Product Description This is volume 1 of 2 volumes introducing basic French vocabulary, grammar and conjugation to the very beginner who wants to learn French, in order to prepare him or her to the practice of real life conversations in our "SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner" product, or our "SmartFrench CDROM - Learn French Like Real French People".
You might want to study both programs simultaneously, on one side, the two volumes to acquire the basics, and on the other side the "SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner" or the CDROM to tune your ear and learn to listen to the French language the way it is really spoken.
This volume 1 contains the alphabet, the numbers and the conjugation of the four verbs the most used in French and in English, with multiple examples. You will learn useful tips to memorize them easily. The volume 2 contains all the basic French vocabulary and basic grammar. It is necessary to go through "Vol.1" before working on the second volume.
The basic vocabulary contained in the second volume represents the words you will find in any real conversations. We have recorded French people conversing naturally for our "SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner" program (and for our CDROM) and we have analyzed these dialogs. We observed that 65% of all words spoken in any of these conversations were always the same and basic. After listening and practicing with these 2 volumes of "SmartFrench - Introduction to French", you will know 65% of all conversations you will ever have in French or you will happen to listen to.
If your intention is to learn a few sentences to get by when you are in France, this tool is not for you. You should get our "SmartFrench for Travelers" book and/or download it with the audios on the smartfrench website.
Like for all our products, we use our color-coding method to help you with your pronunciation. The way you will speak with SmartFrench is the natural way. You will sound like a French person very early learning French with SmartFrench and you will feel very confident speaking French.
Learning French in a Useful Way November 25, 2008 SmartFrench: Learn French from Real French People
This is a must buy especially if you're planning to visit or move to a French speaking country. This is a much easier way to learn to have real conversations in French than other learning materials and classes I've tried, where you learn verbal skills or vocabulary that you probably won't practically use. I LOVE IT!!! It's also a much faster way to learn and it's fun, not frustrating. I got submerged in French culture fast when I spent a year in Paris, and this saved my life!
the lost bean November 24, 2008 I found The Smart French series volumes 1 and 2 a very effective way to study French. They easily teach the useful words that you hear in everyday conversation. They do this in with a minimum amount of time spent vs words you learn. I think the most helpful aspect of this series for me is that it plays the words as they sound in a real environment. A number of other courses I have purchased in the past seem to be built around words and phrases that you will probably never hear, and are unlikely to use (unless you need to buy a bowler hat.) I would recommend these products.
My opinion on this September 16, 2008 I love the SmartFrench products with native French speakers in conversation, but the Introduction to French, Vol 1 and 2, I, personally, would skip, because they are "explanations" of grammar, and I think it is more effective to go right to listening to the conversations, and absorbing the sound and flow, and than speaking. Even with no previous French, I think this is the best way to learn, because this is how I learned the language years ago. So, while this is a good product, I personally would invest in the CD-ROM or CDs with the conversations by native French speakers....and would bypass the CDs which explain grammar.
Excellent Program July 2, 2008 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is an excellent program for learning to speak French the way it's supposed to be spoken. School classes teaches the hard stuff, like grammar, etc., and not exactly how to speak/listen to the language. We tried a few other programs and were fairly disappointed until we got SmartFrench. This is an excellent program where you learn to speak, and as importantly, listen to French the way it's supposed to be spoken at different speeds. This first set of CDs (Introduction Vol 1 and Vol 2) will give you an introduction to simple everyday words, as well as some fundamental French language structure, and how to use them. Also, the 5 most used verbs are explained on their usage.
Finally, if you're an absolute beginner in the French language, this Vol 1 and Vol 2 will get you started in the right direction. Afterwards, the next sets (SmartFrench Beginner, Intermediate/Advanced) will get you further in developing the right speaking/listening skills. This program focuses mainly on the speaking/listening aspect of the language and it does it extremely well. This SmartFrench program should be used in conjunction with reading, watching French TV/movies, and working with other French grammar programs if you want total fluency in the language. Enjoy!
Great product! March 21, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful learning tool. After listening to this for the first time, I knew that this was exactly what I was looking for to begin learning French. Just a few minutes in and I said to myself, "This is just what I need!". You get the basics that you need to truly build a solid foundation for learning the language. The pacing of the lessons is just right, and they are very pleasant to listen to as well. You feel like you're in the hands of a good, smart, wise teacher. I love using it, and I recommend it strongly.
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