French Foreign Language Program Reviews |
French Express Track to French. Barron's. (CD version) Includes 4 CDs, color-illustrated book and audioscript booklet. This was one of the first self-study programs I ever used. I borrowed it from the library years ago on cassette, and purchased my own set with CDs awhile ago. I really like this course. It has the basic words/phrases/conversations and oral exercises which you can find on most programs, but it has some really nice extras which, I think, make it worth the money. 1) Cultural vignettes: Interspersed throughout the book are pages that give you a look at life and culture in France. Topics include French education, cafes, radio & TV, shopping, and the differences between various areas of France, among other things. 2) Songs: they can be dorky, but they're good for breaks between oral exercises. 3) The saga of Mr. Martin and Monsieur Daniel: This is set up as a mystery, so I won't give it away, but it's a story that continues throughout the book. The authors wisely begin it mostly in English, with a few sentences in French, and as it progresses, more and more English is replaced by French, until you're eventually reading about half the story in French and half in English. Needless to say, this is good for increasing reading comprehension, and the story itself is kind of interesting. It's a very nice break from the oral exercises. 4) Practical Information section: Exactly what its name implies, this section gives some good, basic info about places to go in France, how to get there, general hours of important places like banks and post offices, and even a subway map showing the lines of the Metro. The audioscript booklet corresponds to the exercises you do on the CDs, and is handy for when you want to learn on-the-go and don't want to drag the book around with you. Note: the back of the box labels this as an intermediate-level language program, and I would say that's correct. The reason I say this is that, while there's a lot of vocabulary and conversations, there are few explanations given for the rules of French grammar. If you've had some background in French, this probably won't bother you, especially since the booklet gives short grammar summaries at the end. If you're just beginning to learn French, though, you may find yourself confused. All in all, a very nice program. **** (best for Intermediate or Advanced-Beginner students) Click here to buy it. Pimsleur Quick & Simple French. Simon & Schuster. (CD version) Comes with 4 CDs (8 lessons total) and a little booklet describing Pimsleur's method. Pimleur's programs are different from many others in that they are entirely audio. This can be an asset or a liability, depending on the person using the CDs. Quick & Simple French is the same as Pimsleur's Basic French set. He uses a methodical approach. First you learn isolated words and phrases, which are incorporated into entire sentences, which are then incorporated into whole coversations lasting from around 5-10 sentences (at least in this version). The words and sentences are repeated several times by native speakers (and by the listener) and are often brought up again in subsequent, different conversations. There is no accompanying text. I think this program is a mixed bag. Since I already know some French, I found it to be way too easy, and sometimes boring since I already knew the meanings and pronunciation of the conversations. I didn't need to spend $19.95 to figure out how to ask "Ou est la rue Saint-Michel?" (forgive the lack of accents) On the plus side, the one good thing about these CDs was that they made me realize I have a tendency to say voudrez when I mean to say voudriez. On the other hand, I wasn't really paying too much attention because all the conversations were too simple for me, so if I had been paying more attention I might have been pronouncing it correctly all along. The conversations weren't that varied either, centering mainly on finding streets and asking companions if they are hungry/thirsty/where they would like to eat. I should think you'd be able to fit in a little more variety in eight lessons. Also, I find I really learn best when I can have something to read and refer to when hearing something; I'm a very visual person and the lack of a text for the program was something I really felt. To be fair, I have read comments of people who purchased the Comprehensive Pimsleur version, and they say that although the first eight lessons are extremely basic, the program does pick up after that. Maybe, but at over $200 and with no text to refer to, I don't think I can afford to find out. **/*** (2 stars for me personally or those who are more advanced and/or need a text to refer to / 3 stars for beginning students who learn just fine by listening and repeating) Click here to buy it. Hugo: French In Three Months. DK Publishing. (Only available in cassettes, to my knowledge) French With Michel Thomas: Deluxe Edition. NTC. (CD version) Includes 8 CDs and a little booklet describing Michel Thomas and his teaching method. After my frustrating experience with Michel Thomas' Spanish CDs (see the Spanish Reviews page), I didn't