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[Hattie]

Hi

Could anyone please recommend a French Language CD at all - one that is enough to learn or brush up schoolday french for a short holiday. It is for a present and i don't want to get something that is too heavy learning or books.

I know of Michel Thomas and am not sure if he is suitable for this - i have been looking around at 'Learn in your Car' and found a BBC Active CD that is a bit dated - would something like the BBC one be best ?

Just wondered if anyone has bought a CD themselves for a holiday trip mainly to help with the basics when away.

Thank you

Hattie X

[Hurdity]

To be honest if you're going to learn/refresh a language online I think it's best to use one of the free online courses available rather than use a CD. I haven't used anything for French but I've been learning Spanish online - and have done various courses eg Memrise, a BBC one and just lately Duolingo which is very popular. The advantage with these is they are interactive and so you have to do regular exercises.

I bough the set of Michel Thomas Spanish course CDs from ebay but didn't get beyond the 2nd one and when I had to repeat them it really annoyed me as he is basically giving a lesson to students so you hear the same conversations each time! I know he is supposed to be very good though - perhpas I should have persevered. He also isn't Spanish (or French)!

That's probably not much help with buying someone a present - but how about a subscription to one of the good language courses online? I still think Duolingo is the way to go and it's free so maybe a different present?!

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

He also has great success with film stars needing to learn a language ……. and my Husband had great success with his CDs.  I thought he was French  ……….

[Hattie]

Thank you Katclaws

I have looked at the Linkword and done the demo try - think i might ask the person i want to get this for if it would be a suitable way for them to learn first.

Hattie X

[Hurdity]

CLKD - he was a Polish Jew who fled Nazi Germany for France in the 1930's and later moved to US after the war.
Good luck Hattie, hope it's suitable!

Hurdity x

[Hattie]

Thanks Hurdity

I've had a look a Duolingo - as i have said to Katclaws i will ask the person concerned now as we all learn differently.

 i used Michel Thomas when doing a language evening class a few years ago - i found that he helped things to 'click' more or was a bit of an addition to the class - not sure if his CDs alone would have been enough for me though.

I've been on Duolingo myself this afternoon    - i am out of date with all these courses.

Thanks

Hattie X

[Hurdity]

What are you learning Hattie - or were you just browsing?

Hurdity x

[Hattie]

Hurdity

i learnt Italian at evening class few years ago after a first holiday that we had there in 2001. We were lucky enough to have several subsequent holidays there and i used to put it into practice as best i could. You are treated so much better when you try and you also can understand some of what is being said to you for better or worse ! So i've been scraping my rusty brain this afternoon.

Ciao

Hattie X

[Dulciana]

That's a lovely idea to give as a present, Hattie and I hope you find something that fits the bill for the lucky recipient.   I love the French language.  I just think it sounds so romantic, so expressive and so, well, musical.  If I had the chance to be born all over again, I'd choose to be French.   Has anyone come across "Bien-Dire"  -  a regular French magazine teaching English speakers to speak French as the French do?
Hubby's subscribed to it for a while.......must have a read of it myself.   

[CLKD]

  ……

DH had a French magazine (can't remember the name) which came 3 times a year