Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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180 of 181 people found the following review helpful:
C'est superbe!, 16 Jul 2003
Allow me to get straight to the point. If you are serious about learning French, Spanish, German or Italian, and you have the money to spare, I would advise buying the full 8 hour course straight away. If you buy the 2 hour introductory course first, it will just be a waste of money, because I can guarantee you you will want to buy the full course after listening to it.I'm a Spanish graduate and so Michel's teaching style really intrigues me. It is truly unique and extremely effective. You will find that you will remember almost all of the vocabulary without much effort - compared to a very low retention rate from traditional courses. Michel focuses entirely on the spoken language and some people may find themselves fighting this method at first. That's only natural, because we are trained in school to rely on visual aids to remember things.... vocabulary lists, flash cards, videos, OHPs.... but when you consider how you learnt your mother tongue, you'll realize that our brain is wired up to learn a language in a auditory way. He spells out some of the trickier words, but for the most part you need to think of yourself as a child and absorb all of the information eagerly, not worrying about spellings. You can learn the spellings later, after you have finished the course.... just as a child learns to read and write his native language after he has learnt how to speak it. The format of the course is great; it's very informal. It is a recording of Michel teaching two students who, like you, have little or no prior knowledge of the language. You will feel like you are the third student in the class. It is vital to pause the tape/CD when Michel asks how to say something. Take as much time as you need to think of your answer... he will never ask anything that has not already been fully explained. As a language graduate, I have tried MANY textbooks, tapes, courses, videos, classes.... and I can guarantee you that this is the most effective, natural and stress-free approach to language learning that you will ever come across. At the end of the eight hours, you will find that you have a good, solid working knowledge of the structure of the language on which to build. As for further study, I would advise trying to get hold of a second hand copy of Margarita Madrigal's Magic Key to French (it's out of print now). It uses the same sort of methods as Michel, but you can see the words written down and can practise your own writing skills. Enjoy!
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58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
Makes learning a pleasure, 23 Mar 2006
By A Customer
I had heard many good things about Michel Thomas's teaching methods before, and had also seen a documentary where he taught a group of 'hopeless' pupils to speak basic French in three days. It came as no surprise, therefore, to discover that his methods really do work, and work brilliantly. I feel that I can speak better French now than I could after four years of French at school. The key to his technique is to make you think out the answer for youself, before either of his pupils (one clever, one, er, a bit less so) have a chance to do so. You must hover a finger over the pause button at all times, so this isn't suitable for using in the car, as I originally planned to do.
If you want a basic grasp of spoken French then I cannot believe that there is an easier way to go about it than this.
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61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
Formidable! C'est une expérience qui vraiment inspire!, 15 Sep 2000
By A Customer
The man is undoubtedly a genius. He is able to produce an interest in, and affection for, the language within a few moments of starting the course. He demystifies French, and makes it quite clear that there is nothing to fear here: all is logical and welcoming. He quotes Dumas pére who, on having to learn English, and receiving his first lesson, famously remarked 'Why,it is just French, but badly pronounced!' - which sets the tone for the proceedings.Obviously, you're not going to speak perfect French after eight or so hours of Michel Thomas, but I'll wager that you speak more and better by the end of the course than you did after however many years of school French. And, more importantly, you'll have the confidence to interact in French with the French ,and so to continue the learning procees. I can't recommend it too highly. I imagine, though, that you'll be left wondering, as I was, why these language teaching methods aren't used in our schools. So much ability going to waste!
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