Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I used this CD set to learn enough French to be more than comfortable during a business trip to Paris. Michel's approach to learning French was so easy and fun. I just wish there was another level after this one. I'd buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than Pimsleur
Review: I have to change my review now. I ordered the Pimsleur Quick and Simple French and I found it to be lacking. Michel Thomas is a much better set and he gives explanations of where words come from and why they are used so you understand the origins of the language better. I felt like a parrot with the Pimsleur CD's. I'll put up with the annoying students because I found Michel's method much easier to learn with.
Rating: 
Summary: okay for the basics... what now???
Review: prior to listening to these 8 CDs, i had a very rudimentary ability to communicate in french, based on 2 years in jr high school (>30 years ago), along with some stuff i've picked up in france. now i have a much better grounding in the basics. the instructor does a good job of introducing vocabulary right away mainly by using cognates, and each lesson builds on the previous one so that by the end of the course, one is able to cobble together a variety of tourist-quality phrases.annoyances: the instructor is very crabby... think of judge wapner with a german accent. he cows the two students repeatedly.... almost berating them instead of encouraging them. and speaking of the students, the male is pretty sharp, but the female is rather dizzy, and takes up a lot of valuable lesson time vacillating between potential answers (most of them wrong). also, the instructor uses a bunch of silly mnemonic devices best reserved for children. for example, "ce n'est pas"... he says "snake... snay pas... think of the snake" and for "dire", he says, "it's a very dear word", and so on, ad nauseam. it's embarrassing for an adult to have to listen to that jive... at least it was for me. i also would have benefitted from a text accompaniment. many of the verb conjugations are still not clear, because there are many silent letters in french. he spells a few out, but only a very few. after i had gotten through the first three or four CDs, i knew that i would need supplemental material, so i picked up "essential french grammar", "berlitz french grammar" and an exercise book... can't recall the name right now, it's pretty basic, but allows me to exert the old cerebellum a bit, and re-inforce what i learned, by the action of writing. i assigned this course three stars because it did not live up to the promise espoused by several other reviewers here (for me at least). it's good for the basics, but that's about all. now i need to figure out where to go next for a more thorough course that includes a mix of listenable material for the daily commute, re-inforced by book study and written exercises, along with idiomatic phrases. classroom study is out of the question. anybody got any suggestions?
Rating:
Summary: A good place to start for basic skills and confidence
Review: Michel Thomas won't make you fluent, but you will be able to communicate the basics in French and gain some confidence to continue learning. Considering the number of hours of instruction, I was surprised by how much I learned. If you like the method used in these CD's and want to learn more, you should check out Pimsleur French I - III. The all audio format works well, but I remember more with visual links to what I hear, so I supplemented my audio learning with books. I found Elizabeth Smith's "Instant French" and Christopher Kendris' "French Now" workbook helpful and easy to follow for a beginner (audio programs can also be purchased for both texts).
Rating:
Summary: The very best method.
Review: Apart from my native language, which is Polish, I speak five languages. I wasn't born multilingual. I have gained proficiency in French, Russian, German, English and latin (translation competence) by means of many different learning methods. Since I am rather average talented student as far as languages skills are concerned, it took me several years of truly hard work to master these languages. However, the most important with languages is not aptitude but DETERMINATION.
Michel Thomas method is certainly THE BEST. Thanks to the years of his multilingual experience, this unique charismatic man (read about him!!!) provided us with his fantastic method of learning languages.
It is impossible to learn languages JUST from book. Unless one lives in the country that uses the language one learns, one needs to learn through LISTENING in order to be able to pronounce correctly and express easily oneself. Michel Thomas method provides you the foundation of the language you aim to master eventually. My only regret is that it is ONLY introduction to the language targeted for the very beginners. In order to achieve at least advanced level one would need to have not 8 but 300 CD's like that!!!
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR BEGGINER'S AND ELEMENTARY LEVELS!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Powerful Tool
Review: I purchased this CD set three months before I was about to depart for France to live for 1-1/2 years in a city where anglophones were a rarity, and having never taken a Frecnh course before in my life. I was looking for a basic grounding in the French language, and I absolutely got it. It is a fantastic benefit to be able to hear the language being spoken, as opposed to just reading it from a book. And it couldn't be easier! You simply sit and listen, and pronounce aloud with the students in the CDs. When I arrived in Paris, I had little trouble in meeting my basic needs in traveling to my destination city, and I attribute that entirely to this language course.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: If you have an ear for language, this is the best way to learn a new language. I was able to engage in conversation almost immediately. The first couple of CDs are basic, very simple-- but the course builds quickly and you will be amazed at how much you learn in such a short time. I was completely satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!
Review: I can not possible recommend these highly enough. I needed to brush up on my French before a trip to Paris so I bought this CD series. I learned more French in 8 hours than I did in 2 years of high school French and 3 semesters of college French put together. Plus, it was fun and easy! Even though it has been 5 years since I last took a French course and 4 years since I was last in France, I went and was able to communicate a million times better than the last time I went. I wish I would have known about these CDs when I was taking French. It would have REALLY helped me. I can't say enough about this product and the success I've had with it - I'm learning Italian next!
Rating:
Summary: You will want to keep learning.
Review: Michel Thomas is an amazing teacher. I have never studied French, not in high school, but always wanted to be able to at least converse. This course will really make you want to learn. You do not have to memorize anything. Michel Thomas starts you off by giving you a few words at a time and then you put sentences together from these words. After the first 2 tapes/CDs you will feel wonderful, as you will learn an amazing amount. Michel Thomas is taking advantage of the fact that approx 60% of words in English and French are very similar, only pronunciation is different. He will teach you to recognize these words, and you will be speaking French in no time. You do not need any workbook, no writing things down. I usually learn much better from visual cues but his method works very well for me regardless. I hate my work commute but often I would sit in the car after I were done, just wanting to continue with the class. This is a second review I have written for Amazon, but the quality of Mr. Thomas's classes prompted me to do so. Buy the whole set, do not even waste your money on only the introduction, you will want to continue after you are done with the first two volumes.
Rating:
Summary: Naturally Speaking French in no time
Review: Buy this program, it's inexpensive and a great augment to learning the language. I gave a copy to a friend who went to a French speaking country to work and she found it to be the most useful as an intro to the language. Of course other resources are necessary to become more proficient. After completing the 8 CD course, I can look back on the previous sentence and pick out all the words that have a French derevation. Micheal Thomas definately has something to offer when learning French, now I'm going to try his Italian course...
| 
