Home :: Books :: Reference  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference

Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Learn in Your Car French: Level One

Learn in Your Car French: Level One

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $13.57
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is the one to try
Review: I 've purchased three different "Learn French On Tape" sets in the last few years, and "Learn In Your Car" is by far the best. I've just started taking "real", in-person lessons at Berlitz, so I've been able to put these to the test-and they've given me a great head start. Humble though the level one tapes are, their virtue is that they are VERY simple, and believe it or not, the french DOES sink in, a little at a time, as you're driving around or on your daily commute. The thing about language tapes or CDs, of course, is that you take quite a chance when you buy them-you can't know if they'll be any good until they're unreturnable! Hence my review-and my heartiest recommendation to try this particular series. Bon chance!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is the one to try
Review: I 've purchased three different "Learn French On Tape" sets in the last few years, and "Learn In Your Car" is by far the best. I've just started taking "real", in-person lessons at Berlitz, so I've been able to put these to the test-and they've given me a great head start. Humble though the level one tapes are, their virtue is that they are VERY simple, and believe it or not, the french DOES sink in, a little at a time, as you're driving around or on your daily commute. The thing about language tapes or CDs, of course, is that you take quite a chance when you buy them-you can't know if they'll be any good until they're unreturnable! Hence my review-and my heartiest recommendation to try this particular series. Bon chance!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good for tourists
Review: I bought the tapes in preparation for a visit to France. Being a slow learner, it took my a few weeks to get the hang of it, but the lessons are just about the right length, and very well organized. When I arrived in the country I was surprised to find that people not only understood what I was saying, but took me for a native and responded as if I knew the language well! The most important lesson is how to tell someone to please speak slowly!

I would buy the cd version, if I were to do it again, since searching for lessons and repeating them over and over on tape is not very convenient.

The only complaint I had with the content of the tapes was that there wasn't enough material on 'chit chat'. I learned how to get along in hotels, cafes, and shops--in fact I was able to obtain a discount in a store without using any english--but found it hard to carry on a simple conversation.

By the way, my experience with the French people was that when I made an honest attempt at their language, they were very friendly and helpful.

Overall, these tapes made my experience much more enjoyable. I highly recommend them.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good for tourists
Review: I bought the tapes in preparation for a visit to France. Being a slow learner, it took my a few weeks to get the hang of it, but the lessons are just about the right length, and very well organized. When I arrived in the country I was surprised to find that people not only understood what I was saying, but took me for a native and responded as if I knew the language well! The most important lesson is how to tell someone to please speak slowly!

I would buy the cd version, if I were to do it again, since searching for lessons and repeating them over and over on tape is not very convenient.

The only complaint I had with the content of the tapes was that there wasn't enough material on 'chit chat'. I learned how to get along in hotels, cafes, and shops--in fact I was able to obtain a discount in a store without using any english--but found it hard to carry on a simple conversation.

By the way, my experience with the French people was that when I made an honest attempt at their language, they were very friendly and helpful.

Overall, these tapes made my experience much more enjoyable. I highly recommend them.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Where's the teaching?
Review: I had just finished Pimsleur's Quick and Simple French for English Speakers, and was quite enthralled with my progress in that program. I bought this hoping to pick up some additional French without having to invest in the full Pimsleur program. Instead, I learned that there is NO substitute for Pimsleur!

I could forgive the high-pitch Frenchwoman's voice that other reviews complain of. The problem is that there is no TEACHING-- all this thing does is throw French words and phrases at you. There is nothing in the way of memory aids, repetition, reinforcement, or conversation. There is no explanation of grammar. In the "adjectives" section, for example (yes, there is an entire section that lists out adjectives with no other context whatsoever), the woman says the adjectives two different ways, presumably the masculine and feminine forms, with no explanation of why there are two forms and which is which. As another reviewer put it, this is really just someone reading you a dictionary!

I will henceforth confine myself to Pimsleur. It's expensive, but what is the point of spending even a small amount of money for something useless? Try the Quick and Simple if you want a taste of the method, but believe me you will want more! Amazon carries the Comprehensive program, and has links to other sites that not only sell the Comprehensive Program at a discount, but will also buy back your set when you're ready for the next level.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Somewhat useful but with some serious omissions.
Review: I hate to be negative. I absolutely love this series, having purchased and worn out my Level I and Level II Learn in your car Spanish. So I was very excited to get my French Level I tapes.

I purchased Level I and discovered that, while the companion instruction book was excellent as usual, the tapes followed this pattern: side 1, side 2, side 3, side 3. There was no side 4. Thinking it was a fluke, I returned the Level I set to get another, and the same thing happened. Side 1, side 2, side 3, side 3. So I took it back AGAIN and have resorted to auction sites to find a previous printing that hopefully has all four sides of the tape.

Penton needs to improve its QA process to prevent this from happening in the future.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Learn in your car French
Review: I hate to be negative. I absolutely love this series, having purchased and worn out my Level I and Level II Learn in your car Spanish. So I was very excited to get my French Level I tapes.

I purchased Level I and discovered that, while the companion instruction book was excellent as usual, the tapes followed this pattern: side 1, side 2, side 3, side 3. There was no side 4. Thinking it was a fluke, I returned the Level I set to get another, and the same thing happened. Side 1, side 2, side 3, side 3. So I took it back AGAIN and have resorted to auction sites to find a previous printing that hopefully has all four sides of the tape.

Penton needs to improve its QA process to prevent this from happening in the future.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great to supplement outside courses, but has some flaws
Review: I have had a few years of French in High School and a semester in college, and it is amazing how quickly you can loose a language if you do not use it. I had purchased this complete set (level 1 - 3) to supplement the Living Language's Ultimate French to get more practice on pronunciation and some CDs that can be taken on the go. I have found that these CDs work well in some ways, but have some flaws.

These CDs are great for adding some new vocabulary to your language base. Some grammar is covered, but you will definitely need an additional resource to truly get a better understanding of the grammar rules.

As mentioned, there are a few flaws that are somewhat annoying:

1. The sound is set up so that the spoken English comes from one speaker and the spoken French comes from the other speaker. This is fine if you are listening on a regular stereo, but is difficult if you are trying to listen to it using headphones. Also, the volume is not balanced very well between the two speakers.

2. French speaking woman has a rather high pitched voice and can sound a little "sing-songy". She also seems to add a few extra syllables to some of the phrases. For example, when she is pronouncing "une carte de credit" (credit card), she pronounces the 'e' in 'une' ("oon-eh carte de credit"). To the best of my knowledge, this should not be pronounced.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but kinda skimpy
Review: I like the way the booklet goes with the CD's as other audio/book sets I have purchased led me to believe that the CD's and tapes went together and then had me completely confused. After having the tapes for a day, I couldn't write or read French, but I could grasp the pronunciations of almost the entire set. I'm ready to grab a book to do the explanations of how to form competent sentences and get down and dirty with French. I would recommend this set to anyone that has a hard time remembering the French language.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Price, Good quality, although not the best
Review: I like this audiobook. I have tried Language Dynamic tapes and Living Language tapes. This is by far the best. The audio quality is good, and you can learn some French after listening to it repeatedly. However, I am a slow learner of language. I found that the tape teaches too fast, and the pause between phrases is too short for you to repeat. The pronounciation is too quick. However considering its price, it is the best buy.

If you have lots of money, I strongly recommend Pimsleur tapes. IT IS THE BEST TAPES I HAVE EVER USED. EXTREMELY USER-FRIENDLY, MAKING ANYONE, INCLUDING LANGUAGE IDIOT, TO LEARN A LANGUAGE PAINLESSLY.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates