New English File Beginner Student 39;s Book Amp; Workbook Pdf

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Brie Hoffler

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Jul 12, 2024, 12:50:23 AM7/12/24

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After you've got some kanji knowledge under your belt (about level 10 or 20 in WaniKani), it's time to pick up a textbook and start learning the framework in which you can use all the Japanese you've learned.

new english file beginner student 39;s book amp; workbook pdf

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But which textbook to choose? There are so many. And beyond textbooks, there is a wealth of reference books, dictionaries, and other things that expand on your textbook's lessons. And you'll need those to reach intermediate and beyond.

If you're following our path to Japanese fluency, you'll already know upwards of 650 kanji from your WaniKani lessons at level 20. With so much kanji packed in your brain, not only will these textbooks be much easier to use, but you'll be able to skip the kanji lessons and use that time to move your Japanese ability forward in other ways.

To get a decent handle on the structure of Japanese, you need a solid textbook (or the equivalent) to explain grammar concepts, provide practice exercises, and introduce material that's only +1 above your current ability level.

A perfect starting point for beginners, Genki has an easy-to-follow lesson structure that begins with dialogues using target vocabulary and grammar, which are then taught more clearly in the succinct and easy-to-understand lessons.

The difficulty of each lesson scaffolds gradually, so you won't feel the material is too far above your head. The exercises, audio CDs, and workbook match the high quality of the textbook and reinforce what you're learning through variety and repetition.

Genki was designed for classrooms, so if you're a self-learner, keep in mind the material may need to be modified for your situation. Also, this means most of the terminology and dialogue is aimed at the college demographic.

If you're a complete beginner, Minna no Nihongo will present a significant challenge: it's all in Japanese. And we don't mean "there's no romaji," the entire book is in Japanese. You need a separate "translation book" in English to study properly.

The two book system isn't "bad," necessarily. Studying with the main, all-Japanese textbook will force you to figure things out through context and use your brain a little more. You can always check the translation book for grammar explanations when you get stuck.

Minna no Nihongo is very in-depth too. It covers a lot of material and uses complex terms to teach grammar points. It even explains pitch accents with new grammar you learn! This is great because pitch accent should be learned early but few textbooks cover it.

Upon completing the first Minna no Nihongo, you'll know more than if you'd studied Genki I. If you're more academic and want to learn as much as possible, this is a great option for you because you can take your time and soak in the knowledge. If you hit a roadblock, a tutor or language partner would work well with this textbook.

What sets Yookoso! apart is the grammar explanations. They're academic and brief to the point of being a little unclear. But there are a lot of example sentences, tables, and other material to flesh out target concepts. It's like Yookoso! quickly explains how to swim then pushes you into the pool.

This focus on example sentences is a great way to get a feel for Japanese in its native habitat and will give you a strong collocation background. Though short, the grammar explanations do a fine job of teaching you the nuts and bolts of the language, breaking down the rules so the example sentences do you a lot of good.

And while Yookoso! teaches a lot, some may find its content outdated and hard to navigate. The first book in the series begins with a bootcamp of sorts that can disenfranchise beginner learners. It seems like Yookoso! was meant to act more as a college classroom textbook rather than a self-learner resource.

Learners of Japanese trying to get into the Marugoto curriculum may not know about the accompanying websites, native audio files, or wordbooks that are truly necessary for a full learning experience. There is a steep learning curve when it comes to implementing all of the features that come with this curriculum.

The title, Japanese for Busy People, may sound like it's aimed at you, the busy student with so much on their plate. However, Japanese for Business People might be a more suitable name, because it's aimed at career professionals, not students.

As long as you get the Kana Version of this textbook (there is an all-romaji version), you'll learn some valuable things. Each chapter introduces target grammar and vocab gradually, so it's never dumped on you all at once. And at the end of each chapter, there's a quiz you can use to self-evaluate.

