Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Es ist sehr gut! (It is very good...), 29 Jul 2004
Quite simply, buy it! With almost minimal effort (Ok, you have to put some effort in, but it really isn't too much) you can learn enough German to be able to communicate effectively in simple situations. It gives you the confidence to speak to others in German and gives you a great grounding in the language, which will help you to learn more once you have finished the course. I listened to this CD in the car, travelling to and from work. This was after moving to Germany, not being able to speak a single word. Within weeks I was able to start asking for things and holding very basic conversations in German. More surprisingly, I was also able to read a lot of German (surprising because there are no reading or writing exercises in the course). Better still, once you have started you will find it easier to pick up new words and sometimes to work out what words mean (Michel teaches you that many English words come from German origins). I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone who wishes to speak German, for whatever reason. This is even if you have never spoken the language before. The best part has to be the fact that there is so little theory involved - if you are like me and prefer to just get stuck in, then this is perfect for your needs. Also, the fact that Michel does not start with the usual phrases such as 'What is your name?' and 'How old are you?' is a big bonus. He starts straight away with questions that you will actually need in every day situations... Seriously, buy it - you won't be disappointed!
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Handles and vile situations, 8 Feb 2007
I've tried language courses on CD before. Usually they start off with `Hello, my name is James and I am from London', that sort of thing. Actually, the sort of things you never say to anybody when you go to another country. And you get those ridiculous conversations in shops, or at the railway station... they don't help at all do they?
It would be better to have somebody who knows what they are doing to teach you how to speak a language, and this is what Michel Thomas does. You become part of his little class, along with the two students.
Michel Thomas famously says on here that if you can handle verbs, you can handle the language - everything else is just vocabulary. So he doesn't waste any time teaching you vocabulary, though you will pick up the odd word here and there. He teaches you how to make sentences, how to use verbs, how to communicate. You may wish to pick up a book on vocabulary to help with `everything else'.
I found the method very exciting because it is immediately different from other methods. He explains everything with a new clarity so you grasp it straightaway, more or less. You need to listen more than once. After four or five listens to each disc, I found I didn't need to listen again, and each disc builds on the previous one.
It seemed to me that people travelling on business would find this particularly useful because the kind of things you'll be saying are to do with doing, possibilities, time, direction, requests. There's never anything about asking for an ice cream or buying stamps. You will, on the other hand, be able to ask why somebody hasn't done something yet, and when they are going to do it. It's more like real language.
The two students are a learning device. I think they help greatly and don't find them annoying. Often you'll be cleverer than they are, but spotting when they're wrong is part of the learning process. There are times when Michel Thomas seems dismayed at their inability to grasp a concept or a pronunciation, and you may end up shouting `Stupid!' at them, but it does help you learn. It really does.
In any case, the last two discs are sans students (or should that be 'ohne'). It's just Michel firing a stream of questions at you. At this stage you will know if you picked it up or not. Can you say: I can't tell you if I will do it today but I will tell you tomorrow? Yes, you should be able to say things like this.
Michel Thomas himself I find very entertaining to listen to, with his aides memoire like the handles and vile (weil) situations. His reputation as a teacher is entirely deserved. It's just a shame there aren't more CDs to go onto when you finish these.
The highest recommendation I can give is that I got truly excited at the thought of starting the next disc. Language courses are usually a chore. This one is just the opposite.
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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
German With Michel Thomas, 12 Feb 2005
I've spent a lot of money trying to learn German. I've been to various classes, I've got books, flash cards and computer programmes. If spending money made you speak German I'd be fluent.
The reason I've been slow to learn is that I don't find the time to use all these learning aids - I buy them and put them in the cupboard to gather dust. There are two things about the Michel Thomas CD course that make it work for me: First, I can put the CD on in my car whilst I'm driving around and all I have to do is listen. Secondly everything is repeated ten thousand times and if there's one thing I seem to need to learn language it's repetition. By the time I'd driven to work and back half a dozen times I knew a CD backwards and could move onto the next one.
Michel Thomas rambles on a bit (especially at the beginning of the first CD) and frequently gets annoyed at his inept students but if you can cope with this it will teach you a little bit of German very thoroughly.
True it's expensive but so were all the books I bought and didn't read - at least I got something out of this course.
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