Rating: 
Summary: Good course, but it could have been better
Review: I can't add too much to what has already been written, except that if you expect to have even a basic knowledge of German after listening to the course only once, then you will have wasted your money. Also, Thomas doesn't touch on the use of the past participle at all. I can't figure out why - he had plenty of time. It is a very important part of the learning of German, and the people who have bought this CD course will be none the wiser on past participles after having listened to the 8 CDs. Another omission almost occurred - until the last five minutes of the last CD - when one of his students asked Thomas what the German for "excuse me" was! Also, German has a formal and informal word for "you", and, depending on which level of politeness you use, the following verb changes its form. All the way through we learnt the polite form of "you". So if you have friends in Germany you will have to go out and learn all the informal forms of the verbs, as well as the past participles, as none were covered here.For all it's good points, like its relaxed style and the repetition to make sure his students could say a sentence properly, I was left somewhat disappointed at some omissions that were conspicuous by their absence.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Start at at a Good Price
Review: I enjoyed this course and would recommend it to beginners or to those returning to German after years of disuse. Still, it is only useful as a kickstart to get you going. It is VERY rudimentary. No matter how you slice it, you are still going to have to consult more grammar and drill-oriented material eventually. It also does not remotely compare with the magnificent Pimsleur series which I recommend without reservation. The main problem with Pimsleur is price. (I used my trusty public library to get beyond this hurdle.) I liked the Thomas tapes for several reasons. First, I rather enjoyed Mr. Thomas' crusty European schoolmaster demeanor. (Others may find him less charming.) Second, he skillfully constructs an ongoing dialog which forces you to actually USE your newly acquired vocabulary in effective ways. I was especially impressed that, early on, he headed right into the tricky problems of using subordinate clauses and separable verbs. Many other language programs are fairly timid with this and only intoduce these important features of German late in their instruction. Very nicely done. However, there are some severe limitations. With the exception of modal auxiliaries, the past and perfect tenses of verbs are not addressed at all. Declension of nouns are only addressed briefly and superficially in the last lesson. Learning correct pronunciation is difficult as much of the time you hear the students using (incorrect) pronunciation (albeit subject to final correction by Mr. Thomas.) Vocabulary building is extremely limited, even by the standards of an audio-only course. In my opinion, the Thomas course is useful as an adjunct to Pimsleur German 1. But as a stand-alone course it just won't get you very far. If you have the resources (or a good library system) go for the full Pimsleur system. By the end of that, you will be ready (and eager) for more demanding supplementary (traditional) German instruction materials. You will also be ready to hit the streets of Germany with a legitimate confidence in your ability to negotiate the language and to build upon what you have already learned.
Rating:
Summary: Italian with Michel Thomas - Deluxe Language Course
Review: I enjoyed this course very much. It was very different from any other Italian self-study course I have completed for the following reasons - the CD course puts you right in the middle of a class between Michel and two of his students - and they make the same mistakes you would make (e.g, pronunciation). You really feel like you're taking a live course. Also what I liked is that Michel would ask the students to form a basic sentence (e.g., voglio farlo (I want to do it)). Then he'd say "Ok, now say: I want to do it because I want to go there", so the students would have to build on the original sentence and say: "voglio farlo perche voglio andarci." It's a great way to learn and very different from listening to language tapes or reading a grammar book. I highly recommend it for someone looking for a different learning experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible for 8 hours
Review: I have been trying to navigate beginners' italian courses for ages, but always came up against the problem of listening comprehension and verb tenses. After 30 minutes of the first lesson of this, I began to sense the light. Really. Of course, this is not a comprehensive course, but it is the best leg-up into comprehension I've had. It is worth more than about six months of classes, perhaps nine, at a language centre (and I should know). That it's done in only 8 hours is quite something.
Yes, the two students get things wrong, and they can be extremely annoying (the man annoyed me more, for the record), but - that's part of the point. If you aren't there realising that THEY are getting it wrong, how are you going to get it right for yourself?
As for some reviewers' comments about the lack of utility regarding the learning of verb structure, I disagree. European languages are particularly verb-driven. You are better off learning how to use the language with verbs, then collecting a vocabulary as you go - like driving a car with an engine, rather than having only maps and a chassis.
To be comprehensive, you'll need to dip your toe into a few other language learning aids, but this is a very very good start.
Rating:
Summary: When the time came it worked
Review: I have listened to the first four tapes maybe four times in the last two years. But I'm always a lazy student, so I've never stayed with it for very long. However when I patron came to my library we got to talking about Europe and where we both were from. He was from France but studied in Frankfurt, my family is entirely German from the Frankfurt-on-main area but I have never been to Germany. When he found out where My family came from he immediately switched to german. To my amazement, I followed him perfectly and was able to reply.
My only experience with the language came from Michel Thomas and the introductory rosetta stone software. This is an unbeatable combination. Thomas explains the language so well that even just by the cds I can read German adequately.
After this experience I am going to spend more time with the cds!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Introduction to Italian and language learning
Review: I just completed "Italian with Michel Thomas", and I am very pleased with the results. Mr. Thomas builds up an understanding of essential sentence structure over the course of the 8 CDs. I didn't finish the series with an extensive Italian vocabulary at my command, but I had a very strong comprehension of the material presented. I was informed a few days ago that Mr. Thomas has a second series of instructional CDs in the works, which should be available sometime in the Spring of 2001.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely the BEST!
Review: I learned more German in this eight-hour course than in well over 100 hours of audio courses from Learn-in-your-car, Pimsleur, Foreign Service Inst, Living language, and some less known. This course is very pleasant to hear, is conducted solely by one person, and the entire course is one conversation, rather than the boring <monotonous english voice> followed by <monotonous german voice> characteristic of other tapes. Mr. Thomas breaks down the language with his own observations, and makes sense of those subjects (like the dreaded verb) that seem to defy precise definition in other courses. While you won't pick up a huge vocabulary, it's learning how to use the words that sets this course apart from the rest. I already have the next set on order!
Rating:
Summary: used it in italy
Review: i listened to these cd's twice and then went to italy. people understood me and i could understand them!
Rating:
Summary: Michel Thomas has a Winning Formula
Review: I ordered the eight C/D deluxe edition after reading about Thomas's courses in British Airways' flight magazine. So far the collection has exceeded my expectations. You learn by getting the language in your ear and building sentences immediately. Thomas does not waste any time. I studied Italian at university twenty years ago, so this pace was not a problem for me. If it's grammatical instruction you seek, look elsewhere. The course may be a little too accelerated for the true beginner, but for someone who wants to "brush up" and learn all the essential everyday vocabulary, it's perfect!
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best method to learn a language
Review: I picked up this course to brush up on the German I learned in high school. What I found was a course that taught me more in two weeks than the two years that I took the course in high school. This is a course in conversational German. You don't learn the details of how to conjugate a verb into all the possible tenses and similar scholastic concerns. What you learn is how to communicate with someone who speaks German. Will you be totally fluent? No. But you will be able to get around and make yourself understood. It gives you a better real world vocabulary than any of the other traveling courses or phrase courses that I have seen. I wondered if it was easy for me since I already had some background in German and maybe it would not be so easy for a person who knew nothing about German. So, I purchased and tried the Spanish course in which I had no knowledge whatsoever. The result? I actually learned conversational Spanish in two weeks and can carry on a basic conversation with ease. Great system, great results, and by far the easiest way to learn a foreign language.
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