Rating: 
Summary: JE PARLE FRANCAIS TRES BIEN!
Review: I recently purchased Michel Thomas' Learn to Speak French and i felt compelled to write this favorable review!Unlike any other language tape or book i have read , Michel KNOWS how to instill a pleasant, soothing, calm atmosphere for learning a new language. Michel speaks to you on the tapes as if hes sitting in your own living room and is accompanied by two students , who like yourself, are just learning the nuances of a new language for the FIRST TIME....this leaves you feeling less inhibited, less threatened and more importantly, less anxious about your learning experience. And, unlike other courses , there are NO TEXTBOOKS involved! NO HOMEWORK! NO GRAMMAR EXCERCISES! Need i say more? Try it out , and i promise..you too will be learning to speak like a native in no time! French, English, Spanish and Italian as well.
Rating:
Summary: Questions about set
Review: Does anyone know if Michel Thomas goes over verb conjugations in different tenses?
Rating:
Summary: Different and marvellous
Review: Prior to using this course, I'd always considered myself somewhat handicapped when it comes to learning foreign languages. What I now realise is that it isn't me, it's the teaching methods I've experienced in the past.
I read another review criticizing this course as "for dummies" and not teaching 100% correct sentence structure. Both may be true, but after having used both the Italian and French courses, I can now make myself understood in both languages. My vocabulary isn't great, but the course cleverly teaches the right words to be able to construct a wide variety of sentences which can be readily understood. I learnt more French with Michel Thomas than I did in three years of study at school.
If you like to learn "parrot fashion", memorizing verb conjugation and vocab, then this course probably isn't for you. If you want to learn in a very easy way without any extra work, to the point where you can get by in the language when on holiday, then I can't recommend this course highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: How to learn French very quickly
Review: I have learned French incredibly fast using Michel Thomas' materials.
Having read the reviews of others on this site, I agree that the course doesn't cover more than the basics of the language. However, the reason for this is that this is only first day of Michel's three day course see www.michelthomas.com.
The crux of Mr Thomas' method is on teaching the grammar of the language in a painless way so that at the end of his course you have the entire structure of the language upon which you can add vocabulary.This said Michel does cover the high frequency vocabulary (apparently we have an active vocabulary of only 600 words for day to day use) and he also shows how to convert our English vocabulary into French. In fact, you are encouraged to guess from your knowlege of English which words convert to French. Although he does have a strict rule against guessing for the grammar rules he tests.
In this first 8 hour course you get the present tense, expressing the future using 'going to', a small introduction into the past tense (imperfect). Using the auxillary verbs 'could' and 'want' so that you don't have to conjugate the verb that follows etc.
Previous reviewers have complained that they wanted more. I agree with them. This course on it's own isn't enough for you to learn French it only gives you a grounding, but a very strong one. It is outstanding when you compare it to anything else available on the market. It packs a big punch for your buck!
The follow-up course is now available, but only in the UK for some reason. You can easily get hold of it on www.amazon.co.uk it is called 'Michel Thomas Advanced French'. This five hour course finishes off what the 8 hour course started. By the end you have covered the verb conjunctions in the present tense including the major irregulars, the compound past tense (also when to use avoir and when to use etre for the compound tense), the imperfect tense, future tense, conditional and the subjunctive. In otherwords, you will have the entire structure of the French language. You will be able to come up with sentences like 'If you had called me this morning and if you had told me that you were going to arrive today I would have waited for you and we would have dined'. I was amazed that I had got to this level so quickly.
When you have finished the advanced course I would recommend that you get hold of a copy of the next two hour course 'Michel Thomas French language builder'. I don't think this is available on the US site but again you can easily acquire it on the UK Site. This will develop your vocabulary and use of French expressions.
As you now have the structure of the French language under your belt you need to add words, words and more words. Get hold of the Vocabulearn CDs. They are cheap and will give you a huge vocabulary if you stick at them.
Finally if you want to perfect your French get hold of an out-of-print copy of Madrigals Magic Key to French. I learned Spanish using her Spanish version. The French one is excellent too. Pay whatever you have to in order to get hold of a copy, it is worth its weight in gold as it will give you the French language. In fact, if you buy all of these materials you will have learned French for only a few hundred dollars, when you compare this with years in night school and not to mention all of your wasted time, these materials are cheap.
It then only remains for you to go to a French-speaking country to practise.
I hope these tips will help you with your introduction to the very beautiful French language.