The audio CD is included so you get listening and speaking practice too. If you've started your career, the dialogues, being business-y, will be more relevant than classroom-oriented ones found in other textbooks. And unlike Genki, there's an answer key in the back so you can check your work.

An interesting quirk: there's no kanji at all in this book. I guess they named it "Kana Version" for a reason. This isn't a huge problem if you're learning your kanji with WaniKani, but it can become irritating to read all kana paragraphs when you're used to kanji.

Japanese for Everyone is an inexpensive alternative to Genki. In fact, it covers almost as much as Genki I and II combined for only $29. Unfortunately, there's no audio component, or rather the most recent edition excludes the audio exercises featured in the original printing (though some of the audio is on YouTube).

The grammar explanations are minimal, so you'll need outside sources to supplement what you learn. When you get about halfway through, you start to see grammar points or levels of detail that aren't commonly taught in other textbooks, not to mention more natural Japanese in the dialogues.

One drawback is that kanji aren't used often in the book itself. Even in the last dialogue, it's mostly kana with some common kanji thrown in. This isn't a big issue since you're learning kanji with WaniKani, but you don't get to practice reading the kanji you do know in the otherwise excellent reading comprehension exercises.

Japanese: The Spoken Language was written by two linguistics experts and it shows. The grammar explanations are incredibly deep. Though dense, you'll gain excellent grammar knowledge if you dive in and stick to it.

One of the biggest complaints people have against this book is that it's all in romaji. Usually, this would be a concern, but in the case of JSL, the "romaji" is actually a special phonetic script written by the authors. Because this series is pronunciation-based, the phonetic script will give you a better foundation in your Japanese speaking.

Japanese: The Spoken Language isn't meant to be used alone. It's a companion to audio materials which you're supposed to practice first. After memorizing the audio, you go to the book for explanation. And the grammar explanations are some of the best and most detailed you can find.

A unique feature of AIJ not found in other books is the lesson review at the end of each chapter. You're given grammar exercises that test your knowledge on key concepts from the chapter and a checklist of things you "can do" with your new knowledge. If you're not passing the review quiz or can't check off an item on the checklist, you know exactly what you need to study before moving on. This is a great barometer for progress and a great selling point for this series.

If you search for free Japanese resources online, you're bound to run into Tae Kim's A Guide to Japanese Grammar on his website Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese. It's fairly complete and does a decent job of explaining grammar concepts in a way anyone can understand. That said, Tae Kim's guide may not be ideal for curious learners who are seeking more in-depth explanations. The grammar explanations tend to be quite simple, often providing a one-to-one direct translation. That might be great as a starter, but if you wish to deepen your understanding on a specific grammar point, you may need to consult other grammar resources.

Be advised there are two sections to his site: The Grammar Guide and The Complete Guide. The Complete Guide covers most of the same material as The Grammar Guide, but with extras about the written language. Both guides are organized in a textbook-like fashion; you can absolutely substitute a beginner textbook for this grammar guide if you wanted. Lessons build on one another, and should cover the foundation of Japanese grammar.

Elementary Japanese is something of a hidden gem. It was written for classrooms and self-learners, so you can use it in a variety of situations. You can practice reading everything you learned from WaniKani, because the kanji has no furigana!

A few drawbacks: romaji sticks around well past page 100 before it's dropped completely. Also, the design is on the plain side, which makes it hard to find the dividing lines between different sections like grammar explanations, dialogues, and exercises.

For self-learners on a budget, this is one of the best values. It's packed with information and teaches it really well. And for the low price, you won't regret the purchase, even if it doesn't turn out to be your absolute favorite Japanese textbook.

The explanations are accessible and the manga reinforces the target concepts. You shouldn't make this your primary study resource, but instead use it to get alternate explanations for grammar points you're learning in a more formal textbook.

Textbooks can only cover so much. They give you a solid foundation in Japanese, so you can go out into the wild with the tools to learn all the other little things that exist in the language and culture. These tools should consist of vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and some kanji too.