Michel Thomas total French

[Jen]

We are thinking of learning some French as we know very little and although we get by when on holiday it can sometimes be a little embarrassing.

Has anyone tried the Michel Thomas Total French Method and did it work?

Jen

[Steve]

Don't have any experience of that one - we used to use the Rosetta Stone software (although it is quite pricey) - it's ok but you do need to persevere with it. The same I presume would stand for the MT method.

[Jen]

Thanks Steve we did look at that one but someone local is selling the Michel Thomas for £30 I'm just a bit concerned on how easy it is to learn from just listening to a CD.

[Admiral]

Jen,

If someone is selling the Michel Thomas set for £30 just bite their hand off and buy the whole shebang.

We used it when we came out to France. Very easy although it does get annoying with it's daft woman/bright bloke format. She can't say anything right so he tells her how to say it properly in French.

The only downside is that you really have be in the mood to sit down, listen and learn. But still a good bit of kit.

[Fred]

It's worth it for 30 quid. But see if you can borrow the first CD to give it a test drive before buying.

I didn't know any French and have tried School, BBC on-line, Books, & Michel Thomas.

• School: I just couldn't get on with it, but to be fair I never went to school as a kid. And when it came to Grammar and Verbs that was me out of there.
  
• BBC On-line: I have dial-up so couldn't try it properly.
  
• Books: Forget that, the last book I read was the Beano Annual and I got fed up after finding page three was about going to the train station. I don't want to go on a train.
  
• Michel Thomas: I would rate it 8/10 but like the others say you have to stick with it, I found it boring at first but if you do what he says "Don't try to remember" you start to feel it's sinking in.
  

Unlike Admiral I like the Daft Woman as I can keep up with her and feel so good when I do better than she did. The trick is to use the pause button and have your go, don't do more than 1 CD in a session and if you can, try to do a CD maybe once or twice a week. Having said that I've just started mine again but still got fed up after disc 3.

There is a review by a Teacher on Amazon.fr knocking it, but then a teacher would.

I am a French teacher. Some of my students never got beyond the "tourist French" level. What they have in common : they are brilliant, hard workers (all of them) and... they use MICHEL THOMAS !
What this method makes to learning abilities is not clear to me, but it is clearly a pleague for those who want to do more than comment the weather, buy an Eiffel tower or ask for a direction. They can't get over a beginner level. They can say "une taaaaaable" (and let people make fun of them)but they can't transfer that knowledge.
Assimil did better 50 years ago !
RUN AWAY FROM MICHEL THOMAS (except if it is just for Holiday French).

You can read it here

I would say the Michel Thomas CDs have helped and gave me the confidence to have a go, and I have found having a go is the way to do it. Just dive in and you will soon find the French will respect you for trying, especially around this area.

I have found it's the English that pull me up the most for the way I speak French, one even told me "Your French is not very good, it sounds like country French" This is a family forum so I won't post my exact reply, but it was along the lines of That's good cause I live in the country and I'm happy with my basic French so leave me alone.

Jen don't get to hung up about speaking French, learn a few polite basics and the French people will love you for it.

Thanks to Michel Thomas, I know how to ask for a new size 14 wingnut for the radius arm of my fold up camping taaaaaable.

[Jen]

Thanks for the answers. I like the idea of a test drive, I will ask if they will let me have 1 to try.

[chris_and_julie]

Thanks for the answers. I like the idea of a test drive, I will ask if they will let me have 1 to try.

I'd agree - as a lazy French learner , the Michel Thomas has been the best that I have tried ... but little and often has to be the answer. I like his approach of 'instinctive' learning rather than the usual memory test approach.

Chris

[JackieMac]

Thanks Steve we did look at that one but someone local is selling the Michel Thomas for £30 I'm just a bit concerned on how easy it is to learn from just listening to a CD.

Hi, we have. Michel Thomas and I would definitely recommend that you buy it. It is a really good way to get the real basics and more. It is very good. Hope you still have the chance to buy it and good luck. Bonne chance.

[Jane]

Going to check out these Michel Thomas French CD's on ebay, if I can find any. I get by with basic French, ordering from shops and asking basic questions etc, but when someone throws more than a few sentences at me I freeze and end up laughing. I really need to get myself some lessons sorted, but glad of the recommendations of these CD's.

[Jane]

Well my Michel Thomas CD's arrived about two days ago and I have yet to open them   The trouble is how the hell do you find time to listen to them on your own? I think I'm going to have to make maybe half an hour each day to listen to them on the laptop.