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I highly recommend this product. I've learned much faster and with less effort using these Michel Thomas audio CD's than from all the previous French classes I took. Michel Thomas makes learning a language fun. This is also the easiest method I've found.
He does this without using "grammatical" terms that are usually just as foreign to the student as the language they wish to learn. Michel Thomas teaches you to construct your own sentences just as you do in your native language. We were so pleased we promptly ordered all other Michel Thomas French courses from Amazon.
My husband and I learned to speak French while living there many years ago. We decided to relearn what we have forgot prior to visiting Quebec this year. This language learning method is the best I have ever encountered.
We bought our first Michel Thomas course at a local book store and the method reminds us of the private language tutoring we received while living in France. We now have all of the Michel Thomas French courses and they are all quite excellent. Lack of use after returning to the U.S.
caused a loss of ability to use the language.
I can put together complex sentences in French after less than a week of study. It does that in a painless way without you even realizing it. I have studied many languages using many different methods. This method won't make you fluent or give you much vocabulary, but what it does do is give you a fantastic foundation of the grammar. That doesn't mean it's easy, but if you listen to the lessons and hit the pause button anytime he asks you to say something, you will be amazed at how fast you start to understand how the language works.I also highly recommend "Assimil New French With Ease" but I would do Michel Thomas Beginner and Advanced first. This method is by far the best I have ever used. I am amazed at how much I've learned in such a short time.
This product was on that list.I have never studied a foreign language and certainly had no intention of learning French. Yes, he has a strong Polish accent.
But what a blast it is to have so much French at my finger tips after such a short time.All in all, the programme is cleverly designed, challenging enough to be stimulating and easy to listen to again and again. Yes, it took me longer than 8 hours to master several thousand words (three months - mind you, I have been learning to write French in parallel).
Three months ago I was in Sydney's top foreign language book shop asking for their most successful language programmes (as part of a research study I am doing on best practice learning methods). Much has already been written about the pros and cons of the programme in previous reviews.
I use the two review discs included in the package regularly as I press forward with the Advanced French Programme and my recently acquired grammar books.In summary, great value for money and an exciting learning booster. The very knowledgeable and helpful shop assistant spent over 2 hours with me and I left with a list of about a dozen programmes/books across several languages.
However, once I had listened to a few minutes of the first cd, I was instantly hooked and very excited about this method.The key point for me was that this programme fuelled an excitement in learning that I have not had since university - and I think that is what Mr Thomas is seeking to establish.
(2) Biggest weakness of this course is that it does not help develop your ear. She was struggling to get it, and when she actually said something correctly her reactions were weird. Michel's method really is that effective. I found that while I could speak some complex sentences, I still had a very hard time understanding spoken French. While the vocabulary you get is somewhat limited, you make up for it by learning the structure of the language and how it operates, which you can fill in with vocab later.I had to take off one star for two reasons. I've never taken a lick of French in my life, but wanted to learn some when I found out my brother would be going to Senegal for 6 months as an exchange student I wanted to learn some of the language he would be speaking for half a year.
My brother, who has studied the language for 6 years in high school and college, was amazed at the pace I was picking it up. Not a big deal, but when you're listening for 10 hours. I was absolutely astonished at how quickly I was able to start speaking full sentences in French. (1) The female student was really annoying. I recommend Pimsleur to fill this gap.Overall, amazing product. Granted, I spoke carefully and deliberately, but I was definitely speaking and really understanding French.
It's amazing.
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