the best books to learn Chinese.


Do you want to master Chinese tones?

fix your chinese tones, learn chinese tones, how to learn chinese tones, improve chinese tones, what are the chinese tones, how do I improve my chinese tones?

If you want to be confident that your tones sound good when you speak Mandarin, and you want strategies to effectively learn Chinese on your own, then I’m here to help you! ????????

Welcome to the Elementary Chinese blog! If you’re new here, hello ???????? and welcome. I’m so pleased you’re here. Check out the resources page for all the tools you need to succeed. Need advice about VPNs? Head over to my VPN master guide and if you’re in need of a book to help you along your Chinese language learning journey then read this post.


A quick and important disclosure:
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I recommend them because they are helpful and useful.

Learn Mandarin Chinese, Learn Conversational Chinese, Chinese for Beginners, Learning Chinese in China

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Don’t Miss Out!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Popular Posts

  • Learn Mandarin Chinese, Learn Conversational Chinese, Chinese for Beginners, Learning Chinese in China, Elementary Chinese Talking To Delivery Drivers In China –  Leave It At The Door!
  • talking on the phone in chinese, order takeout in chinese, order food delivery in chinese, order waimai in chinese, ordering on the phone in chinese, chinese food delivery vocab How To Order Takeout In Chinese On The Phone!
  • barbershop china, hairdressers china, how to get your haircut in china, chinese haircut vocabulary, best words to know when getting a haircut in china Haircut In China – The Words You Need To Know!????????
  • best books to learn chinese, assomil chinese book, chinese book review, best books for beginners, best books to learn chinese in europe Assimil Chinese With Ease Review
  • Learn Mandarin Chinese, Learn Conversational Chinese, Chinese for Beginners, Learning Chinese in China, Learn Taxi Chinese, Elementary Chinese Talking to Delivery Drivers in China
  • Best Books to learn Chinese, Best Books to learn Chinese Characters, Best Chinese books for Beginners, Best Chinese textbooks Chinese for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Chinese Review
  • coffee chinese, soy milk chinese, how to ask for a milk alternative in chinese, non-dairy milk in chinese, cafe chinese language, restaurant chinese vocab, how to say soy milk in mandarin, how to say soy milk in chinese How To Say Soy Milk In Chinese
  • Learn Mandarin Chinese, Learn Conversational Chinese, Chinese for Beginners, Learning Chinese in China, Elementary Chinese How to Take a Taxi in China
  • Best Books to learn Chinese, Best Books to learn Chinese Characters, Best Chinese books for Beginners, Best Chinese textbooks Is Integrated Chinese The Best Mandarin Textbook?
  • Learn Mandarin Chinese, Learn Conversational Chinese, Chinese for Beginners, Learning Chinese in China, Elementary Chinese How To Pass The HSK Exams Without Crying
Want to get fluent faster? START HERE

· Copyright © 2023 ·