Michel Thomas Method French Advanced Review

Rating: 8.5/10
Publisher: Hodder Arnold

This course is a variation on the Michel Thomas Method French Advanced course that I've already reviewed here.

Pros
Complete Advanced course (4 CDs) plus concise review CD
Easy to follow and progress through material without effort.
Great system for easily remembering grammar and structures.
Thomas emphasizes correct pronunciation but with colloquial flavour.
Targeted on speech: Focus on listening, thinking out the answer and proper expression.

Cons
Not extensive vocabulary.
Intermediate rather than actually advanced.
Need another system for learning how to read and write.
(Michel Thomas Method French Vocabulary course reviewed here.)

Conclusion
This review cd is a useful addition to the Advanced course, as it removes all the padding in the earlier course, including student replies, discussion etc, and just has Michel Thomas speaking and answering himself with a slight pause for your practice response. It's a great way to review the course. I probably wouldn't buy this cd if I already had the original Advanced 4 cd set, but it certainly adds some usefulness for people purchasing the set for the first time.

For further comments on the Advanced Course, see my review here.

Instant Immersion French

Rating: 7/10
Publisher: Topics Entertainment

Pros
Good production values
Great French accents with a wide range of material covered for a basic course
Emphasis on immersion by listening to French phrases and then having a go at translation without clues in English.
Short lessons encourage everyday practice

Cons
Pacing is a little slow
Relies heavily on memorisation for progress

Conclusion
The course is quite comprehensive for a beginner course (8 CDs), covering all the basics, as well as other useful topics such as the weather, travel, numbers, shopping, meals, as well as a diverse range of grammar structures, verb conjugations, adjectives and adverbs.

Each section contains new material, followed by specific practice exercises to reinforce the vocubulary. Structure is not a high priority for this course, encouraging you to learn from phrases and develop your own understanding of how the language hangs together through listening.

I like the practice exercises, translating first from French into English and then from English into French. This is important. The accents are great, the production values are excellent and the wide range of material keeps the course fresh and interesting.



Further comments
The pace of speaking is very slow, so it's easy to recognise. They use a range of native French speakers. The accent of the English speakers is very American.

It's a subtle difference, but in this course they give you the French first, followed by the English, encouraging you to translate first, and then have your answer reinforced/corrected afterwards. It's a little easy to slack off, however, and just wait for the English without working on the translation first.

Personally, I prefer a more active learning method, learning structures first, developing confidence in speaking from the first and then pickup vocabulary to create fluency. This course is much more reliant on memorising phrases and learning to offer them when appropriate.

French Conversation from Teach Yourself

with Jean-Claude Arragon

Rating: 7/10
Publisher: Teach Yourself

Pros:
Very clear native French speakers who speak slowly enough to understand all words fairly easily
Gives contextual dialogues, translations, information on structures, some verbal conjugations
Good production values

Cons:
The little tune introducing each section is a bit clichéd.

Conclusion:
This course is targeted at the complete beginner or traveller who wishes to learn a few phrases to use in travelling contexts. It makes use of similar vocabulary to enable you to recognise the same phrase in different contexts. The speakers are fluent native French actors, using a pace that is fairly slow, enabling easy recognition.

Dialogues are based on the following contexts:

• Introductions
• Making a reservation as well as eating/drinking at a restaurant
• Booking and staying at a hotel
• Buying tickets to a theme park
• Travel by train
• Hiring a car
• Going to the Chemist/Drugstore
• Asking directions
• Talking to the police
• Dinner at friend's place
• At a flea market
• Departing

A great course as an introduction to the French language for people who are travelling on holiday to France. The French speakers are very easy to listen to, and the English information and translations are provided by a woman with a clear (distinctly English accented) voice. Not a bad start for someone just wanting a basic taste of the language without too much effort.

You can purchase this course through Audible at the Amazon website

Further Comments:

The dialogues are definitely with travellers in mind, so some of the phrases are similar in order to feel competent in picking up the language quickly. This makes the course easier, but maybe a little disorienting when encountering a wider range of responses than is given in such a short course. This is not a detriment to the course, however, as it is not meant to be exhaustive.

The music introduces each new dialogue, which is useful for orienting your progress skipping through the audio on an iPod or similar. I would have liked a verbal indication of sections (eg. "Dialogue 4 Part 2") however, to enable easy navigation on iPod. This is a minor irritant however.

As a basic course it covers a very useful range of contexts, targeting useful activities that a traveller would easily encounter. Recommended for beginners or travellers who want to tackle the French experience.

Flashcard French by Usborne

These cards are an easy and fun way to introduce children to simple French vocabulary. The 50 cards are brightly illustrated, easily read and have a picture with word on one side, and word alone on the other. Topics covered include animals, vehicles, items around the house, colours and numbers (1-10). I've included the word list below.

