French I, Comprehensive: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

I finished all three levels in the series. I originally bought the course because I was about to move to Geneva, Switzerland, and was in a hurry to learn French, having absolutely no knowledge of French previously. This series is a very introduction, albeit expensive. The course alone will NOT make you fluent, and it does not purport to do so. At the end of the second level, I can go to a resaurant and speak to the waiters comfortably, introduce myself, make plans with friends, among other things. Right now, after finishing all three levels, I can make reservations, chat superficially in French with neighbors and friends, and shop without much difficulties. In fact, I find that I can understand a lot if I speak to a person face to face, especially if the spoken words are accompanied by vivid expressions and gestures. Unfortunately, I still cannot understand what goes on on TV or radio, though I find that I can pick up phrases or words here and there. I've taken 3 years of Spanish in high school, and 3 years of German in college, and I would say that I speak French much better at this point, realizing, though, that I have forgotten a lot of German and Spanish. My pronounciation of French, I've been told by many, is quite good.

Now, this course does not contain any explanations of grammar, culture, or much in the way of reading. However, if you have ever learned a romance language before, or know English grammar, you would be able to figure out the verb tenses and the correct way to use them (or even conjugate them) pretty easily. In terms of reading, I find it useful to have a dictionary with you while you are doing the lessons. When the course introduces a new word, look it up in the dictionary and see what the word looks like. It also helps with memorizing the word.

The course is excellent, but one should still proceed slowly. I do each lession at least 2 to 3 times before moving on, twice in the evenings, and once in the shower in the mornings as review. I don't stop the lesson during the pauses to think of the answer because I figure if I truly know it, I would be able to answer within the pause. By the third listen, I can usually answer within the pause.

Don't expect miracles and be realistic. You still need to take time to listen and absorb the materials. However, the course is designed in a way that encourages you to use it. After I listen to the lesson, I usually want to go out and use it immediately, and I characterize myself normally as a shy person. Definitely buy it if you are going to invest the time and need to start using French immediately. After finishing the series, you will be at the stage of learning curve where your speaking/listening skills can improve exponentially, provided that you are in an environment where French is a necessity.

The first level of this three level kit spends a lot of time teaching you the bare basics of the French language. By the 8th it really became irritating when the speaker would ask me to say "Do you understand English?". However as you progress you realize that this constant reptition is extremely helpful.

In the later lessons there is a stronger focus on composing your own sentances. The grammar becomes more complex and they even introduce you to tenses. Overall I think this makes the kit a great introduction to the French language. I give it four stars instead of five because I feel that it doesn't help enough with the pronunciation. Being a beginner in French can be very scary espeacially since French has some difficult to pronounce consonants, in particular the gluttoral /r/. In addition it doesn't offer much for vocabulary, but as long as you use this kit in conjunction with another book (Easy French Reader makes up for Pimsleur's speaking-approach) you should be fine.

Aides in memorizing new words: Yes
+ Constant repetition makes words sink into your memory.

Aides with pronunciation: Yes
+ By listening to French speakers talk.

Explains the grammar rules of French: No
- Left me confused as to why the sentence was the way it was. In English, we say 'I talk to you', but in French, the 'you' related to the verb goes before that verb, so it becomes, 'I you talk' or 'je vous parle.'

Should be used if you have no prior knowledge of French: No
- It is more difficult to understand the lessons if you don't know the French sentence structure.

Solution:
- Use Michel Thomas Method French For Beginners, 10-CD Program before starting Pimsleur's French course. Michel Thomas does not teach tourist related stuff. He explains grammar rules, thus it makes it much easier to form sentences in French.

I even took a placement test and got into the advanced French class after getting through with his beginner's program. After, I started listening to Pimsleur again and found that the lessons were actually quite easy, which means that I got through all the lessons in one try.

Just because Michel Thomas's program doesn't have 30 lessons that are about 30 minutes long each, doesn't mean that it isn't more effective. You are expected to pause and think of the answer, which would make the program even longer if there was time given on the cds for thinking, unlike Pimsleur's program, where there are a few seconds given to think of the anwser.

What do you learn with Pimsleur?
- If you are a tourist, this program discusses such situations as eating, shopping, and going to people's house. It also goes over numbers and telling the time, which was quite helpful.

When ordering from a restaurant (je voudrais du vin - I would like some wine), when telling someone you don't understand French (je ne comprends pas francais - I don't understand French), when asking how much you owe (je vous dois combien? - how much do I owe you?), when you tell someone you want to go shopping (je veux acheter quelque chose - I want to buy something), asking how much money someone has (combien du dollar avez-vous? - how many dollars do you have), when asking a person what they want to do (qu'est-ce que vous voulez faire? - what do you want to do?), when saying that you don't know something (je ne sais pas - I don't know), when asking the time (quelle heure est-il? - what time is it?), when saying that you are going to do something (je vais manger chez vous - I am going to eat at your place), when asking if someone wants to drink something (qu'est-ce que vous voulez boire? - what do you want to drink?) and other such situations.

More downsides of level one of this program:
- You only learn the future proche tense, which concerns the near future (je vais... - I'm going...), and the present tense, which I suppose is the most useful for a beginner. Only the 'vous' pronoun (the 'you' in formal situations) is used.

I find audio programs the most helpful to learning a language because they help in pronunciation and memorization. I look forward to doing the second level of Pimsleur's French.