Mastering French: Level One (The Foreign Service Institute Language Series)

Rating:
Summary: can't do better for an audio based course
Review: I currently live in France but only on the weekends and had been a little embarassed at my stagnating level of language skills, so I went for these. I should also mention that I previously went through all three levels of Pimsleur courses; ~$750 worth! Barron's course is a far, far better value... but that's not why I got them; I don't care about the cost. I got them because there's an upgrade path: Barron's sells levels I (15 hrs) and II (25 hrs) and other companies (Audio Forum, for example) sell the remaining 2 levels (54 more hrs!) in the original FSI series. So, it's pretty clear that you're going to be able to get very deep with the language. Having said that, the Pimsleur courses are best if you want to get as much useable minimum, essential French ASAP and you can afford it.

I'm almost done French level 1 and I'll say that they are great. Yes, the technique is brute-force, but it does work. It greatly removes one's hesitancy to speak (improves confidence) and perfects pronunciation. Best for me: it's already smoothed over several tenacious problems I was having what had seemed to be "tricky" grammar points -which the Pimsleur ones didn't cover adequately-... to me, this seems a sign that it's very well designed to get students through the rough spots.

I should also mention that the instruction book doesn't come out any say it, but the way to use it most effectively is: (1) totally memorize a dialog, then do the drills... (2) if you can respond "in time" (i.e., before the answer comes) at least 80% of the time, you move on. Otherwise, go back. I would strongly recommend that when using these (or any audio course) that you respond at full speaking volume, if at all possible... there's a big difference between "responding" to a question in your head and actually responding.

Lastly, years ago I used the Barron's Korean and had two observations: Again, they totally perfect pronunciation, etc... my offices colleagues were totally blown away when a non-asian walked in speaking their language. However, I gave them up thinking the technique was "too boring." In fact, I don't currently have that issue with the French ones. Moral: if you really like the target language, it makes all the difference in the world.

Will try to post a followup.

Rating:
Summary: Never, Ever Quit!
Review: I don't know what the other people are talking about this series is awful. I bought the set with 13 compact discs and a book ... If you already have a basic knowledge of French and want to practice conversation then it might be good for you. If you are just starting you will be dissapointed. Common sense would dictate starting with a foundation and working your way up. This course jumps straight into dialogue. There is a vocabulary list of the words but the word's aren't recorded individually so you can make sure that you are pronouncing them correctly. Instead the words are included in the dialouge section which flows at a native speed which is way too fast to see if you are saying it correctly. If you buy this course you might find yourself asking "Parle vou anglais".

Rating:
Summary: Great Learning Tool
Review: I have the CD version of this course, and although I did not pay full price, it was still too expensive considering the content. The repetition is helpful for pronunciation, but the same sentences are repeated over and over in every exercise ... so you walk away knowing how to say three sentences in varying forms, with little useful vocabulary.

In addition, the recording quality is quite low, with other conversations often audible in the background of the dialogue and a constant hiss.

While perhaps a passable foundation for someone with time to spend, it is certainly not the best course to prepare you to travel in France. At the least, it would need to be combined with a course that teaches some minimal vocabulary useful for travel situations. I just returned from several days in Paris, and found myself essentially dependent upon sign language, even after completing 10 of the 13 CDs in the set.

Rating:
Summary: Still the best
Review: I've lived in France and studied college level French classes.

My take on these tapes...

Yes, these lessons do not have a pronunciation guide. This is an important drawback and is the reason I only give it 4 stars. And true, the book does not have an index. So what...this is minor drawback.

If you believe that the only way to speak a foreign language *fluently* is by speaking it, these tapes are an absolute must.

The rote drills are sometimes tiresome, but they work. I learned to speak French in France because I repeated the same sentences over and over. Rote is boring, but is still the best way.

Don't be fooled, there is no easy, painless way to learn a foreign language. It takes hard work and effort.