You can use the cards to test yourself or the kids, place them around the house for reminders or just play games with them.

This series is also available in English, Spanish and Irish.

You can purchase Flashcard French from Usborne from Amazon here.





Word List

• apple
• bed
• bee
• bike
• bird
• blue
• boat
• boy
• bread
• car
• carrot
• cat
• chair
• cheese
• chocolate
• clock
• cow
• dog
• doll
• duck
• glower
• girl
• green
• house
• ice cream
• mouse
• orange
• pencil
• plane
• rabbit
• red
• shoes
• table
• teddy bear
• tomato
• tractor
• tree
• T-shirt
• yellow
• one
• two
• three
• four
• five
• six
• seven
• eight
• nine
• ten

First French Flashcards by Usborne

From the series Usborne Farmyard Tales, this pack of 50 flashcards is a great way to introduce learners to basic vocabulary that you would find on a property. Some of them are just fun, and kids in the city would certainly enjoy learning them, too. Most are animals, but also vegetables and some other parts of the house, vehicles and structures (see list below).

The illustrations are bright and the animals are very cute. Cards are a useful size, too, to enable them to be used by small hands, or stuck on the wall for memorisation. One side has the French word in a large size, with just a white background, and the illustrated side has the French word and a small version in English. 

You can purchase First French Flashcards (Farmyard Tales) (French Edition) from Amazon.



selection from pack of cards:

• window
• egg
• door
• hat
• basket
• leaf
• umbrella
• carrot
• orange
• tomato
• pear
• apple
• banana
• house
• cabbages
• goat
• cow
• frog
• donkey
• horse
• butterfly
• dog
• cat
• sheep
• rabbit
• mouse
• hen
• goose
• tree
• shed
• barn
• scarecrow
• trailer
• wheelbarrow
• pig
• snowman
• grapes
• snail
• gate
• feather
• tent
• tractor

Michel Thomas Method French Language Builder

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Hodder Education

Pros:
Michel Thomas is easy to listen to
Builds on his method of building language naturally without lists or rote memorisation
Offers a great range of useful everyday phrases with alternatives

Cons:
A bit more memorisation is needed.
Audio level is a little low for use in noisy public locations (I turned up the volume on my iPod to maximum and still had difficulty hearing it when I was travelling on public transport).

Conclusion
This course adds another element to what was missing from the previous Michel Thomas language courses. It was always going to be a bit of a chore to build further language dexterity, but like the vocabulary courses this course is relatively easy to engage with. The teacher is very clear, and the content is built in a way that is quite light and you find yourself progressing rapidly. It is important to engage with the audio like the previous Michel Thomas courses, pausing and speaking aloud clearly to answer the question before the teacher does, and here he doesn't pause between question and answer. It is very useful to have it on an iPod or similar, so the pause button is readily accessible. This is another highly recommended course from Michel Thomas.


Have you tried French Language Builder from Michel Thomas Method? What did you think?

You can purchase French Language Builder from Amazon here:
Michel Thomas French Language Builder (Michel Thomas Series)

If you prefer Barnes and Noble, follow this link instead:












Further comments
It is important to engage with the audio like the previous Michel Thomas courses, pausing and speaking aloud clearly to answer the question before it is given to you. This encourages you to take the time to think about the answer, answer correctly, and then have your answer reinforced by the audio answer. This is essential to the Michel Thomas method, and makes progression really easy. This is a fairly dense course, moving through a lot of material fairly quickly, but as he builds on each section progressively, the course is easy to follow. I really enjoyed this course. There are 2 CDs in this Language Builder course. It is definitely needed in the Michel Thomas method, and along with the Michel Thomas Method Vocabulary Course offer a truly comprehensive package of language learning. I'm attracted to the style of education, too, as it is relatively painless to follow and progress.

I'd highly recommend this Language Builder course on top of the core language learning units.

Other Recent Articles:
Michel Thomas Method French Vocabulary Builder
Hugo Advanced French
Teach Yourself French 1
Les aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharoan
Speak in a Week French for you

Coffee Break French adds a brand new season!

News:

Coffee Break French, the podcast series produced by Radio Lingua Network and reviewed here is broadcasting a further series of lessons. This 3rd season is aimed at Intermediate to Advanced listeners and started broadcasting from October this year.

Best Language Learning will be listening to this new season in the next couple of weeks and will review the season at the first opportunity soon after. I rated the first 2 seasons as 9 out of 10, so hopefully we can enjoy some more high quality french lessons from Mark and the team.

Look out for the review...