Bon chance!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I purchased the 8cd set late last year and have been listening to it off & on ever since on my long commutes to & from work. I continue to be amazed at how much I've picked up from this course. mercis infiniment Michel! ma mère à Nantes est très heureuse!! :)
Rating: 
Summary: French That You Remember
Review: By the end of this 8 CD course, you will recall phrase and sentence building tools that will provide a basis for getting by, as well as the confidence to progress to more intermediate and advanced skills.
Michel Thomas has definitely hit upon a clever technique for making language learning accessible, memorable and less painful.
The CDs help a novice or rusty speaker lay solid foundation for speaking straightaway to the level of confident beginner, as well as preparing for higher level facility in the language.
You must follow the tips suggested for using the material, especially: play them when you're very relaxed; stop and start just as you prefer; and most of all - pause the CD and try to say every phrase he has asked his students to attempt. Your brain will hurt if you're a beginner - but you'll progress rapidly.
As for the two students you learn with in real time: the guy on the CDs is fairly sharp and you feel he could be a strong French speaker in time. The woman is a disaster - as dumb as a doorknob that was dropped on its head as a child. Her meaningless participation impairs the course.
Repeat the whole course or individual CDs to consolidate the skills you picked up on the first run through.
DO NOT buy the 2 CD Introductory `Speak French' Short Course. Such courses are so superficial they are nothing to do with language learning. Buy this 8 CD one (the first 2 CDs of which are the Intro. Short course anyway).
It is then worth moving onto the next two in the series, where Michel Thomas builds on what he has covered with you before:
French Language/Vocabulary Builder by Michel Thomas (2 CD)
Advanced French by Michel Thomas (a 5 hour course)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Course
Review: I loved this CD set. I was able to use the knowledge I obtained from these CDs very practically in Belgium, France and Switzerland. It only took like two weeks of study. More time with the CDs and I am sure we would have been even more proficient. Some have said Michel has an annoying voice, I disagree. I found one of the "CD students" to be more annoying as she was so stupid, but my guess is she was included to make us feel better about our abilities. Anyway, great set for someone wanting to speak French.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty great for a beginner!
Review: I really enjoy this program because it feels very personal and less mechanical than other language programs. It's like working with a French tutor. After using the cd's for the past couple weeks, I can honestly say I know some French! It's a very motivating program because as long as you follow instructions, you are part of the little classroom set-up and really feel engaged.
I do have to agree with the other reviewers that the woman on the recording is tres annoying, and why she is on this recording is beyond me. Basically Michel Thomas is the teacher and a woman and man are there as "students", speaking aloud what they are learning. You as the listener are supposed to press pause and vocalize your response, thus making you part of the class. But she gets things wrong so frequently! Wouldn't it be more effective to listen to people getting right? She makes lame attempts at getting the answers right. She's holding the class of 3 students back!! She is like the annoying girl/woman you had in your class that whenver she spoke, everyone would roll their eyes and get restless while the teacher spent inordinate amounts of time trying to help her.
But all in all, the cd's do as they say. I am also supplementing my self-taught French with books and movies. I don't expect these cd's to give me a well-rounded lesson on their own.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing! (except for the woman on the tape)
Review: This course is great! It's takes a completely different approach to learning than the other language courses do. It's amazing how much you can learn in a few hours. The only problem is that by the end of the course you will want to STRANGLE the annoying woman on the tape!!! She won't shut up towards the end and just keeps repeating what the teacher says in a mumbling voice. SHUT UP!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Just ok
Review: Unlike the other reviewers, I felt like these CD's were trying too hard to approach french study in a "language for dummies" kind of way. I took French at a University not too long ago and wanted to stay current with these CDs but I found myself constantly questioning whether Mr. Thomas was properly forming sentences. For instance, he sometimes links a few unconjugated verbs to form sentences (I think he says something like "voulez vous venir manger avec moi": would you like to come to eat with me). He also does wierd stuff like throws "comme ca" or "c'est" to form questions, rather than using inversion. While some of these formations may make sense in English, they may not be proper French.
I do agree that it's pretty funny when he scolds the woman student ("you're guessing, i don't want you to guess"), and i did find myself shouting the correct answer back after she screwed it up. But I'm now shopping for something that will teach proper French sentence formation so I don't sound odd when I go to France this summer.
If you want to learn grammar rules or increase your vocabulary, as I did, I would not recommend this series. If you're also looking for something to help you travel in France, I'd look for other CD's that focus on actual phrases you'd use while travelling, since I did not feel that Mr. Thomas does so. In fact, if you've had any substantive romance-lanuage instruction, you would probably be at the same level as someone who has just listened to these CDs, as he tends to associate words that are relatively similar in English, French, Spanish and Italian.
|