even want to think about going through anything like that again, in any language. So I ignored his French CDs (which I had purchased at the same time as the Spanish ones) and left them in a corner to gather dust. Well, I'm going to (hopefully) be going to Montreal and Quebec City soon. I've been to Montreal before, and was (foolishly) a little surprised by how many people didn't speak English at all. I expect that of France, but I guess since English is Canada's other official language, I thought more people would be speaking it. So, as I prepare to return to that wonderful city, I am setting aside my Spanich programs for the time being and concentrating on my French...which brings me to Michel Thomas. Enough time had elapsed since the Spanish debacle that I was finally able to try his French CDs. Surprisingly enough, I am not experiencing anywhere near the level of frustration that I did with the Spanish ones. Again, there are two students with Michel, a man and a woman. This time it's the man who catches on quickly, but even the woman is not nearly as inept as the male student in the Spanish CDs. They are, again, both beginners and make the typical beginner-student grammatical and pronunciation mistakes. Michel Thomas really stumps me. He gives you a lot more variety and vocabulary than Pimsleur, yet I can remember more of what I learned on the Pimsleur CDs a week ago than what I learned on Thomas' CDs yesterday. What really bothers me, however, about these CDs is that Thomas is not very rigorous about correcting the students' grammatical mistakes. I suppose he doesn't want to confuse them, since they are just starting to learn French, but it's very disturbing for me to hear them say de when it should be du or de la. Yes, they'll probably get their message across, but it will be like shouting out to everyone around them their lack of fluency. Also, Thomas doesn't correct their accents nearly as often as he should. I can understand him not wanting to confuse them with grammar rules, but he should at least be teaching them how to pronounce things correctly. He only really corrects them when their pronunciation is very off. The last problem is Michel Thomas himself. His natural accent is Germanic, and it's very strong. So, when he pronounces things in French, they don't end up sounding completely as they should, since his natural accent interferes. This is why I truly believe that when you learn a foreign language, you should be listening to native speakers. It's very obvious just by listening to him that his Spanish accent is much better than his French one. It's not terrible, but it could definitely be better. I suppose the reason it bothers me so much is that poeple who try to learn French from his CDs are going to end up with poor accents and improper knowledge of French grammar. I feel a little bad saying all this, since I want to be able to give good reviews to his products. I just can't recommend his French program wholeheartedly, though, when I know that there are much better ones out there (e.g. the Berlizt French Today would be excellent for beginners, the Colloquial French for intermediate students, and L'Express for those with advanced French skills). Plus, there's the whole problem I spoke of in the Spanish review, about how some people don't learn very well just listening to others, and need some visual assistance by way of text. I guess using these CDs would be better than not learning French at all, but there are better programs out there to choose from. ** 1/2 (2 1/2 stars, best for people who learn best by listening and repeating and don't need a text to follow along with) Click here to buy it. Colloquial French: A Complete Language Course. Routledge. (Only in cassettes, to my knowledge) Includes 2 cassettes and an accompanying text. I'm fairly impressed by this program.The back of the book says that no prior knowledge of the language is required, but the book and tapes progress a bit more quickly than beginners may find comfortable. I think, then, that this course is better-suited for intermediate students. The book is one of the better of its kind. There are the usual types of exercises and vocabulary one gets in a foreign language program, but conversations, menus, maps, a letter, and a symphony program are also included so you are exposed to written French in various real-life ways. The nice thing about the conversations is that they aren't centered around simply finding a hotel or choosing a restaurant; you can actually imagine real people holding conversations like these. Most importantly, the book's treatment of French grammar is excellent. A little grammar instruction is presented in each unit, so you don't have to worry about being hit over the head with it all at once, and everything very logically and clearly explained. The cassettes include the same conversations as in the books, as well as some oral exercises based on the theme of each unit. The recordings are by native speakers with clear accents. I was pleasantly surprised while listening to the cassettes, as some of the speakers tend to go a bit faster than what you usually hear in home programs, which helps to