Other recent articles:

Michel Thomas Method French Vocabulary Course
HUGO Advanced French
Teach Yourself French 1
Les aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharoan

Michel Thomas Method French Vocabulary Course

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Hodder Education

Pros:
Easy to listen to with great French native speakers.
Teacher is very clear and the structure reinforces previous learning.
Builds on Michel Thomas method of building language naturally without lists or rote memorisation.

Cons:
None.

Conclusion
This course adds what was missing from the previous Michel Thomas courses. It was always going to be a bit of a chore to learn vocabulary, but this course is relatively easy to engage with. The teacher is very clear, French native speakers speak clearly and the content is built in a way that is quite light and you find yourself progressing rapidly. It is important to engage with the audio like the previous Michel Thomas courses, pausing and speaking aloud clearly to answer the question before the speakers do. This is highly recommended.


Have you tried French Vocabulary Course from Michel Thomas Method? What did you think?


You can purchase Michel Thomas Method: French Vocabulary Course at Amazon here.

Further comments
It is important to engage with the audio like the previous Michel Thomas courses, pausing and speaking aloud clearly to answer the question before the speakers do. This encourages you to take the time to think about the answer, answer correctly, and then have your answer reinforced by the audio answer. This is essential to the Michel Thomas method, and makes progression really easy. Although the teacher is English, the native speakers on the audio offer fabulous pronunciation, and this is followed up by the teacher repeating the French a little more slowly. This way any words you missed are picked up.

I really enjoyed this course. There are 5 CDs in this vocabulary course. It is definitely needed in the Michel Thomas method, and along with the Michel Thomas method Language Builder (look out for my review at a later date) offer a truly comprehensive package of language learning. I'm attracted to the style of education, too, as it is relatively painless to follow and progress.

I'd highly recommend this vocabulary course.

Recent Reviews:
Hugo Advanced French
Teach Yourself French 1
Les aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharoan
Speak in a Week French for you

HUGO Advanced French

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley

Pros:
Great native accents.
Focuses on everyday life in France.
Sophisticated texts that develop vocabulary and verbal dexterity.
Good range of learning styles and exercises.

Cons:
None really. There is some emphasis on rote learning lists of vocabulary.

Conclusion
This is truly an Advanced language course. It soon outstripped my limited knowledge of French and forced me to work quite diligently to understand the comprehensive texts spoken throughout the course. Topics chosen to cover are useful for living in France and cover shopping, leisure, education, politics, travel etc. I particularly liked the range of activities used to reinforce the teaching in each lesson. Use of slang, popular phrases and idiomatic expressions are used as well, offering the opportunity to put an everyday style into your language. This is highly recommended.

Have you tried Hugo Advanced French? What did you think?

You can purchase Hugo Advanced French CD Language Course at Amazon here

Further comments
The Hugo Advanced French course is designed for those who have studied French before. I would not recommend it for someone new to the language. Hugo French in 3 Months is their own self-study course. The course is designed to broaden your vocabulary as well as improve your knowledge of grammar and everyday usage. An extensive manual is given, along with the CDs, and the book contains transcriptions of the audio text and exercises, along with further exercises that are not reproduced on the audio, as they are targeted at written understanding. You really need to follow the exercises in the book along with the CD in order to get the most out of this course.

Without being encyclopedic, very useful appendices are given, along with answers to all exercises in the book and a mini-dictionary from French to English. Being an advanced book, discretion is encouraged, as you may answer questions in a range of ways, including the particular answer given in the book. Students may choose to answer appropriately in other ways.

I was really impressed with this course, more so than their beginner course. It's been put together really well and I'd highly recommend it.

Recent Reviews
Teach Yourself French 1
Les aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharoan
Speak in a Week French for you
Collins French Club Book 1

Teach Yourself French 1

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Pros:
Great native accents.
Works systematically through all the major areas of language for living in France and returns to earlier topics to extend knowledge.
Sophisticated dialogues (although it is still a basic course).
Good everyday phrases

Cons:
Need to use the book consistently with the audio (not really suited to an iPod alone...)
Some of the acted voices are a little annoying.

Conclusion
A systematic and reasonably comprehensive introduction to the French language in everyday use. There are a range of exercises and dialogues, with question and response tasks. The response times are very short, so you will need to use the pause button here. Although dialogues can sometimes limit learning, the ones used here are relatively complex and contain useful phrases. They also place the phrases learnt by rote within a context. Most of the major areas of everyday life in France are covered to a simple level.

Have you tried Teach Yourself French 1? What did you think?

Further comments
Topics covered include: introductions, at the hotel, meeting people, asking directions, weather, cuisine, shopping, using the telephone, at the hospital, buying or renting a house, and travel on public transport. The course is covered fairly rapidly, but with enough repetition to encourage learning. The exercises are varied and entertaining, although some are a little superfluous, like pronunciation exercises, as listening to native speakers is great pronunciation anyway. Mostly using the present tense, there is a little work on a few other aspects of grammar and tenses, like commands, and the future.

