SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner Level

A child learns a language first by hearing it spoken and mimicking the sounds, then by attaching meaning to the words. This is what Smart French does. It teaches you to hear first, repeat the sounds that you hear and translate later. First you learn to hear, then speak and finally to understand. All the other methods teach basically the same way and method, while Smart French is very different. I wholeheartedly recommend Smart French!!!


This has really helped me.   July 21, 2006
 70 out of 70 found this review helpful

First of all, if/when you go to France, the whole experience is completely different if you attempt to speak their language versus if you expect them to speak yours (which they all can!). They really appreciate your attempt to speak the language that they are so proud of and consider an art, and they make every effort to help you to learn more and improve. It really, really opens so many doors to try to speak French. It's the difference between being treated like family versus being practically shunned. So do try to speak it. But the catch is that they hate it if you "bastardize" their language, meaning really rip up the pronunciation badly. It makes them wince. When I went to Lyon a few years ago I made every effort to speak French the whole time and was shocked how incredibly accomodating, sweet, and warm the French were to me, teaching me new words, helping me with my pronunciation, drawing me pictures, everything! Nothing like the rude treatment other Americans told me to expect from the French. One thing I noticed, though, was that while most of the time they could understand what I was saying pretty well, I most often could NOT understand most of what they were saying. This is because they spoke faster than I was used to listening to French and also because the French link their words together. Having being taught from text books and slow-speaking French teachers, I was over my head. I bought the beginner and the intermediate/advanced versions of this CD set because it's been a while since I practiced French and I originally leaned by the textbook method so I wasn't sure which I fit under. (I discovered that I fit under "beginner" in some aspects and under "intermediate/advanced" with other aspects.) Since I have a long drive to work and back every day, I play these and (when I'm awake enough) I do the recitations with him. I have to say that it's helped a lot. Both versions have. And the more times you listen the better you get and the easier it gets to understand. He says on the CD that you shouldn't or don't need to read the translations in the book that come with it, but I found that it helped me to read them before listening or I was distracted by my plausible ideas of what is really going on in the conversations. The content of the conversations is actually pretty interesting too: he interviews people, for example, who have had long diplomatic careers or knew Salvadore Dali as a child (both examples are in the intermediate/advanced version). For the first time since studying a language I've actually learned from the syntax AND the content of the lessons. I found it to be a wise purchase. Both of them. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars was simply because the tips he gives throughout the CDs can be a little repetitive, but then with some things you do need that consistent reminder.


Learning Can Be Fun!   April 7, 2004
 60 out of 64 found this review helpful

This is the first learning program that made me laugh! Thanks to SmartFrench for creating such a good product. The method is much like that by which kids learn. It introduces the patterns of the spoken language, not just grammar and vocabulary; so it's possible, in short order, to begin constructing sentences that sound French. It's a real confidence-builder. And it's fun. The speakers have personalities that keep the learner engaged. There's nothing boring about SmartFrench.


Great tool in conjunction with other products   May 16, 2004
 27 out of 28 found this review helpful

This is an excellent tutorial in spoken French, but falls a little short in one or two regards. For example, it could *really* benefit from a vocabulary list. The French and English are placed side by side, but there are numerous occasions wherein the English translation fails to include entire words from the French, leaving the user to figure out what the French words mean from context, which words mean what, or running to a dictionary (which are notoriously short on idiomatic expressions). While language is certainly learned in this manner by children, it can be frustrating for the student of French who wants to learn quickly. A vocabulary list would solve this problem. Also, because the CD-ROM is set up in a non-linear fashion, while listening to the CDs one has to hear the same phrases repeated over and over ("we suggest you follow our approach" and "this is called liasion" come to mind), which becomes tiring. Having said that, I highly recommend this series for anyone who is studying/has studied French and wants to know how to *speak* French. I use it in conjunction with Learn in Your Car series (a terrific vocabulary builder), and a free resource online, "Chloe ou Les aventures d'une Parisienne." But if you are a beginner, you will certainly need something in addition to this series.


Not enough translation or "real world" conversations   November 9, 2006
 20 out of 25 found this review helpful

While I was impressed enough with the work on accents and pronunciation. I found the lack of an audio translation into English to be a major drawback. Also, the interview concept, while an interesting way to get you immersed into conversation, did not deal with concepts that a needy traveler could use. Examples: How many of us discuss details of recipes with a chef or smoking cigarettes with a fashion model? I would rather have a conversation with a hotel clerk or airline attendant about my reservations or other directions.