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"Progress is speedy and very painless" -- The Daily Telegraph 18991230 "Ideal for any business traveller who needs to be able to get around confidently." -- Sunday Business 18991230 "Five minutes into the first CD, you already feel like you're winning." -- Time Out 18991230 "Michel Thomas is a precious find indeed." -- The Guardian 18991230 "Thomas makes it simple" -- Sunday Times 18991230 "Hugely inspiring" -- Red 18991230 "Michel's methods will teach you effectively and easily" -- Daily Star 18991230
Product Description
Michel Thomas has taken the language-learning world by storm. With no books, no memorising and no homework, Michel teaches the basic grammar of the language painlessly. Using the method he has perfected over the last 50 years, he now shares his secret with the world - and 'makes it simple' (Sunday Times). In only a matter of hours, he gives you a comprehensive grasp of the structure of the language, enabling you to communicate with confidence. The present, future, conditional and past tenses are covered, and you are taught to think about the ideas that you are trying to communicate, rather than to translate words slavishly. He points out the similarities of the vocabulary in English and Italian and gives you the tools to guess the words you do not know, or think you do not know. Join two students as they learn in real time. Become the third member of the class and experience the excitement of learning a language as if by magic!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
210 of 211 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This eight hour course, just listen, no note-taking or memorising, teaches those tricky basics in a brilliantly effortless way, but buyers should be aware that even the 8-hour course is no more than a very useful introduction to the basics of the language and would be of very little use to the tourist or shopper in Italy. It's a great way for busy people or those who are not good at languages to get past the tricky early stages of learning Italian - you just sit back and listen and it gets through, if not the first time just play that bit again and there you are. You will know how to put sentences together, how to use the most important of the different tenses of verbs, and more. BUT don't expect to be anywhere near conversational after 8 hours. There is very little essential vocabulary, you won't even learn how to count. This is not a criticism, just a caution that this course is not for those who want to get by on a holiday or business trip. As someone who used the course before moving to Italy I found it gave a jump-start to learning the language - I was way ahead of other beginners after just playing the CD's while doing the ironing. But it gives very little vocabulary, it won't teach you how to read and write Italian, and when you phrase your question in perfect Italian you can bet you won't understand the Italian reply. There's a lot more work to for you to do after completing the course.
Highly recommended for beginners but in the right context and with the right expectations.
Highly recommended for beginners but in the right context and with the right expectations.
83 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I am someone who has spent 6 years in School learning French, 5 years learning German and 14 years learning Irish and I am rubbish at them all.
I heard about Michel Thomas from a friend learning Spanish and was very sceptical about her claims of how good he was. However I wanted to see if I was genetically capable of learning a language so I decided to go with Michel Thomas.
I heard about Michel Thomas from a friend learning Spanish and was very sceptical about her claims of how good he was. However I wanted to see if I was genetically capable of learning a language so I decided to go with Michel Thomas.
Some of the critisms listed by other reviewers are probably correct, lack of antive speaker, limited vocabularly, not suited to someone aiming to go on Holidays this summer. But from my stand point it was
1. Very easy to understand the points he is making.
2. The fact that it is not a native speaker makes it easier to grasp the pronuncation. Its like we're all starting from the same position.
3. The experience gives you a real sense of progression and achievement as you progress.
4. The real strength of this programme is that it gives you a sense of how to construct sentances and much more importantly it gives you the confidence to have a go.
Having recently travelled to Latino and Rome, I was really surprised at how much I could communicate and more importantly that I had the confidence to have a go. For me this programme has given me a great start and great confidence. Most of all it has given hugh enthusiam to progress even further.
Not perfect but I highly recommned to anyone.
171 of 173 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I ama language teacher, teaching English in Italy. I found Thomas' course to be by far the finest self-study teaching aid I've yet found. It's important to explode a few myths: there's nothing 'magical' about Mr Thomas' method. He follows many universally-recognised language teaching axioms, chief among them that the student must PRODUCE the language (they're not really learning it if they don't produce it). The 'spin' Mr Thomas puts on his lessons is truly his own, however; I've never come across anything quite like it before. Also, Mr Thomas claims that you will not forget what you learn on his course - well, actually, you might; you can forget anything if you try hard enough! But the rate of recall after using this course is significantly - perhaps exponentially - higher than for traditional book-and-tape courses. Mr Thomas takes some amazing short cuts with the Italian language in his course; but all of them are justified, as the intelligent student will see. Anything he leaves out is easily slotted in later, into the structures he has already taught you. My advice is to listen to this course first, and then buy an 'ordinary' book and tape course, or go to conventional Italian lessons. Mr Thomas' course is not enough on its own, but it lays a foundation of a strength that, speaking as a language teacher, I find unbelieveable. I sincerely hope he brings out an Advanced Italian volume.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Learning Italian by Michel THOMAS
A truly excellent teaching method, especially suitable for the erudite seeing that the structure of the language---centred on the verbs---is emphasised so well. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Prof./Dr. Terence Meaden
Perfect.
Excuse the originality of my title, but the simplicity of the sole word above is a reflection of my admiration for the late Michel Thomas and his method. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mink Trapper
Michael Thomas Italian
An excelent way to learn a new language no books homework or trying to remember because you are the 3rd member in the group so you hear and repeat and it becomes knowledge
Published 4 months ago by Bitzandpcs
Language Master
If any starting point for learning a foreign language was required it has to be Michael Thomas. The true master of language, highly recommended.
Published 9 months ago by John Shires
The right way to learn a language
I have made a couple of false starts in trying to learn Italian over the years. But this one has really given me a good foundation. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ian Davis
Recommended but not perfect.
After listening for the first time I was surprised at how quickly I felt I could create sentences with Thomas's 'building block' method. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Claudette
Easily the best audio-only method I've found
I used this course about five years ago and found it made a step-change in my confidence in speaking the language and I went on to do the equally-good Advanced course. Read more
Published 11 months ago by C. Young
Not bad at all.
When I first started this course I was delighted by the method Michel Thomas uses and the students clearly were too. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. Bennett J. Dunn
Stupet ipse
As a modest language teacher I find Michel Thomas's method truly eye opening. He has changed the method with which I teach modern langages with positive and remarkable results. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Bg wools
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
What do I mean by this? That to learn a new language you need to have an active enquiring mind, rather than a... Read more
What do I mean by this? That to learn a new language you need to have an active enquiring mind, rather than a... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Nicodemus
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