I was really impressed with this course. It's been put together really well and I'd highly recommend it.

Colloquial English

Subtitle: "A Complete English Language Course"
Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Routledge

with Gareth King

Pros
Great depth and complexity
Great production values
Covers a broad range of vocabulary, contexts, grammar and structures

Cons
Instructions only in English
Audio is only about a quarter of the full material found in the book

Conclusions
This is a really great course for someone who has a basic understanding of English. All instruction is in English. I guess you could use it as a form of immersion. It starts off looking at introductions, as a beginner course would, but using more colloquial forms, as the title suggests, as well as contractions of verbs, statements with response enquiries (eg. that's Jill, isn't it?). It progresses fairly quickly, but calls for a lot of memorisation, as there are lots of small points, exceptions pointed out etc. Lots of tenses are covered, tables are provided to memorise verb structures and the content is focused on useful contexts. Highly recommended.

You can purchase French Language Builder from Amazon here:



If you prefer to shop with Barnes and Noble:

Further comments
Idioms are introduced early, offering a way into everyday forms. Many variations on the particular theme are offered in short dialogues, spoken with British accents, of course. This course seems to hover between a complete beginner course (asking the reader to include 'the' or 'an/a' into spaces in sentences, and offering instructions that would need a good grasp of basic English to understand.

Having said this, it is a very good course, especially if you are happy to work from a book and audio CDs. The content of the audio is only part of the material in the book, so it is essential to work in both. This is not a standalone audio course.

High production values, good clear pronunciation and diverse content make this a great choice. Highly recommended.

Les aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharaon

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Casterman (French ed.)

Tintin's world voyage by ship is interrupted when he is invited to join an absent-minded professor to track down the mysterious tomb of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Previous adventurers have disappeared after starting this quest. Tintin and his faithful dog Milou (Snowy in English editions) find themselves hunted by angry locals, drafted into a war with between local tribes, tied up aboard a boat due to explode, and chased by police. This rollicking tale is a great page-turner and a sensational way to learn French. It's an intermediate level of French, full of useful phrases and everyday vocabulary.

As the comic strip format is almost completely filled with dialogue, it's a sensational way of learning spoken language. The illustrations are superb, easily supporting the text to enable fluent understanding, even if some of the vocabulary remains obscure. Great fun to read with young family, too, of course!

To help you guage the level of this book, I've included a list of language structures found in the text, although this is probably not exhaustive. Some of the language is a little dated, due to the original publication date of 1934, but this adds a nostalgic element to the works.

You can purchase Les Aventures de Tintin: Les Cigares du pharoan from Amazon here.

Language Structures and Grammar present:

Present
Immediate Future
Future
Future Perfect
Imperfect
Perfect
Past Perfect
Conditional
Subjunctive
Imperative
Possessive + Possessive Pronoun
Emphatic
Negatives including
ne... pas
ne... rien
ne... jamais
ne... jamais rien
ne... plus
ne... plus personne
ne... plus rien
Direct and Indirect Object Pronoun
Superlative
Demonstrative
Partitive

Speak in a Week French for You

Rating: 8/10
Publisher: Penton Overseas

Pros
Great range of learning strategies including games, puzzles and writing
Use of removable markers means the activities can be played over and over
Good Glossary is provided
Surprising range of vocabulary

Cons
None

Conclusion
A great introductory activity kit that can be reused over again. My daughter really liked the puzzles and games, and played them repeatedly. Stories and songs on the CD are engaging and the children wanted to sing along. Vocabulary covers the useful basics, including colours, parts of the body, animals etc. Some of vocabulary lists used in these sections are a little short, but when you include all the vocab used in the songs, and other activities, there is a surprising range covered. Games were a winner with my children. The active learning was the most engaging aspects of this book. Highly Recommended first start.

Have you tried Speak in a Week! French for You!? What did you think?

You can purchase Speak in a Week! French for You! at Amazon.

Further comments
This book has a very small format (roughly 20cm square) which makes it useful for carrying around, say in the car, and learning on the go. There are travel games, too, included in the book, great for entertaining on long trips. The smaller format limits the vocabulary, however, and some sections are a little thin. I like the connections made to English, especially in the first section, as this gives confidence to children starting out. The reusability is a winner, however, as being able to play the games and activities over and over encourages further learning.


