Very Good!

I can definitely say this worked! Just after using this course we made a trip to France. My sister and I found this course to be the one single thing that helped the most with speaking French. In fact someone in France made comment on how well my sister was speaking. Not only did I completely understand what I was saying, I was also understood. Unlike the Pimsleur “parrot” method which just teaches you phrases, Michel Thomas works on teaching you the grammar in simple terms along with breaking you away from that “text book” style of speaking to realize how French people really speak. Highly recommended! In addition I recommend the advanced course offered on Amazon’s UK website, it’s worth it if you liked the 8 hour one. Also, if you want to learn some more vocabulary look into the Rosetta Stone series.

An excellent supplement...

Until I have had heard the actual recording, I did not know what to expect from Michel Thomas audio series. I know he has excellent credentials as a foreign-language teacher, that's about all. After I have heard the recording and I did some research on him, I realize that he was Jewish, multi-lingual, and have joined the French resistance during WWII, and his luminaries of students include artistes like Grace Kelly, Mel Gibson, Woody Allen and Warren Beatty.

Now that I've heard the recording, I will try to explain his method:

1) Michel Thomas acts as an English tutor to two adult students of French. The two students are apprentices to the language, so section to this series is like overhearing a real-life tutoring lesson by teacher to student. Michel Thomas asks them questions: "how do you say .... in French"; the students respond, sometimes making mistakes, but they will be corrected by Thomas, who then explains more carefully the finer points of detail.

The male student's French accent is very good and he is more confident and experienced than the female student; the woman student has an Anglo accent (meaning she can't pronounce some standard French sounds properly) and makes more mistakes, but we learn from hers as well.

2) This series is not really for the completely uninitiated beginner, but more for the beginner-intermediate to intermediate learner. It assumes you know some basics of French and will be infinitely more beneficial if you do.

3) There is no booklet, so don't look for it. This is a minor shortcoming of the series: you'll have to look elsewhere if you want to know how certain words are spelt.

As much as I have heard these audio CDs, I think the CDs will be an excellent supplement to learning. Pimsleur will still be first choice though for a beginner; it is more thorough and gives better explanation for the beginner, but there are some fine points which Michel Thomas elucidate for any learner of French. He's a very good teacher. This audio book is also better than the "Learn French in your car" series.

You MUST use these CD's, and here is why! Just outstanding.

I have read criticism from a few people who obviously do not understand that this course is not designed to be a full course in French. It won't have EVERY SINGLE grammatical rule or EVERY SINGLE verb tense or word! Here is my summary:

1. Coming from a background in learning German and Turkish, French is a COMPLETELY different experience. The two students on the CD's are REAL PEOPLE, and when they make a mistake, it HAPPENS for a reason; common pronunciation errors. Hearing the correction by Michel emphasizes the RÝGHT way, and in fact steers you away from bad habits. The satisfaction gained from knowing where you are at by gauging your progress is immeasurable.

2. The CD's give you a STRONG BASE from which to build. You cannot honestly expect to be fluent in French after just 8 CD's, and so as a BASE, going through a couple other books in grammar and advanced French WILL get you to the goal of fluency. Michel is patient and very clever, and his method makes you THINK so that when you are finished, the material he did not cover will come easy!

3. Who needs copious notes and verb charts for a beginner? I could look at a book for an hour and still not fully enter into my head the different verbs without some sort of help. With Michel Thomas, the English words easily converted into French put a huge dent into the French words I do not know. Now, the task of learning vocabulary is much easier.

Don't wonder if it is too easy, or is too much money for just a few CD's... BELÝEVE ME, why pay a little less for some CD's that just say things without putting them into your head and making them stick? I am so very happy with my progress because of this set. Merci, Monsieur Thomas. Je voudrais aller de France et Quebec maintenant! :)