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a glaring disappointment

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This product misfired on the technical side in various ways, making it impossible to utilize the software as it was (supposedly) designed to work. "The Learning Company" lost my trust in their products through their lack of quality control on this one.

Improves your pronunciation

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a very professional tool to improve your languaje skills. I love to use the voice recognition feature and the accent assesment. It really helps you to speak clearly.

Lessons are very well designed and it covers everything: pronunciation, grammar, reading, listening, vocavulary etc..

It's an excelent tool :)

Version 8.1 Great Product--but software flaws with Win XP

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My daughter (age 12, and fixated on all things French) has been trying to learn French through a variety of media--workbooks and audiotapes, Muzzy videos, textbooks, none very stimulating--so I bought this CD for her to try.

First, let me start with the software itself: it was real discouraging when I first installed the French 8.1 Deluxe edition--kept getting error messages about MicServer Pass (error 26). Had to shut down probably 30 times the first few hours of use. Finally determined that there seemed to be some kind of conflict with other programs/graphics on my system--primarily a Japanese Hello Kitty screen saver installed. ALSO, I learned that you just can't click that mouse as fast as you'd like in the Play/Record mode, because if you click faster than, say, a 5 sec increment, the system freezes. I assume it's because the program just isn't developed enough to handle incoming audio recognition and cursor commands while simulataneously processing video/graphics/data transmission. Well, what do you expect, it didn't cost that much to begin with. So I have learned to slow my mouse clicking down a bit. In addition, I highly recommend you run AdAware, Spybot, and some kind of Utilities Clean-up/Fix program before installing this--and do what the installation instructions suggest, END all other programs running in the background. Finally, I would say that the less processes you have running while you are using this feature, the better!

About the program itself: I learned French in middle school, as well as 1 semester in college. (I also have a total of 3 years high school/college Spanish experience). So, based upon my knowledge of foreign languages, and the varieties of media I have used--the classroom, workbooks, textbooks, videos--I would say this software is the most entertaining method of learning a language. My daughter, who has NO foreign language experience, says this system of language learning works best for her, thus far.

This program--although not labeled so, take my word for it--is designed for conversational French. The strengths in this program are the French speakers and their pronounciation. Their phrases are short and to the point. In the beginning, the phrases are everyday phrases and the key to learning them is saying them over and over again; basically, MIMICRY [the accompanying 184-page reference book is just a written form of all the narrative you hear on the software, it is NOT a workbook or dictionary]. I told my daughter DO NOT RUSH through this, stick with the same lesson for at least a week. There are optional grammar notes for those interested or for those (like me) who never paid much attention to grammar exercises in school, but they are not the key to learning. After all, you don't see young children reading grammar books and they can speak quite well.

The voice recognition feature is not entirely accurate (I said ba-ba-ba-ba into the mic once and it gave me an excellent rating!) but it provides enough feedback so my daughter feels like she is making progress, mainly by copying the French speakers. It trains the ear to recognize French sounds.

As you go on in this program, you can pace yourself when things get a bit more challenging. Some of the phrases don't have much to do with everyday life, but they tend to teach the repetition/variation of common phrases over and over again, so it builds on the foundation. Using the program myself, I can determine where I am rusty. Also, I see my daughter decide (by herself and by the automatic scoring) where she needs to go back and review. The interactive functions--visual, written and verbal--really help reinforce what you've learned.

I would think that if one continued with the entire program and put as much effort into it as in a class--say, at least 1/2 hour a day up to 1 hour a day on weekends--then, by the end of the CD course one would be quite confident and fairly proficient at speaking and understanding spoken French, or the written level used by a daily newspaper in France.

Doesn't work with Windows NT or 2000!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: October 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

purchased this to spruce up my pronunciation but found that this version doesn't work with Windows 2000; however, I've now ordered version 8.1 which, supposedly, does work on my platform and will write another review after I've received and tried it.

Pretty Good!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: February 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It's a pretty good program over all and pretty easy to use!

Great for beginners or refresher course!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I think the other reviewer who rated this item and gave it very few stars may have confused this with another french language program because this one does not come with an audio tape as you see above. Instead it's 4 dvd-roms that are just terrific. Real practise conversations using your microphone, lots of grammar information, pronunciation drills and quizzes. This software is terrific. I am looking forward to their new version which is coming out soon. I hope it includes onscreen flashcards and more extensive grammar drills, quizzes and help. That would be my only suggestion. For additionaly french grammar help I would highly suggest; "Essential French Grammar" by Seymour Resnick, "French Verb Drills" by R.de Roussy de Sales, and you will also find extremely helpful, "Pronounce it Perfectly in French" by Christopher Kendris, PH.D which was released by Barron's. Good Luck everyone!

Great tool to hone your accent

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: November 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

In general, this isn't that great a tool for learning French. I gave it a decent rating, however, based on its one redeeming feature, the speech-recognition feature. This feature is an excellent tool for practicing pronunciation of French.

In the "Vocabulary" section, you have a list of words that you can click on to hear a native French speaker speak the word. You also have a needle-style gauge with buttons for record and playback. You hit the record button, pronounce the word, and the gauge shows how well you did, from "tourist" to "native".

This might not be an optimal tool for honing your accent, because it doesn't give you any indication of what you're doing wrong. It's an excellent tool otherwise, because it allows you to practice endlessly and because it gives you decent feedback. I had already had explanations of what shape your mouth should be for pronouncing certain things and the difference between the 'ou' sound in vous and the 'u' sound in tu. If you can get that, and if you have a decent ear, you can accomplish a lot with this software.

Anecdotal evidence: I used this software for about half an hour to an hour a day for about six months before moving on to instruction that involved real people. Everyone that I spoke to in French told me that I sound like a native French speaker.

Disclaimer: as with anything in life, you'll only get out of it what you put into it. Your mileage may vary.

Not a bad product, for its price.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Bonjour!!!

I think that the price offered in this online store is fair. It includes pretty much everything you could ever need to get started. Within the first three months of using it I began to feel more comfortable, and I could hold small comversation with French people.

Au revoir.

evaluation of new software

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 23
Date: October 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Iam new customer, i am very interested to have this software entiltled " Learn to Speak French". For me to evaluate and/or review this product I would like to ship me a demo CD om my follwing address:
Tripoli, Libya
Waha Oil company-Planning Department
Po.box395
Ali.H.Alsudany

Disappointment

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: September 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This company claims to be able to teach 2 years of French by buying their CD. It sounds like a lot of fun having access to Internet lessons, study plan, pronunciation gauge. I have owned this CD for two years. This company keeps changing its website address thus rendering the software obsolete since the day I bought it. The pronunciation gauge works only sometimes and I have yet to be able to join in on any of the promised activities. I have contacted them and I am told to "be patient". Do not buy this!

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