Other Related Posts:

Oxford Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder

Ultimate French Review and Practice

Coffee Break French

French Pod Class

Intermediate French by Berlitz

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

Collins French Club Book 1

by Rosi McNab
Rating: 9/10
Publisher: HarperCollins

Pros
Highly produced, colourful
Various activities including singing, stickers, puzzles, games
Tips for parents to help their children make the most of the sections
Fun songs that are quite catchy and use great vocabulary

Cons
None

Conclusion
A great excuse for doing puzzles, games and singing with the children in French. Great design values means there are really engaging visual activities, and diverse strategies for learning are used.
I liked the tips for parents, too, although the book and songs are designed for children to use on their own. Activities in the book bolster and advance learning made from the audio songs. Charts are included, to learn the alphabet and numbers. Covers a great range of vocabulary for a first book, including animals, numbers, letters, colours, appearances and parts of the body, using gender, clothes and personal possessions. I also liked the way links were created between French and English, to allow children to learn in a more intelligent way. Very Highly Recommended.

What did you think of Collins French Club?

You can purchase Collins French Club Book 1 from Amazon.

Further comments
Quite a sophisticated package, which includes an online dictionary at www.collinslanguage.com to consult in learning vocabulary and extending the child's education. Stickers aren't my favourite learning tool as they can only be stuck down once and become a passive tool, but they use vibrant and cute designs, which are attractive to kids. An answer key is provided so completed questions can easily be checked, by child or adult.


Other Related Posts:

Oxford Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder

Ultimate French Review and Practice

Coffee Break French

French Pod Class

Intermediate French by Berlitz

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

Let's Sing and Learn in French

Rating: 8/10
by Matt Maxwell
Published by Passport Books

Pros
Great production values
Original and tradition songs with contemporary arrangements
Clear musical sheet music for playing along
Wide range of engaging styles of songs to inspire the children to sing along
Covers great French vocabulary and expressions
Great for tonal and pronunciation practice

Cons
Not many.
May be hard for children to follow the book without musical experience.

Conclusions
This is a great collection of 12 songs, including original and traditional songs arranged with a contemporary flair. Vocabulary and expressions covered vary greatly and are quite extensive. I was impressed with the depth of learning available in these songs. Children will learn basic greetings, parts of the body, names of animals, forms of transportation, with a great sense of fun.
The music is highly professional, with great arrangements and good use of different instruments in the production. The style of songs ranges from 'folk' to rock n'roll. Someone who is a complete beginner may struggle to pick up all of the songs at once, as some are quite quick with unfamiliar phrases, especially the original pieces. However, following the book, children could pick up most of the songs really easily. Translations for all the French text are available. Highly recommended

If you've tried Let's Sing and Learn in French, why not let us know what you thought?

You can purchase Let's Sing and Learn in French at Amazon.

Further comments
Sheet music is included in the book with piano layout and vocal line, for those who wish to play the music themselves. The book includes a useful and clear chart of guitar chords used in the songs. Overall, a complete package, although my children and I find some of the songs difficult to learn when just listening to the CD. Using the book is essential to pickup the more unfamiliar and faster material. As the singers have great French accents, this is an easy way for children to learn the proper sounds of the language, along with rhythms of phrases etc.


Other Related Posts:

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Ultimate French Review and Practice

Coffee Break French

French Pod Class

Intermediate French by Berlitz

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

Teach me even more... French

Rating: 8/10
by Judy Mahoney
Published by: Teach Me Tapes

Pros
Great catchy songs, with some songs similar to English versions
Good introduction to written/spoken French using pen pal storyline
Easy to read French following the voice reading on CD
Great for pronunciation and tonal practice
Learn French national anthem

Cons
A bit American in focus, with some American accents.

Conclusion
A great progression from the first books. This book has 21 new songs, including traditional/original French songs, along with songs translated from English into French.
It's important for new learners to use the book to gain knowledge of the spoken text. Songs are easy enough to learn on their own, though, with some great music to engage children. The format is similar to earlier books in the series, so those children who have used the earlier ones won't have trouble following along. Again, useful translations are provided at the back of the book, although they are not always literal.

Have you tried Teach me even more... French? What did you think?

You can purchase Teach me even more... French from Amazon


Further comments
The text proceeds at quite a pace, so the book is essential for new learners of French. There is no repetitive grammar learning, just fun information from the child character Marie, followed by letters to and from her pen pal, Anne. The songs teach children useful phrases for around the home, as well as just plain fun songs, that have kids singing along really quickly. My children love them. The author has added in some fun touches, like a recipe for Chocolate Cake, and instructions for making friendship bracelets. Colouring-in illustrations are similar to the first books, with lots of cute animals and kids. Highly recommended.
(I noticed the Marseillaise is not translated. This is not unexpected due to the grave, warlike imagery involved).



Other Related Posts:

Oxford Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder

Ultimate French Review and Practice

Coffee Break French

French Pod Class

Intermediate French by Berlitz

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

Literal translation is the best?

