Audio CD
Publisher: SmartFrench (February 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0972947426
ISBN-13: 978-0972947428
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #561,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #14 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > Foreign #28 in Books > Books on CD > Languages > Language Instruction > French #212 in Books > Books on CD > Reference
If you want to be like the majority of Americans who have taken a foreign language in high school or college and can hardly decipher a word of conversational French then Smart French is not for you. On the other hand, if you feel that the value of learning a foreign language is to understand NATIVE speakers and hear the language as it is actually spoken then Smart French is a MUST buy. This program will completely demystify the art to French spoken language--and it is an art. When I heard my first lesson I honestly felt betrayed by my other programs--why didn't they simply tell the truth about French pronunciation like Smart French does? That is why if you have had years of instruction or not even one French lesson this program will benefit you.You get a booklet with the written dialogues, the alphabet, and helpful pronunciation tips. You also get a a CD software program which effortlessly takes you through a rich library of interesting conversations. You can watch the video and audio together or listen to the audio alone. The secret to Smart French is that it breaks it down for you--lesson by lesson. One of the most important things in learning a language is to utilize your listening skills--something that had always terrified me until Smart French. Go through each dialogue step by step and you will lose your fear and finally gain the confidence to trust your ears. Then pick up your old language books, tapes, and French movies and you will be amazed when you finally understand the speech patterns. I highly recommend this program--ENJOY!
I wouldn't recommend these CDs, and it's very difficult for me to believe the number of 5 star ratings. There are some very decent products out there with a lot of effort behind them. Some for less money than this one.The key is to understand what these CDs are, and what they are not. SmartFrench is not a comprehensive language course. At all. It is only a set of 7 dialogues which are repeated at different speeds to help tune your ear to French, and help with your pronunciation. It is not a competitor for Pimsleur, which develops your recall response in the foreign language, or Learn in Your Car, which hones your grammar skills, or any variety of CDs available to build your vocabulary. These CDs do none of these things.If you're looking to purchase your primary language learning tool or need a review, this definitely shouldn't be it. This should be way down on your list. If your French vocabulary is excellent, but your pronunciation is lacking, then these CDs might help. Then again, it would serve you just as well to rent a french movie with the subtitles on.
I have used SmartFrench Audio CD Intermediate/Advanced and I highly recommend it.I personally have used it in conjunction with Behind the Wheel French in learning to speak French and have experienced a great deal of success as a result.Having tried a variety of methods ranging from Bertlitz to Pimsleur, I would have to say that SmartFrench Audio CD Intermediate/Advanced is a breath of fresh air. It teaches you to speak 'real French' from real French people.I enjoyed the variety of voices on the CD and the incremental teaching approach which gets you speaking in real conversational French sentences. This builds confidence and communicative ability in French and is essential to learning to communicate effectively.Behind the Wheel French provided me with the sentences building techniques and high frequency vocabulary that sort of 'filled in the gaps' and gave me a complete and very effective learning experience.Either course is wonderful but both together are a dynamic duo!!!
In the course of seeking a CDrom-based program to learn French with, Iread many descriptions and reviews on the various products out there.SmartFrench made the most sense, even before I purchased it. After using itfor awhile, it still does. One doesn't just want to learn how to "speak" alanguage: the goal is to communicate with others, to converse. Memorization techniquehas 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'treally speak even our native languages like it's taught in those books!SmartFrench attempts to deal with that, and succeeds admirably. It's hard todescribe how, but in a way, you learn without really being aware of it. Atsome point, you notice that you're picking out and understanding words &phrases, say, while watching a French film. As the instructor says on theSmartFrench CD: "listening is the key to your future progress". This isreally true. So, while it's fine to increase your vocabulary through othermeans, I think SmartFrench is the more crucial learning method, and one thatwill ultimately yield real results.
I found these CDs excellent. They have really helped me bone up for a trip to France. I have a degree in French and have looked high and low for some review material that is fun and challenging enough and have finally found it in these CDs. I noticed an immediate improvement in my pronunciation and confidence speaking French. Merci!
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