prepare you for how a native speaker would be more likely to talk to you. Nobody in real life ever talks as slowly as the people you hear in most self-study language programs. These cassettes are a worthy complement to an excellent book. **** (4 stars, best for an intermediate student or someone wishing to brush up on semi-forgotten skills) Click here to buy it. French Today. Berlitz. (Cassette version) Includes a course book, learner's guide, 4 cassettes (also available in CDs, which I recommend over cassettes), an English-French dictionary, and a French verb handbook (there is also a coupon for a free Berlitz lesson - remember to save your sales receipt, though). This is a wonderful program for someone learning French to begin with! As you can see, you get a lot for your money. All the components work together in order to increase your learning. The Course Book is the heart of the program. It introduces to you vocabulary, numbers, phrases, pronunciation and grammar. The Learner's Guide mainly emphasizes grammar, but it also goes over numbers and pronunciation, and has a French-English glossary in the back. It also has, in the beginning, a section called "How to get the most out of this course." Its tips are common-sense, if you think about it, but they are things we tend to forget or ignore, so it's good to have them pointed out. The Dictionary is self-explanatory, and the Verb Handbook is an excellent, non-intimidating introduction to verb tenses and conjugations. The cassettes are recorded by native speakers with clear accents. One of the aspects I like best about this course is its emphasis on grammar, even though it's geared toward beginners. Between the lessons in the Course Book, the review and explanations in the Learner's Guide, and the reference material in the Verb Handbook, beginners will receive a much better than average introduction to French grammar, but in a clear, easy-to-follow way. That's not to say, however, that vocabulary and phrases are shied away from. Far from it. The back of the package claims to give you a "working vocabulary of 2250 words and phrases." Well, I haven't actually done the calculations, but the content is definitely impressive. It's not just typical tourist-ese (although that's certainly included), but rather a wide variety of useful vocabulary. All in all, this is an impressive program, and better than many others in its price range. For someone just staring to learn French, or who only needs a review to jog his/her memory, this is the one I would recommend. It also provides an excellent basis for more advanced studying in the future. **** (4 stars, great for beginners and those just needing a review of French) Click here to buy it. French Made Easy: Intemediate. Barron's. (Only available in cassettes, to my knowledge) French: Start Speaking Today! (Language/30 series) . Educational Services Corp. (Cassettes only) L'Express: Perspectives francaises. NTC. (Only available in cassettes, to my knowledge) Includes 3 cassettes and accompanying text. This is a unique product, in that its purpose is not to teach you French from scratch. This is not for beginners. Rather, it helps you to build on the knowledge you already have. L'Express is a well-known newsmagazine in France. Here, they have put together a collection of 33 of their actual articles on a wide range of subjects. Be forewarned: Everything here is in French. The preface is in French, the articles are in French, the cassette are in French, even the definitions of some of the words they use in their articles are in French. There are no English translations. This will not be useful to you if you've never studied the language. However, if you are a intermediate/low-advanced student and would like something that goes beyond J'habite aux Etats-Unis, then this is definitely for you. To my knowledge, and I may certainly be wrong, L'Express is the only one putting out products like this, which help you to enhance the listening and reading comprehension you've already achieved. As I said, this is not the product to turn to when starting from the beginning. But if you've been studying French for awhile and want to take your knowledge to the next level, this will definitely help you out. **** (4 stars, for those whose skills will help them put this to good use) Click here to buy it. Rating System * (1 star) Poor - The program is poorly thought-out/not practical in real life/simply ineffective ** (2 stars) Fair - Program has more flaws than strengths, but some knowledge can still be salvaged from it, particularly if you're desperate to learn/it's just really, really boring *** (3 stars) Good - Comparable to most programs on the market, and adequate for learning on one's own **** (4 stars) Very Good - Offers certain features that most other programs do not, as well as the basic information needed to learn a new language/noticeably more engaging than the average program ***** (5 stars) Nirvana - Haven't found it yet in a foreign language program |
Eiffel Tower/Notre Dame/Fontaine Bleau |
Le Jardin de la Magalon, Marseille Courtesy of www.mairie-marseille.fr |
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