French I (Comprehensive)

Rating:
Summary: Expensive, but value for the money
Review: I have done the Pimsleur Spanish series before a trip to Spain. And, although not fluent, I was well able to say everything I needed to say, with a little help from a dictionary. In addtion, I could carry on pleasant, limited coversations with non-English speaking Spaniards. I could understand Spanish announcements at the airport, and even a bit of the news. Inspired by this, I bought the French series. I had 2 years of French many years ago in school, could read it, but never could speak a bit. That will change now. Pimsleur is absolutely the best program if you have problems learning how to hear and produce the language. If you naturally pick up how to speak with little input , you will probably not be happy here. But, if you think that you "can't learn languages," or that "it's hard to learn to speak" that's not true - YOU CAN - it will be expensive, and it will take work and dedication. (I listen to the half hour lesson twice 5 days a week.) You may have a limited vocabulary, but it will be a very useful vocabulary and you will know it!

Rating:
Summary: Best French course I have tried!
Review: I purchased the Pimsleur French I Language Program after trying Living Language All Audio French and two computer-based programs (Learn to Speak French by The Learning Company and Learn French Now by Transparent Language). Prior to using these programs, I had no experience with the french language.

I have just completed the Pimsleur French I course and am going to order courses II and III. Although they are expensive, I have been impressed with how much french I have learned in the past month and my ability to retain it. I have certainly made much more progress than using the other courses I mentioned earlier.

All Audio French is very good, but I didn't find that I was really learning the nuts and bolts of speaking french. The two computer-based courses are barely OK. I am an advanced computer user and found these programs tricky to install and unstable. Additionally, neither of them worked as advertised. I would avoid purchasing these computer-based courses, as they are difficult to use.

The Pimsleur course focuses on speaking the language which is what most of us are looking for. The structure of the lessons and method of repetition work well in reinforcing what your are learning. The lessons are 25 to 30 minutes in duration and are enjoyable to work through. As an adult learner, I have found this course the most effective of all that I have tried.

If you are serious about learning french, I would definitely consider making the investment in the Pimsleur courses.

Rating:
Summary: Buy it
Review: Ok. Pimsleur won't get you very far, is expensive as hell, and is somewhat cumbersome to work with. So the rest of this review will be about how in hell did I get to giving it five stars. There are several ways to go about when wanting to learn a language in an audio-only manner. You can get the "Learn in your car" from Penton Overseas. You can get the audio-only course from Living Language. Or you can take Pimsleur. From the lot, Pimsleur would be the ONLY decent answer for the utter beginner, with the other options, you will find yourself replaying the tapes a couple of times. Does any language course that is a self learning course worth this kind of money? No. That's why we have the next paragraph.

Money. First of all, by all means get it used. It is an audio course that I recommend going through only once. So if you're lucky enough to find a CD version used, it will be exactly the same (of course - assuming that the seller is decent enough to sell unscratched CD-s). As for used audio cassettes, well, as much as we want to hear the correct pronounciation, we have to remember - this is not Mozart, it is only recorded speech. However even if you don't find it used, you can buy it, and after completing the course, sell it as used. As this is suitable for first time learning, and is too much for review purposes (perhaps the other audio-only courses will be better for review).

One last thing. Usability. I'll talk technology, but it's essential here. When I bought the heavy package, the first thing I've done was to move it to MP3. So then I had the entire audio collection on a single CD. In such a way you take a single disc to your car, play it with a mobile MP3 player, and stock the valuable course in your closet for backup. In that way, when you finish with the course, the originals stay in a good enough state to be sold as used. However, if you won't convert to MP3, the need to each time take another cassette/CD to your car would be a serious drawback, since storing the entire course in your car doesn't sound as a sensible alternative to me.

To wrap it up, buy it, MP3 it, learn it, sell it.

Rating:
Summary: The BEST
Review: Okay, if it's the best, why only 4 stars? Well, simply because Pimsleur is not complete in and of itself. It's only the best there is. I'm saving the fifth star for the language program that will make me fluent. I challenge anyone to produce it!

All that said, the progress you can make with Pimsleur is nothing short of miraculous. I wanted to return to my High School & have a few terse words with my language teachers after seeing how effective language learning can really be!

This program is fantastic for people at every level of language learning. I've gone through the French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, & Hebrew. I have no problem switching from language to language in a given situation. I just can't hold a normal conversation at normal speeds. This is because you don't gain enough vocabulary & verb conjugation skills from Pimsleur to reach the "Pot O' Gold" known as true FLUENCY!

But hey, you'll learn more of your chosen language through Pimsleur than in any other method by far! Trust me, I know of what I speak. If you want to learn another language, start at Pimsleur, then decide if you feel the need to learn more.

Rating:
Summary: Pimsleur tapes are terrific!
Review: The Pimsleur French tapes are expensive but well worth it.This is the best method I have ever seen for learning to speak another language. They teach you a limited set of vocabulary and concepts, but in a way that you can really use everything that you learn, and you can use it flexibly, spontaneously, comfortably and accurately. The method is very intuitive and doesn't rely on grammatical explanations. They use a lot of English at the beginning and gradually switch over into using more and more French. They lead you gradually into speaking and into saying things that you didn't realize you had learned how to say. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Yeah, it's great but watch out for a few things
Review: There is little doubt that The Pimsleur CDs for French I will get you off the ground and learning French painlessly (if not exactly rapidly). If the thought of learning French while being stuck in rush hour traffic, or driving across country, is appealing to you, then Pimsleur is the good stuff.