Rating:
Summary: Old-School Audio-Lingual Approach
Review: If old-school style rote drills and model sentence imitation works for you this course will be a great value. It's a bit dated (the course was developed in the early 1960's) but it works well. Unlike Barron's "Mastering German" tapes they there aren't as many translations of the drills and they don't slow down their dialogs for the student to grasp pronunciation; you'll be hearing them at normal conversation speeds right from the beginning. Six types of drills are presented along with some grammar notes and written exercises. There is also a Level II course with 12 ninety-minute tapes. The dialog portions are repeated with the student playing different roles in the dialog so the tapes do repeat themselves but are nonetheless a good value for learning French on your own. If you intend to use this course as your primary means of learning French on your own purchase a French grammar book to go along with it. A cheap option is Schaum's Outline Series "French Grammar" by Mary Crocker but there are many others.

Rating:
Summary: almost incomprehensible
Review: If you love the sound of blaring tape hiss, this is the product for you. That's right, this cd collection is an extremely poor recording of the cheaper tape version. Do you know how to correctly pronounce the French gargled 'R'? If not, you'll never learn it form here, as the 'R's tend to blend into the background hiss. I think the content would be great practice if they had only used an audible recording. Otherwise, it's about as intelligible as someone talking to you through a (cheap) speakerphone.

Rating:
Summary: Great Learning Tool
Review: Of course, everyone learns a bit differently, but I, for one, like the fact that all the dialogue is spoken quickly from the get go. Having lived abroad (Japan and Russia) I can attest that hearing the language spoken slowly during your studies only handicaps you severely later on. Much better to dive in and get used to it. The object is to communicate with French, regardless of their accents, speed of talking or diction.
Also, there is plenty of English during the oral translation drills. It is just that the tape does not waste your time doing a spoken English translation of the initial dialgue. Again, it is better to just listen in French and not let English become a crutch.
However, this program is so good, that I still feel it warrants five stars. Alright, maybe four and one half.

Rating:
Summary: A Worthwhile Venture
Review: This course is not a shallow treatment of French--it covers everything you need to know to begin learning French--and begin actually speaking the language. This course is long and intensive, but if you are serious about learning French and you plan to use it, this is the tool to do so.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent beginners course.
Review: This is a great course to help you quickly grasp the French language. Too many language courses seem to overemphasize grammar and fail to really teach the student how to speak confidently and fluently. The approach this course uses is almost total immersion into the language. Extensive drills and repetitive exercises are utilized so the student can practice an endless variety of sentence structures with hundreds of combinations of words. The end result is that one learns to adapt to almost any situation instantly without having to remember what the correct vocabulary was and how the grammar was supposed to work, etc. Plus, the various speakers don't hold back and say the words overly slow and distinct. They say it exactly as it should be, so a beginner has to just jump in and go with it. The beauty of the tapes (or CD's) is that you can review a section as many times as you need to in order to learn it. The second part to this course also follows along the same lines and offers more advanced materials.

Rating:
Summary: Arguably the best French self-study course
Review: Yes, yes, this old course belongs to the trite "listen andrepeat" category of self-study language courses. But it's reallythe only way to learn and absorb and "live" a foreign language. Some other courses claim to make you learn a language in record time by simply listening on your Walkman-style tape player while you're exercising or cleaning house. Listen up, fellow Francophiles: It can't be done. A fair amount of actually studying the course material is still required. In other words, technology hasn't yet replaced (eliminated) old-fashioned studying.

I really like this venerable old course, the very same one used to train government agents in the Foreign Service. What sets it apart from more modern, streamlined courses is its emphasis on spoken French. If you're not fortunate enough to live in France or any other French-speaking country, the next best thing is to listen, and listen, and listen some more. There's just no substitute for training your ears in listening comprehension, and these cassettes serve that purpose more than adequately.

This course originally came out in 1960! Not surprisingly, some of the French used is a bit dated and overly formal for today's quick-fix crowd. But if you make a conscientious effort with this course, it still delivers results. And if you're especially ambitious in your studies, you'll acquire the coveted spot-on French accent without even realizing it. How many courses can deliver this kind of aesthetic result?

But the main reason why I'd strongly advise purchasing this course is that Barron's offers it at a truly bargain price.( ). Need I say more?

A time-tested, dependable, flexible course that delivers results--and at an affordable price, too. Sounds like a good deal to me. Purchase this course, apply yourself, and you'll be amazed with the results.