SmartFrench: Beginner Level - Learn French from Real French People by Christian Aubert
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Book Reviews of SmartFrench: Beginner Level - Learn French from Real French People
Book Review: Excellent CDs
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent program for learning to speak French the way it's supposed to be spoken. I used to speak as a child in school, but haven't spoken the language for many years. As my kid is learning French, I'm trying to help. School classes teaches the hard stuff, like grammar, etc., and not exactly how to speak/listen to the language. We tried a few other programs and were fairly disappointed until we got SmartFrench. This is an excellent program where you learn to speak, and as importantly, listen to real conversations, at different speeds. There are also text to refer to, as well as the vocabulary list for the CD materials.
One thing to understand though, that this program (Beginner level) does assume some basic knowledge of the language, and therefore not exactly for the absolute beginners. For the absolute beginners who never had any experience with the language, the also excellent SmartFrench - Introduction to French 1 & 2 CDs, also by Christian Aubert are more appropriate to start with.
Finally, this is not a program that teaches you to conjugate verbs and such. There are many books and others for French grammar. This program excels at the one objective, training your listening and speaking skills so that you can speak French like the French do. It's a perfect program if you've had some French in the past and want to brush up on speaking/listening.
Have fun!
Book Review: Very Effective!
Summary: 5 Stars
My investment in SmartFrench was the best money I've spent in a long time. I'd had some French experience in my growing up years while living overseas, and some high school and college French. But though I had a basic understanding and comprehension of the language, I didn't feel comfortable enough to actually open my mouth and attempt an actual conversation! About three months ago I purchased the Intermediate/Advanced cds from SmartFrench. The best way to describe the effect that my exposure to these cds has had, is to say that my mouth feels comfortable (and even rather delightful) with French rolling about in it now! After all the listening and repetition (the cds have been my constant driving companions), I'm no longer feeling tentative about pronunciation, or even the rhythm of the language. It's as though I've learned some dance steps and am now free to, albeit somewhat tentatively, move about the dance floor!
It's also very enlightening to listen to the French interviews and learn to understand what is being said by the non-teacher-types!
In addition to the new freedom I feel with the language, SmartFrench has clarified a lot of what categorizes a non-French speaker as just that - and has given practical advice on how to sound more French and less obviously foreign.
French feels approachable and adventuresome to me again, and I'm excited that I discovered these wonderful cds.
Book Review: Tried them all -- FINALLY something that works
Summary: 5 Stars
With an impending vacation to Paris, I wanted to become familiar with the French language, having never studied it before. I've read and listened to nearly every major French language program out there, including Barron's, Berlitz, Michel Thomas, Living Language French, Teach Yourself French and Instant Immersion. Smart French is by far the best, both in value and in what it teaches. I couldn't understand why after studying these other methods, when I watched a French film, I could understand little to nothing of what was being said. After purchasing Smart French and working each of the interactive lessons, I finally get it. What is taught in the textbooks is not the way the French actually speak. They contract so much that the written French is quite different from the spoken French! A child learns a language first by hearing it spoken and mimicking the sounds, then by attaching meaning to the words. This is what Smart French does. It teaches you to hear first, repeat the sounds that you hear and translate later. First you learn to hear, then speak and finally to understand. All the other methods teach basically the same way and method, while Smart French is very different. I wholeheartedly recommend Smart French!!!
Book Review: EXCELLENT PRODUCT!
Summary: 5 Stars
As a teacher - and student - of foreign languages, I found the 'total immersion' program presented by Christian Aubert simply brilliant. Not necessarily for those who expect to learn a foreign language overnight, but definitely an excellent medium for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. Mastering a foreign language takes more than just memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules; without being exposed to realistic settings of every day life in those countries in question, one's learning of foreign languages will always be limited and rather useless. So, if you are not among those patiently waiting for someone to develop 'The French Pill' - take it before going to bed and wake up the next day speaking perfect French - I strongly recommend you purchase this program and use over and over until you notice your understanding of the French language has considerably increased. It may not teach you how to spell correctly, but it will surely bail you out when you are trying to negotiate prices or avoiding being taken for a ride by those who normally pray on visitors who have learned their Bonjours through French for Dummies or other very appropriately named product. Two big thumbs up!!Book Review: Different and better
Summary: 5 Stars
In the course of seeking a CDrom-based program to learn French with, I read many descriptions and reviews on the various products out there: SmartFrench made the most sense, even before I purchased it. After using it for awhile, it still does. One doesn't just want to learn how to "speak" a language: the goal is to communicate, to converse. Memorization technique has its place, but what happens when the other person actually responds? (Worse, what if the person happens to be French?!) The truth is, we don't really speak even our native languages like it's taught in those books! SmartFrench attempts to deal with that, and succeeds admirably. It's hard to describe how, but in a way, you learn without really being aware of it. At some point, you notice that you're picking out and understanding words & phrases, say, while watching a French film. As the instructor says on the SmartFrench CD: "listening is the key to your future progress": This is really true. So, while it's fine to increase your vocabulary through other means, I think SmartFrench is the more crucial learning method, and one that will ultimately yield real results.