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Finally, if you’re an absolute beginner in the French language, this Vol 1 and Vol 2 will get you started in the right direction. Afterwards, the next sets (SmartFrench Beginner, Intermediate/Advanced) will get you further in developing the right speaking/listening skills. This program focuses mainly on the speaking/listening aspect of the language and it does it extremely well. This SmartFrench program should be used in conjunction with reading, watching French TV/movies, and working with other French grammar programs if you want total fluency in the language. Enjoy!

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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.

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Purchased as the CD versions, CD 1 was comprised with a track on the alphabet followed by a series of “learning numbers” tracks which varied the groupings of numbers in each phrase per track, i.e. 1-2, 1-2-3, etc. While this seemed an excessive amount of focus on numbers, since I had already learned numbers, it was somewhat challenging for them to be presented in this manner.

The last two tracks on CD1 brought in verb conjugations which for me was exactly what I had hoped for in purchasing this product. Unlike my previous language program of strictly memorization, Smart French was teaching me the fundamental building blocks to create sentences which could be used in any conversation.

CD2 continued this pattern with each track focusing on a new verb or tense of the verb. One of the most useful concepts of this author’s technique was to reuse certain parts of a sentence throughout the CDs as examples, rather than adding new ones. For example, he used the nouns “book” and “market” repeatedly which kept the focus on the “verb at hand” rather than introducing new nouns to complicate the lesson.

After several months of daily commuting to work while listening in my car, I was hooked enough to purchase Vol2. As with Vol1., I was very happy with that purchase as well. For me, this series has a wealth of information within and I continue to review the material and on occasion pick up on little pieces I had missed in previous sessions.

I find the author, who also narrates the lessons, very easy to listen to. At times, I have referred to the transcript which is included on the CD’s for clarification (did the word have a “p” or “t” used in the pronunciation). The color coding system used for the silent letters in the transcripts is awesome!

I would certainly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to actually learn French and speak the language. The Editorial Review / Product Description listed in Amazon is really a good synopsis of this product.

One of the most impressive aspects of my Smart French purchases was when I contacted them via email with a somewhat unusual personnel request. In this world of limited customer service, I was pleasantly surprised. The author himself, Christian Aubert, replied to me and had gone out of his way to fulfill my request.

They have a customer for life.

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This is a simple, simple program. The SmartFrench Audio Cds Beg I, Vol. 1 Vol. 2 (separate purchases) figured out which essential vocabulary words, verbs (4 of them), and phrases you need to know to speak French quickly. This method also teaches you counting. It’s unbelievable that this simple, easy approach has never been done before. I’m glad someone finally did it! Some of the most successful, useful inventions become obvious to the rest of us after someone comes up with the idea, and we smack our foreheads with the palm of our hands thinking, “Why didn’t I think of that? It’s so obvious!” SmartFrench is like that.

The teacher on the CD is really gifted. He speaks at a perfect speed, or tempo, his voice is easy to listen to, and he’s SMART! It’s literally like taking a French class without having to go to school. He gives you tips, clues, and ideas on how to remember things. You get the sense that he truly, truly wants to help you become proficient in speaking French.

Have you felt like giving up on learning French? Try this program and you’ll get excited about it again. Have a Francophile in your life? This would be the PERFECT GIFT for them.

Side note:

*The “Beginner Level” and the “Intermediate/Advanced Level” CD’s are also great, but have a different approach (VERY effective). Those CD’s help tune your ear to the French language as you listen to native French speakers, at the same time teaching you to speak along with a really cool, innovative approach.

*The CD-Rom is also great. Very interactive. Nice to see the native French people speaking. Helps me to understand how to pronounce things even better and to see typical French mannerisms.

25 April 2008

One-and-a-half months after my last review I am still listening to SmartFrench. It is the best way to learn how to speak and understand spoken French bar none. The only way I can describe the reason that it works (since I am a musician), is that it is like listening to a song that you love. Once you have heard the melody a few times, it sticks in your head. The SmartFrench method makes French stick in my head. To me, French is very melodic, and it is a language that I love and want to learn. The narrator is the PERFECT teacher to teach you the ‘melody’ of the French language with its lilting sounds and liaisons. His voice quality, his flawless French and the way he explains each hint is perfect. He gives you all the secret phrases that every French person uses regularly, which you don’t find in textbooks or other programs. Bravo, bravo, bravo! C’est vachement bon.

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This software is a good supplement for a class or a book, but not you She says the lessons are basic but very helpful and her Russian grades havewould not learn a lot of Russian with this alone. It is very good for learning the basics though and it’s a great deal!

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I think one of the main reasons that Fluenz works well is that it reduces the pain of the one thing that everybody hates to do: drill, drill, drill to learn and retain.

It wisely breaks the drills up into several different types of exercises – each a different way of getting you to repeat the words and sentences. There’s sentence matching, choose the right picture, type what you hear, repeat what you hear, etc. But repeat/drill you will and that’s the way it sticks.

You must drill and drill and listen and listen. You have to train your ear to hear the little variations that can completely change the meaning. It takes time and practice. In real life the good citizens are not going to speak slowly and clearly enunciate each word for you.

Each lesson takes about an hour or so. More if you don’t type well.

They include some word lists that you can download to your MP3 player and practice away from your computer.

Fluenz doesn’t have the messy registration that Rosetta does. You put the DVD in and go.

You can download a demo of the program from their website [...], and it gives you a good idea of how it works.

By the way, Sonia, who is the moderator/instructor for Spanish, is great. I’ll take any course she leads: Upper Urdu, Ancient Latvian…I won’t care.

Update Feb 9, 2010

I bought DVDs 3-5. I’m half way through DVD 3 and progressing pretty well. Lessons are still engaging and I look forward to doing three or four lessons a week. I guess they must be working because I surprised myself by chatting a little with the lady at the UPS store.

I agree with all the other reviews that Fluenz needs to get a vocab builder installed. I have resorted to buying/using some flash card software to compensate. Having said that, fairly minor thing compared to the benefits. Fluenz is still the best I have ever used, still 5 stars, well worth the money.