Take Off in French (With Audio CDs)

Rating:
Summary: Supurb French Course
Review: I bought this product after taking a semester of French in my high school. I really liked the language but I wanted to be able to learn at my own pace. Before I purchased this set ( book and audio ) I took the time to sit down at my local book store and compare all of the different French courses that were available. I chose the Oxford Take Off In French set because it gave me the same principles of learning that I had used previously. ( As a note for those who have never traveled internationally before, not only is it essential to be able to converse in the language, it's also very important to be able to read and write the language aswell.) The book along with the audio is a great way to start developing your language skills or just to brush up on things you may have forgotten. The book is set up with 14 units with each unit holding 4 points...(ie.. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1...etc.). Each point begins with an intorducton and short conversations using the terms and phrases you will be learning in the point. Then the book provides a vocabulary list of the terms in the point.( Might I note, as being a former Spanish and German student, when you are provided with a vocab list it is essential to not only be able to speak the words correctly and know their meaning, but to also be able to properly spell them. As it will be WELL worth the effort to copy down your vocab list several times until you can properly spell each word.-I've learned from experience that just learning in your head how to spell things does very little good when you're in an international setting...being able to recall what you have previously written down is MUCH easier and effictive I feel!- ) After the vocabulary list, there are language builders where you learn the basics of the language...ex.. un/une. After the language building in the book you go back to audio where you will begin practicing the use of the words you just learned through repetition(sp) and statement and respond activities. You are then ready to move on to the next point in the unit. After you complete the 4th point in the unit, there are exams you can give yourself to test and see how much you've really learned. ( Have no fear...the answers to all the activities and exams are in the back of the book! :-> ) As you can see I found this to be a very thorough course for any level of French student. I highly recomend it! I hope this review was helpful!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent learning tool
Review: I started learning French because one of the characters in a story I am writing turned out to be French. Once I got a taste of the language I was hooked and began looking for ways to help myself learn. I first got Take Off In French (book and CDs) from the library and immediately knew I was going to have to buy it to get everything out of it. There is an incredible amount of audio here, all of it very realistic. I have been listening to French radio stations online and was delighted to discover the speakers sounded exactly the same as those on the CDs in this course. I was able to begin picking out words on the radio immediately and then phrases. What a thrill!

After I returned this course to the library and before I purchased it, I checked another course out of the library to see if it would be any better. Sufice to say, Take Off In French is far superior to all of the other courses I have tried. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Coupled with listening to (and or) conversing with native speakers, this course should allow you to learn all the skills you need.

Even before the lessons start there is a whole section on the various different pronunciations and the alphabet, which I did not find on the other course I tried. Very helpful. I went back to it often. The first lesson started with greetings, the second with simple manners (please, thank you, etc), and the lessons progressed to things like directions, colors, fruits and vegetables, family members, etc, each lesson including real dialogue so you learn to pick the words out of sentences, rather than hearing them on their own.

Hightly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Magnifique!
Review: I'm preparing for my first trip to Paris and thought it would be a good idea to at least learn the basics of French. This course is concise, simple and allows you to work at your own pace. After the first couple of exercises I was able to master some basic greetings, and learned quite a bit about pronunciation. Most importantly, I am building my confidence in my ability communicate in the language. The instructor encourages students to practice out loud. I'm sure I must look odd, walking around muttering french phrases under my breath, but it will all be worth it when I can go to Paris and converse with the locals.

The price is excellent because you get 5 CDs and a book for less [money].