Frenchman Teaches Spanish

I invested in this set based on the reviews and recommendations. I have been disappointed and have not gotten past the first CD simply because Michel Thomas sounds like a Frenchman trying to speak Spanish. I'm sure his teaching technique is fine, but his Spanish pronunciation is poor. I've had several years of Spanish in school in the past, and native Spanish speakers have told me that my pronunciation and accent are very good, so I hesitate to listen to 8 hours of Spanish with a French accent. I'd have to say opt for something else if you want to both learn the vocabulary and the proper speaking habits for Spanish.

A fair copy of a fair copy equals a bad copy

I took this course out of the local library even though I am already very fluent in Spanish. I thought that if I liked it, I might order the Italian version. I thought it was the worst audio language learning program I have ever listened to. Michel Thomas speaks Spanish (and English too) with an accent. Its understandable, but no one would mistake him for a native speaker. Unless you are a perfect mimic, your accent can only be worse than his. Wouldn't you rather learn from an authentic native speaker? His students speak with English accents and make lots of mistakes as well. What will you remember, his corrections or their mistakes? Why do learners need to hear mistakes anyway?

Obviously some people like this approach. I really don't know why. Have they checked out some of the many other Audio Spanish courses out there? His French program also has many good reviews. His Italian course has several reviewers who feel the same why I do about this course.

I suggest that anyone who is considering this should first investigate the Pimsleur Spanish course. Their approach is fundamentally sound, and enjoyable to use. The FSI Spanish course requires more commitment, but would also lead to a good solid base from which to build. (I first studied Spanish with something similar to the FSI courses. They were very tough, but they worked exceptionally well.) There are many other good audio courses available to supplement these courses- "Instant Immersion Spanish", "Learn in your Car Spanish", and lots more. All of these have native speakers and no mistakes. Why would you want to do it any other way?

good introduction to grammar, not much vocabulary

Michel Thomas certainly has a good system worked out for building confidence - very quickly he gets you constructing long, complex sentences, and he introduces new concepts at about the right pace.
However, many other reviewers have pointed out how irritating the male student is, and i can't help agreeing. The first time i went through the CDs i found him quite amusing, but the second and third time through i find myself screaming at the CD player every time he makes a mistake (which is VERY often - he would honestly get the vowel sound right more often if he chose completely at random), and wondering how much more could have been fit onto the course if they had chosen two competent students.
Still, a good course, particularly in conjunction with another course that has a bit more vocabulary.