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: 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.Book Review: Not For Beginners
Summary: 1 Stars
With all the glowing reviews I thought this cd-rom would be a good tool for learning French. It is NOT. There is no vocabulary, no grammar. All you do is listen to dialogues several times in varying speeds. The "helpful" commmentary is the same in every lesson. Spoken French is different from written French and while we are told over and over that certain words are not used in spoken French (like "ne" in "ne..pas") there is no commentary as to spoken French idiosyncrasies -for ex: in "tabac" the "c" is not pronounced but this is never pointed out. Yes I know you have to listen and read at the same time. My suggestion to make the program better: the "c" (in "tabac")and, in fact, all consonants, vowels that are not pronounced should be printed in "red" to help faciliate pronounciation for the beginner.
All you will get from this cd-rom (it's NOT a DVD) is the correct pronounciation but no basics. Let me repeat this. You will be able to parrot correct French pronounciation, liaisons and all, but nothing else. You may not know what a word means but you will know how to pronounce it. On this level it fails miserably.
Book Review: Smart French is True to Life
Summary: 5 Stars
My goal has always been to speak FRENCH and I've been working towards that goal for several years. I have purchased the Pimsleur courses I, II and III; Berlitz computer and audio courses; Living Language Complete Course and Ultimate French on the Go and at Home; just to name a few. Then this past August, my husband and I traveled to Paris and it was as if I hadn't studied a day!! They speak at break-neck speed and DO NOT want to speak slowly for a foreigner. I knew something was missing in my studies and now I've found it. It's SMART FRENCH! You may not want to face it, but `spoken French' is an art and needs to be learned from REAL French speaking people. Last night I dreamed I was speaking in French and yesterday my husband and I watched a French movie and I could actually understand a lot of what was said without reading the subtitles. [Which, many times were different from what was actually being said ;-] I thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who wants to truly speak French correctly and to be able to HEAR French when it is spoken by Real French people! ;-)