Beware the literal translation
I've been reading some reviews of language learning tools, and quite often come across comments bemoaning the translations found in the text. Some readers seem to despise translations that are not literal to the original, or styles that seem to move from literal to less literal translations. Literal translations are useful in certain contexts, such as academic study where nuance and layers of meaning are essential to interpreting a piece. However, stuffy academic translation is not appropriate for exciting, energising language learning, especially with children.

Better to read well than academically accurate
I feel it's more important to write a translation that reads well, uses language properly and has a great rhythm and pace. Literal translations can be useful at times, but are much too academic in the real world of learning to speak a new language. Readers who bemoan non-literal translations seem to be more interested in showing off their own language prowess, rather than promoting good language learning tools. Reading well involves using your listening skills to interpret the whole sentence, or flow of a piece or conversation, rather than knowing the meaning or nuance of every single word.

Catching the gist is the priority
Especially with young children, it's much more important that they have fun with language, rather than insist on technically correct reading or interpretation. Catching the gist of a sentence is a better way to learn than stopping to correct literal meanings or learn the meaning of every word. Flow, understanding and communication are much more important than having to correct every word or subtle error that does not undermine the communicative process.

Teach me... French

Rating: 8/10
Publisher: Teach Me Tapes

Pros
Catchy tunes, most are familiar to English speakers.
Kids pick up songs really quickly, even if they know hardly any French
Text is placed between songs and is easy to learn.
Plenty of good music to learn and sing with children

Cons
Text is pretty basic

Conclusion
A great introduction to French for young children. My kids picked up the songs really quickly, without knowing much French at all. They were entertained by the music and wanted to keep listening and singing along. Quite addictive, really. My children haven't really made use of the colouring-in pictures in the book, though. Translations at the back of the book are very useful, especially for parents who cannot speak French, but want to encourage their children. Recommended for early beginners.

Have you tried Teach me... French? What did you think?

You can purchase Teach Me French bundled with Teach Me More French at Amazon


Further comments
I first bought these books before my children had experienced any French at all. After a number of months, they still love to listen and sing along with the music. I've been impressed with the music and although it can be quite monotonous for adult ears, the kids really enjoy it. There are a series of books by this same publisher in various languages. There is also a Teaching Guide for using Teach me... French.

You can purchase the Teaching Guide on Amazon.

Other Related Posts:

Oxford Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder

Ultimate French Review and Practice

Coffee Break French

French Pod Class

Intermediate French by Berlitz

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

Oxford French Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder

Rating: 8/10
Published by Oxford University Press

Pros
Active speaking voice is great for learning spoken French
Fun comic strip format
Useful vocab lists for extended learning
Covers wide range of key structures
Verb tables

Cons
Not many. A little formal, with lists of words to be memorised.

Conclusions
A great way to extend vocabulary, especially for lovers of the comic-strip. Such a popular medium in France, this format is very useful for learning active spoken French, using dialogues between characters. Humour is a great way to learn and the simple line illustrations by Claire Bretécher are clear and engaging. Glossaries are provided, both in each page section, as well as at the back of the book for easy reference. Learning key structures is reinforced with explanations on each page. Further vocabulary is provided, although these are basically lists to memorise. Highly Recommended for comic fans, and those not scared of rote learning.

Have you tried Oxford French Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder? What was it like?

You can purchase Oxford French Cartoon-Strip Vocabulary Builder at Amazon.


Further comments
There is lots of vocabulary to digest in this narrow volume. Each page has a separate cartoon-strip, with attached glossary and extended vocabulary to learn. I found the lists a little dry, personally, and probably wouldn't use them extensively for that reason. The cartoons are witty and clever, and it's a great learning strategy to read active dialogue between characters to pick up spoken French.
Other books are available for German and Spanish.


Other Related Posts:

Ultimate French Review and Practice

Coffee Break French

French Pod Class

Intermediate French by Berlitz

Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

Ultimate French Review and Practice

Rating: 8/10

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Pros

Comprehensive reviews starting with present tense, working through all tenses and structures.

Great strategies including inverting statements into questions, working with negatives, dictation, extensive vocabulary in everyday situations.

Easy to follow just with audio

Booklet with written questions and answers to refer to if needed.

Cons

Some slightly noisy audio integrated into rest.

Conclusion

A great way to review and refresh your French, from basic to intermediate level. I found the audio very easy to listen to and they recommend you use it without referring to the notes, so the audio is self-sufficient. Great for iPod use. The material is challenging enough to be interesting forcing you to listen to content and form questions, negate positives, write dictation, conjugate verbs but with interesting exercises to do so.

Have you tried Ultimate French Review and Practice? What did you think?

You can purchase Ultimate French Review and Practice at Amazon.