Having said that, I think it pays to be aware of a few things before making the Big Purchase.

Because the price tag for these CDs is high, you might find it helpful, as I did, to try Pimsleur's "Quick and Simple" set of CDs for French first. Those CDs duplicate (with minor differences) the first 8 lessons of the French I collection. So if you wish to be cautious, that is probably the best way to get started with Pimsleur products, rather than buying the more expensive, more comprehensive products right away. You'll get a sense of whether this is the route you want to go if you want to learn more French.

Whether you start with the French I package, or the Quick and Easy CDs, you will be exposed you to the heart of what makes the Pimsleur method unique and painless. The approach is based on (1) The Principle of Anticipation (a mastery technique that is different than rote recall), (2) Graduated Interval Recall (an approach that provides new stuff to memorize at optimal intervals), (3) Core Vocabulary (an efficient, optimal selection of a small number of key words that you need to know, as opposed to an extensive vocabulary), (4) and "Organic Learning" (learn speech, eg sound, rhythm, intonations, as opposed to a bunch of textbook gramatical rules). I should add that there's something subtly humorous about the content of the CDs, so if you have a sarcastic or wicked sense of humor, you won't be totally bored. As in, "Yes, I'd like to drink some wine with you mademoiselle."

Like many, I found the approach efficient and useful, and I had lots of fun with the CDs as I drove around town blathering away in French.

But it is worth emphasizing that Pimsler is not the only game in town. There are other very high-quality competing approaches that are generally less expensive. A good supplementary book is "The Ultimate French Review and Practice."

I think it pays to be aware that with Pimsleur you are learning a very general form of French that does not always play well in all French-speaking countries. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!

The culture-specific meaning of some words is a big issue. We may think we understand the implications of familiar words in, say, Quebec, Canada, especially after learning a little French, but newcomers are unlikely to understand their deep and subtle meanings within the context of (for example) Quebec culture.

So, I think it pays to learn phrases and code words from a specific culture or country that most strongly interests you (something you'll never get from plodding through the simple and general Pimsleur approach). To this end, there are books that often discuss a specific country's idiomatic expressions or slang. For instance, I've been interested in learning more about Quebec's version of French, as well as its culture. I benefitted greatly from a number of books: "Canadian French for Better Travel" by Garayt & Corbeil; "French Fun: The Real Spoken Language of Quebec" by Timmins, "Sacre Blues: An Unsentimental Journey Through Quebec by Grescoe." In the case of French in France, "Contemporary French Cultural Studies" edited by Kidd & Reynolds can provide a deeper sense of the French and their language. I might add that travel guides for specific countries, such as the Insight Guides, often provide a few words of slang that are unique to specific regions.

It pays to have a fluent French speaker as a co-worker, friend and/or lover while you are learning from the CDs, as they might, on a good day, rescue you from whatever linguistic cliff Pimsleur sends you over. If you don't yet have a French speaking lover, you may need to purchase some additional resources, e.g. "Wicked French", "The Lover's Dictionary," or "Hot International Phrases" to help you get into/out of trouble. And don't forget to stock up on Vanessa Paradis CDs (OK, a bit dated...) or more modern music CDs!

Don't be fooled by the $$ coupon that comes with the Pimsleur CDs. In my experience, a much better price can be found using Amazon.com. I might add that you can save considerable $$ by buying the discs used, and considerable space by moving them to MP3.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent program!
Review: Well there's no easy way to learn a second language, but there are approaches that make it more easier and more useful. The Pimsleur method allows the beginner to learn a little bit at a time with the emphasis on speaking the language CORRECTLY. From my experience, other programs tend to pack a lot more materials into their lessons which OVERWHELMS the student very quickly (after a few lessons, you would get bog down by the sheer information overload). Secondly, they don't emphasize the SPEAKING aspect of a foreign language. The result of this is that you may be able to read french but unable to carry a conversation with others. (What's the use of that?)The pimsleur method is like a personal trainer who guides you through slowly but accurately.

I've got to be honest with you though. It does TAKE TIME learning a new language. There is no magic bullet. So don't expect to carry a very long conversation after doing the basic program (8 lessons). I have just finished pimsleur I comphrehensive program (30 lessons which took me about 2 months - i've spent 2 days on each lesson). I have only learned how to use some basic grammar but there is still a lot to learn (i.e. no long conversation yet). i've just started pimsleur II comphrehensive program. However, I can tell you that with what i've learned i can pronunciate properly and feel very confident speaking with others at the same time surprising/impressing them by speaking so correctly. So I know it is only a matter of time before i will get to the stage where i can carry a more decent conversaton. I know i can achieve this by completing the comphrehensive course (I,II, and III). I think the best way to learn basic to intermediate French is by the pimsleur program. Afterwards, if one wants to get even better, then one should get the living language program. This is like going through primary school first before getting to secondary school. This program only works if you could spare half an hour a day to do the program out loud. The key to the program is to practice speaking out loud. Finally I would say that if you are discipline and committed to the program, it should take you about a year to finish the three comphrehensive programs. I know it cost a lot but you WILL BE ABLE TO SPEAK FRENCH! Other learning programs are cheaper, but they are much more difficult to learn if not impossible on your own. In my opininon, the pimsleur program is absolutely the best FIRST STEP in learning a new language - again it only takes a half an hour a day and you must practice out loud. Well, i hope this helps. Write me if you still have any questions. Good Luck!