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I've struggled to learn even a sliver of a language in the past, eventually memorizing a few phrases and terms for travel in Japan and Mexico. Michel Thomas finds a way to enage the CD listener in the tutorial learning style and slowly builds pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, cultural awareness and confidence. His accent and the contrast between the skills of the two students are initially distracting, but eventually you feel like you are sitting with them, laughing about your progress in learning French. As a visual learner I have returned to a pocket phrase book to help reinforce the vocabulaire Francais.
I needed an audio course I could listen to while driving around (and working out). only down side I can foresee, is that although I can now speak some French. I've learned more from the first few CD's than I ever did in a structured class. I've only worked through 5 of the CD's, but can speak more French now than I ever thought possible. I'm not very confident that I could comprehend the response back. I'm hoping that will come with time and practice.
Have tried various language tapes in the past, and these are by far the best. With the additional students on the recording, you don't feel alone or afraid to make a mistake. I learned more from one CD than I learned in a year of college French. Michel Thomas teaches grammar without you knowing that he's teaching grammar. It feels like a real class setting. Would highly recommend these to anyone needing a quick, painless way of grasping the language.
The big criticism I have which brings it down to 4-star for me is the use of two pupils, and English male and an American female, who are sometimes maddeningly slow and inept in getting it right. He gets into the meat of it very quickly and soon has one formulating whole sentences. There's a lot to like in Michel Thomas' approach to teaching a language. They may drive you batty particularly if you go through a second time. Vocabulary builds rapidly and naturally in a nice flow with the grammar. This is "tres vite" speed compared to other courses like Pimsleur, yet it isn't uncomfortable. It also would've been nice if a written transcript (leaving out the student's part) had been included to review after finishing a disc. All in all, though, I recommend this course as a very good way to begin learning French.
Michel Thomas is superb for learning a lot of grammar fast. This course only takes 10 hours, including the review CDs, and it's amazing how much basic grammar you can learn, and how well it sticks, in that time. If you are looking for quick grammar, this is a great choice.If you are looking for perfect pronunciation, or if you get upset by a crusty old teacher who corrects his students, to the point where you just can't focus, you probably shouldn't get this program. If you are expecting this, or for that matter any, program in and of itself to make you fluent, you may be better off with a different hobby.
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