Practice and Improve Your French: A Complete Listening Program to Help You Master Conventional French

Rating:
Summary: Good Course
Review: This is not an introductory course. It is suitable for those who already took introductory or intermediate courses in French but feel unable to understand the French as spoken in French movies, or in the restaurants, in business meetings, or generally in informal settings in France or Switzerland. This course is definitely helpful in explaining various phrases and common expressions that are frequently used by middle class or upper class speakers but are rarely, if ever, mentioned in the standard textbooks (for example, "se debrouiller" or "ca ne sert a rien de s'enerver"). Some of these expressions do not have an exact equivalent in English. Many of the dialogues on the audiotapes take place in Geneva (French speaking city in Switzerland). The Swiss French tends to be more slow than the French in Paris: this is an advantage for the learner. The dialogues have a real life quality (I had often heard similar conversations while living in Switzerland). The topics of these conversation involve various casual or formal business meetings and related issues such as business travel, however, there is often also a discussion of feelings and of other essential issues in life such as arrangements to rent real estate, choosing a meal in the restaurants, etc. The conversations are often lively and emotional. Their style is more typical for real life than for traditional textbooks. The background music chosen for the audiotapes is not my favorite and is not typical for France. However, this is a minor matter of personal preference. I recommend this course: it is an excellent tool if you wish to extensively master conversational French, particularly with respect to the informal language used daily in employment settings by upper middle or upper class French speakers.