Software : Learn to Speak French 8.1

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: Learn to Speak French 8.1

List Price: $14.99
Price: $3.30
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Binding: CD-ROM
Brand: The Learning Company
EAN: 0772040814168
Format: CD-ROM
Label: The Learning Company
Manufacturer: The Learning Company
Model: 381416
Publication Date: 2002
Publisher: The Learning Company
Release Date: June 07, 2004
Sales Rank: 6633
Studio: The Learning Company




Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Popular instructional course teaches French with the help of natural speakers

Amazon.com Product Description:
Build your fluency in French using this feature-rich five-CD collection. Learn to Speak French's 100 lessons and adjustable study plan expand your French vocabulary and perfect your pronunciation. Choose from a variety of instructional features, including cultural video clips and a talking dictionary. Learn to Speak's voice recording, playback tools, and speech recognition technology let you practice your French, develop your ear, and hone your pronunciation. A conversational CD completes the collection, adding a final polish to your newly acquired abilities.



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - Beware! It might be great but doesn't work on a mac.
I bought this to use on my mac computer but it will not work on it. It was listed here to be used on either mac or windows but on the box it says only for windows and will not install. No help on their web sight and no help from the seller.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Learn to Spreak French 8.1
Good to have this product. I have different resources for learning French. It's good for me to use it with other resources. I wish I would have a workbook with it, which is essential for learners. Regardless, I like it.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - A Big Waste of Money
This would have been a wonderful product if it could be installed on my computer. I have tried to install it using Windows 2000 and Windows 98. Neither system would accept it. When I called the company, they said that they knew about the problem and were working on it...to check back at their web site periodically for an update. That was over a year ago. There have been no updates and I basically wasted my money.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - We'll always have Paris...
First one negative: The Learning Company does have to get better at listing what platforms their software really works on. Version 8 does not run on Windows 2000, Windows 8.1 has problems with XP, but works fine on Windows 2000. If you're planning on buying this software, be careful about which version you buy.

That said, this software is a good learning tool for picking up French. It will not be enough on it's own (what one tool ever is for learning fluency in a language?), but it's an incredible supplement. You see and hear French being spoken in a number of situations and by a number of different people, all with different accents, ages, and occupations. A book will not give you this (though a book will be better for learning the rules of grammar such as verb conjugation). Pronounciation is particularly hard for english speakers learning French (I speak from experience). Having the word spoken repeatedly while printed on the screen is a boon for figuring out how French is supposed to sound (again, a book will not do this as well).

The program relies on rote memorization for success, which is unfortunately one of the menial and grudging realities of learning any language. Each vocabulary word is tied to a picture (e.g., 'ici' has an "X" with an arrow pointing to it), and the drills rely on your ability to interpret these pictures. Most are not difficult at all to figure out, but some can be ambiguous. Each lesson moves from a list of vocabulary words into these drills, and then into a conversation usually between 2-4 French speakers. Once you have these phrases and sentences down, there are more drills. Lastly, each lesson includes games: "Go Fish" (against a strange horse/dog creature with a southern drawl) and a crossword puzzle. You can play the games at any time (though it's harder to know this in version 8.1 than it was in version 8.0). Finally, you have a conversation with a French speaker via your PCs microphone. It's as close as you will get to having a native speaker on hand for practice, though it has the limitations of any computer program (this part of the program has crashed on me, but not frequently enough for me to give up on the software).

Lastly, when you speak into the microphone the computer will judge your progress on a continuum from 'tourist' to 'native'. This is a little tenuous, and I would encourage people to pay more attention to the playback of their voices rather than worry if they're attaining 'native' status (I have also heard that sometimes these programs don't work well with native speakers - a French-Canadian relative of a friend of mine once used this program, and was consistently told he was a 'tourist').

Overall, it's a very good tool to help you along with learning French. It will not learn the language for you, but it will be a valuable help.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Excellent Learning Solution for Everyone
LearnToSpeak 8.0 is the best language learning tool I've used. I've used many, and this inexpensive software is unmatched in both quality and value.

To learn a language, you need to immerse yourself in it. That includes TV, Radio, Friends, Internet, and everything else. With this software, if you use it well, you'll be able to travel to France and have small conversations with natives. You'll be able to visit places, shop, get help, and order at a restaurant. You will definitely not be able to discuss medicine or engineering, but you'll have the skills to communicate effectively as a tourist.

This set features real time dialogs with video characters, an extensive grammar library, speech recognition, informational videos, a talking dictionary, and easy to follow lessons categorized by topics... not to mention a very funny and friendly animated cartoon character that teaches you the grammar used on every chapter you finish. The program includes games and it's quite fun to learn. But to get to the games, you must first complete the five basic lessons. However, this is a learning tool, not a game...

I recommend users to please finish the basic lessons and browse all CDs before reviewing this awesome [and inexpensive] learning solution.

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