Further comments

Highly recommended for honing your knowledge of verb forms, tenses, structures and even vocabulary. I was still learning new words while listening. Great for iPod use, as the program is self-sufficient, but the booklet is small enough to carry with you if you need to refer to the text to check your answers.

Audio quality is a little patchy, but I didn't find this detrimental or distracting. Highly Recommended.

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HUGO in 3 Months: French

Learn French by Podcast

HUGO in 3 Months: French

Rating: 6/10
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley

Pros
Comprehensive instruction using book and audio CDs.
Covers vocab, grammar, verb conjugation and interactive questions etc.
Uses interesting structures, such as (listen to answer and reply with the appropriate question) and following conversations between native speakers.

Cons
Tries to cover a lot of ground in a short time, so only superficial.
CDs almost useless without the book. Audio content is not intuitively structured.

Conclusion
This series is a comprehensive look at the French language for complete beginners, and moves apace through the content. It certainly covers all of the required structures, verb conjugations and tenses, with vocab lists, but by the end of the course, it would be hard to retain a lot of the material without substantial repetition. Interesting practice exercises and great native speakers.

Have you tried Hugo in 3 Months: French?
What did you think?


You can purchase Hugo in 3 Months: French at Amazon.

Further Comments
Hugo in 3 Months has interesting practice methods, such as responding with a question after listening to an answer. This made me think in ways that other systems didn't. I tried the audio without the book and found it incredibly confusing. I couldn't make out the structure of the lessons.

It is certainly a comprehensive course, offering practice with listening to short conversations, repetitive reading of verb tables, structures of sentences etc. Having to do all this in such a short audio presentation means skipping over material and not being able to delve in depth in any particular area, nor repeat earlier material for consolidation. Revisions provided are useful for this purpose, however.

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Michel Thomas Method French Advanced

Rating: 8/10
Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Pros
Easy to follow and progress through material without effort.
Great system for easily remembering grammar and structures.
Thomas emphasizes correct pronunciation but with colloquial flavour.
Targeted on speech: Focus on listening, thinking out the answer and proper expression.

Cons
Not extensive vocabulary. Would need additional vocabulary practice to advance
English is used fairly extensively.
Intermediate rather than actually advanced.
Need another system for learning how to read and write.

Conclusion
I love the conversational style and system of Michel Thomas. He works with a couple of students who are learning along the way, too, so they make mistakes and have to repeat correctly. This allows the listener to reinforce their own learning.

The system he develops is a great way to learn structures and grammar of the French language. He uses images and memory aids for remembering 'keys to unlock the boxes if they become stuck'. This is a very easy way into a language and seems to work well. You can progress very quickly through the grammar of the language, and feel competent in constructing sentences with a wide range of verbs in each tense.

Vocabulary lists would be a useful addition to this series, in order to broaden the topics and conversations that you could engage in. Overall, a very enjoyable experience.

Have you tried Michel Thomas Method French Advanced?
What did you think?



You can purchase Michel Thomas Method French Advanced at Amazon.

Further Comments

He states that his system is about 'not trying' and concentrates on just responding to the teacher. This is a very attractive method of learning. I'm looking forward to trying out other languages using his method. It is not really an advanced course, even though they claim it is. It is more an intermediate stage, integrating the grammar and structures thoroughly, before the student moves to an advanced level where more extensive vocabulary can create conversational fluency and competent engagement with almost any speaker.

What I really like about Michel Thomas is his style of teaching. He is very relaxed, easy-going and positive, building up knowledge from small chunks, repeating previous information to improve retention. He works his way systematically through the material, providing 'keys' to learning, visual images and phrases to allow instant recall. Very clever indeed. I really enjoyed working through the series. It's very easy to follow and you work through quite a substantial amount of grammar by the end. Highly recommended, but you will need other resources to help with vocabulary, reading etc.

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Intermediate French by Berlitz

Rating: 7/10
Publisher: Berlitz

Pros
Easy to get into.
Range of native French speakers help with listening and pronunciation skills.
Can use without the textbook if necessary.
Good use of repeated phrases to hone practice.

Cons
Very simple grammar, a little too easy for Intermediate level
English is used fairly extensively.

Conclusion
This series is a quick way to progress through the material, listening and repeating phrases, memorising short lists of vocabulary for each section. I found the range of native speakers interesting to listen to, and they pronounce the language very clearly, albeit a little slower than normal conversation.

Like a number of other high profile brands, this series seems to overestimate it's level. The reader progresses rapidly through a simplified program in order to reach the end, thinking they've succeeded to Intermediate stage, when really it's more like an advanced beginner course. As long as this expectation is recognised, this course is a competent one, making the user feel confident in their progress, with very clear progression stages.

