I’ve now being using Assmil Polish for 35 days, so I’m just over a third of the way through the 100 lessons.

The idea is that around half an hour is sufficient for each lesson, and after 100 days you can reach a level of between A2 and B1 on the CEFR scale.

Half an hour a day. Are they serious?

Well, I don’t know if I am particularly slow at language learning, but somewhere after Lesson 20 the lessons increase rapidly in complexity, and I’ve found that 30 minutes is not enough. In fact, it is not remotely enough.

Nevertheless, I’m not spending any longer than this for two reasons.

Firstly, I’m following the instructions as I don’t want to surcharger ma mémoire ‘overload my memory’, as explained in the intro. Who knows what damage that might do? A memory overload? It doesn’t sound pleasant.

Secondly, I don’t have more than half an hour. I’ve got other things to do like Fix taps. Etc.

What level can I (or you) reach?

I don’t know yet, but I imagine it will should be somewhere in the A2 range.

As I’ve discovered with Italian the difference between a weak A2 (almost A1) and a strong A2 (almost B1) is absolutely huge, so this category is not particularly enlightening.

Do you think the Assimil course is good?

In a word. Yes. When, I’ve finished I’ll write about my experience in more detail.

You Fix Taps. Really?

Yes. Although it would be more accurate to say that I’ve now fixed/replaced one tap. Ever. At this rate I’d need to live another 500 years to have replace ten.

I replaced our kitchen tap which had been dripping for months, thus saving the absolutely gigantic sum any self-respecting plumber would have charged us.

According to my wife, who knows about these things, I was stressed and irritable, while fixing said tap. In fact, she said muttered something like ‘if I’d known what a song and dance you would have made of it …’ . And so on. I focused on the job in hand rather than catching the end of the sentence.

Still, one sudden move and our kitchen would have been knee deep in water. Everything was hanging in the balance. Who wouldn’t be stressed? 

And that folks is life in the fast lane.

Peace,

Moonface.