I used this in conjunction with the Berlitz Essential French book to learn pronunciation/phrases and written French, respectively, in preparation for a 3-month organic-farm work-abroad stay in France. This combination turned out to be perfect. I had no background and couldn't conjugate or put sentences together, but Listen & Learn's rote memorization of standard phrases got me pronouncing and small-talking quickly. After 3 months in France, I could shoot the breeze with the barber.
PROs: Once you know that this is just a list of phrases, spoken once in English and once in (rather dramatic) French, you will probably agree that within this simple category it is mega hella awesome, and hella cheap. The overdramatic Francophone is difficult to imitate at first, but once you can mock him well, you'll be able to convey _real_feeling_ when you speak, bashful though you may be. It's rare to see personality and humor like this in the rush-hour-2-minute-learn-now-textbook-cramathon culture of other audio programs.
CONs: The French is native-speed and only uttered once (with space afterwards for your attempt). Two repetitions would have drilled it better and made this a five-star product. Also, upon closer examination, you will notice that 1. the booklet looks suspiciously like a xerox, and 2. the recordings come from analog tape (audiophiles will note the giveaway hiss and print-thru echo), dating it back to the 70s/80s. Actually, the inner cover reveals the source phrases to be from 1956. This just means that the phrases are a bit campy ("How should you like to dine?") and you will learn NO PHRASES related to the information age, i.e. internet, cell phones, etc. This is just a minor downside, but a major DISHONESTY on the part of Listen & Learn, who go to great lengths to modernize the packaging (outside of the box has a 2004 copyright) without modernizing the content.
HIGHLIGHTS: The Anglophone is a riot in general, but for maximum entertainment, listen to the first 2 seconds of "Numbers" (as many times as you can stand). Also, in the final "Restaurant" chapter, all of the phrases are lambasting the waiter for the mediocre soup, overcharging the bill, and ruining everything; the last phrase, however, is this: "La cuisine et le service A taient excellents!" |
Listen Used Books New.