Have you tried Intermediate French from Berlitz?
What did you think?



You can purchase Berlitz Intermediate French on Amazon.

Further comments
At this level, I would prefer some more challenge, by using mostly French for the instructions for instance. Intermediate users may wish for more intensive grammar instruction, and will have to look further afield for this.

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French Pod Class

Rating: 6/10
Publisher: Frenchie Productions
Website: FrenchPodClass
100 Lessons
(note: may not be in production anymore. Last Pod class seems to have been made 23 June 2008)

Pros
Audio podcasts with lesson notes are free.
Easy to get into
French music and movie interludes adds variety to lessons

Cons
Audio quality is varied. Some lessons have difficult to hear sections.
Assumes a bit of French. Maybe difficult for complete beginners.

Conclusion
This podcast is fun and easy to listen to, with a great use of contemporary and classic French music and films for variety and vocabulary topic. Audio quality lets the team down, though. As a public transport user, I sometimes have to turn off this podcast because I can't make it out over the noise around me. It is an enjoyable alternative.

Have you tried FrenchPodClass? What did you think?



Further comments
Sebastian is a native speaker, and uses others to record conversations. Some of the respondents are not native speakers, so their accents are not typically French. Most lessons have a theme, and vocab, dialogue, music and film are all used with a sense of humour. I really enjoyed listening to some contemporary French music.

This series can be a little tricky for first timers, so other courses might be better suited. Overall, I find this an enjoyable alternative when I want something lighter, but informative as well. Sebastian's English is a little stilted, but he gets by OK.

There are additional resources, video and other materials available via paid subscription.

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Learn French by Podcast

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Plus Publications
Website: learnfrenchbypodcast.com
130+ Lessons

Pros
All audio content is free.
Caters for beginners, intermediate and advanced.
Well crafted PDF lesson guides (paid for).

Cons
Not much, really. Jingle gets a bit annoying after a while.
Only 5 lessons for advanced listeners.

Conclusion
Tightly packaged and presented, this podcast is very professional. Clear, short conversations are presented, repeated and then sections unpacked and explained clearly with further examples. Excellent. Highly commended.

Have you tried Learn French by Podcast? What did you think?



Further comments
Another UK based publication, this time from Ireland, with an Irish presenter and native French speakers. Each audio lesson contains a short conversation between 2 native French speakers. The repetition is useful to reinforce listening skills before a comprehensive explanation of the discussion is presented. Extra practice is offered by showing alternative situations for phrases etc.

This series assumes a little at the start, so complete beginners may need some extra help at the beginning. Looking forward to the video offerings in the future.

Comprehensive notes are well produced and very clear, but these need to be purchased.

So, too, the magazine Francais Plus is available for purchase, which has been produced for 10 years mostly for the Irish student market.

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Coffee Break French

Rating: 9/10
Publisher: Radio Lingua Network
Website: coffeebreakfrench.com
80 lessons

Pros
Great pace, easy for beginners, excellent attention to detail, builds language skill not just memorising phrases.
Cons
Free package a little bloated with promotion

Conclusion
Comprehensive series, very professionally recorded and edited, starting at the very basic and progressing to intermediate. Excellent. Highly commended.

Have you tried Coffee Break French? What did you think?

Further Comments
A highly produced package, professionally presented and the audio is free.
Presenters are based in the UK, and they have quite thick accents in English, but French accents sound pretty good. Mark, the presenter, is a self-confessed grammar nut, but he breaks down the rules into simple and clear examples.

I like the fact that a student is also recorded during the presentation. This allows for student/teacher interaction without sounding stilted.

Lessons are about 20min, but contain a fair bit of padding. It gets a little repetitive having the add-on products advertised often, but knowing these are available is important.

Paid extras - Lesson guides; Enhanced podcasts; Bonus listening materials; Abridged versions of episodes (skipping intro and ending); Wordlists; Exercises; No ads.

I came across this audio podcast through iTunes, but you can also find it on the web at coffeebreakfrench.com

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Best Language Learning

Hi All,

Wanting to learn a language but didn't know the best places to start?

I've taken up learning foreign languages as a mature adult, and finding it fantastic.

There are SO many great resources online, and using blogs, podcasts and video is a great way of learning a language, especially as they are usually a regular series, encouraging you to continue in your studies.

So which ones are the best?

I thought I'd start a blog to help others to find great resources to learn foreign languages, without spending heaps of time, and possibly money, finding them. Wouldn't it be great to have a review of these resources, written by someone who has tried them, and offer a clear opinion on the style, content and usefulness of the material?

Let's join a discussion and talk about the best on the net.

I'll post a few reviews of my own, having been learning French, and I'll attempt to learn Spanish at some time in the near future.

What are your favourite resources for learning a language?

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