SmartFrench: Learn French from Real French People

SmartFrench: Learn French from Real French People

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Editorial Reviews

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- For Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced
- Repetition of excerpts of complete conversations
- CD-Rom with booklet containing actual transcripts of French natives
- Color-coding shows what is and what is not pronounced in spoken French
- Successfully used in American Embassies

"This CD Rom is a "Must" for learning how the French REALLY talk!"
William Martin, retired political editor, The Oakland Tribune

"I've tried them all and this one is it!"
Joe Hogan, CBS

"When I heard my first lesson I honestly felt betrayed by my other programs --why didn't they simply tell the truth about French pronunciation like SmartFrench does?"
Patricia J. Gust, Attorney, Los Angeles, CA

For Americans, learning a foreign language is typically a very frustrating experience. After spending countless hours in a classroom environment, most find that they are still unable to comprehend "real world" French as it is naturally spoken between native French people.

To learn a language one has to develop speaking as well as understanding skills. What to do first is a matter of choice. To learn a few sentences to get by is good but to understand what’s coming back to you is also important. SmartFrench will develop your listening skills, which will raise your confidence to speak naturally (Just learning basic sentences would make you sound too "proper"). For better progress, this process should be done simultaneously and the sooner the better, right at the beginner level. Some people think that developing understanding skills should be a part of the beginner level training and some don’t. For those who think it is, we have designed a beginner level. A beginner is naturally not expected to be able to understand dialogs at real speed right away, but with a little patience, you will soon feel more and more confident about your ability to "talk" French just by learning how to recognize the "rhythm" of the language and its predictable patterns.

There are seven interviews at the beginner level and six interviews at the intermediate and at the advanced levels. You will practice slowly at the beginner level and faster on the next two levels. On the booklet, the transcripts of the conversations are in colors to show you what is and what is not pronounced in spoken French. The lessons are organized interactively so that you can work at your own pace, pausing or rewinding at any time. At any level and at any time you can watch the video and read the translation before you work on the interview you have chosen.

We are so confident in your success using our revolutionary educational method, we stand behind this product with a full 30 day money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied, simply return the product to SmartFrench in its original packaging for a full refund.

"I have three other French language courses, and I've learned more from this one than I have the others put together."
Cynthia Stull, Washington, DC, writes contracts for the National Cancer Institute, for the AIDS programs around the world

"No matter what other sources you use in your language learning, the Smart thing to do is give yourself this key to confidence."
Ian Jackson, CEO, Breathplay, Dallas

Customer Reviews

SmartFrench decent for listening comprehension

Reviewed by Angela, 2010-02-01

I had French in high school and wanted to brush up for a trip to France. The conversations are good for trying to bring you up to speed on listening comprehension, but they are probably only useful for someone who has had some French before. I was hoping for authentic speed and pronunciation and this is definitely it. Most people will also need an additional grammar book or introductory text.

The Best Language Program I Have Tried

Reviewed by Cal Bear, 2009-11-05

I took three years of French in high school over twenty years ago, and I recently decided to take up the language once again. I have tried various programs, such as Rosetta Stone, Michel Thomas, and Pimsleur. However, when I tried to have a conversation with native French speakers, I was always disappointed because a) When they spoke at a natural pace, other than picking out a word here and there, I could not understand what they were saying and b) While I could make myself understood, I was told that my sentences were too rigid or unnaturally formal.

As far as I know, Smart French is the only program available that teaches the student to speak in a natural and fluent manner. The program begins with an excellent review of French sounds. Then, a series of vignettes are presented in which an interviewer discusses a topic with everyday French speakers such as a model, a chef, an art curator, a metal worker, an actor, etc. The converstations are presented in stages. The first stage, breaks down the sentences into bite sized segments in slow motion. The ensuing stages move progressively faster, until the sixth stage, when we hear the actual interview at normal speed. At first the converstions seemed impossibly fast, but after listening to them a few times, I began to understand more and more of what the speakers were saying.

The Smart French course has helped me tremendously in developing an ear for French as it is spoken by real people and in improving my accent. In my opinion, it is by far the best program available, and the best value for the money.

Enormously helpful if you want to understand and be understood.

Reviewed by Brooke Mcadam, 2009-10-03

This is a one-of-a-kind fantastic product!
It takes you beyond the stilted academic classroom into real life!
I have always wondered why I have had trouble understanding French movies and my French friends when they are speaking with each other. (Little did I realize how they slow and dumb themselves down to include me in their conversations!) Anyway, just like we say things like: I'm gonna and I wanna when we talk and I am going to and I want to when we write, the French are no different. So, it took the genius of Christian Aubert to realize the issue with spoken French. It sounds quite different from the written word where each word is pronounced precisely and at the same rate and tone. If someone talked to us like that or expected us to speak like that it would be weird. That is why most of our academic French doesn't really work.

I can understand why some people have difficulty with this product because they are expecting a traditional, grammar-based approach. If this is what makes you comfortable, it you are a structural kind of person, then this is probably going to be frustrating for you. But if you want to speak with people and be understood, if you want to train your ear to listen and pick up what you can, if you are comfortable not "getting it" right away, but love the surprise when you do, then you will have a blast with Smart French.

Something else I want to add is that Christian and the staff are very accessible and helpful. They will help you chose the right program for you and really want to help you learn what you want to learn. They are not product pushers, but true educators who want to help you meet your goals. So if you have questions before you buy, contact them!

Great product

Reviewed by Maria A. Florentino, 2009-09-07

Very few people are able to realise a great product. It needs awareness, imagination, creativity and talent. I think that Christian Aubert has created a unique method to learn french and re-learn it. I found the "reds and liaisons" invaluable. It is not so easy to re-learn and reprogramme oneself or to recover words quickly at a certain age and yet I found the SmartFrench CD-ROM and SmartFrench Audio CDs Int/Adv - The Smart Way to Learn French wonderful for that very purpose. Some of the interviews were engrossing and others I found amusing. They made things so quick to get back to - using ones ears, listening and learning.

A Fantastic Learning Concept

Reviewed by Michael M, 2009-08-18

You won't find a better way to learn French and learn it quickly than SmartFrench. I took 2 years of French in high school and two in college but couldn't speak it or understand the spoken language. After a week or so of Smartfrench, I had learned more than I had during years of formal training. I can't evaluate the system for someone with no knowledge of the language going in, but for those with some rudimentary understanding of grammar and verb conjugation, you will pick this up with lightning speed. The ability to listen to a variety of native French speakers (and to have the French text and translation when you want them), to hear them use typical French expressions that you will quickly find yourself using, to hear how they form sentences in everyday conversation, is simply invaluable. As you listen and repeat (and you should listen over and over), you'll begin to notice that, just like with English speakers, some Frenchmen speak better French than others; the young student, for example, speaks more casually and with more slang than, say, the diplomat or the art dealer. With this ingenious system, you'll be exposed to all manner of speaking habits, all of which you can copy, or not, and will find yourself automatically absorbing all the nuances of the language you cannot learn in any other way. Other than living in France, of course.

I gave the system four stars because there is room for some improvement with the product. Not with the concept, just the execution. There is some needless repetition of basic ideas, although some may like this. Personally, I would prefer more discussion on advanced topics (I purchased beginning through advanced), like the subjunctive mode (of verbs) and some of the odd phrases you'll encounter that don't seem to make any sense. But, other than some fine tuning, this is a fantastic product and I can't recommend it highly enough.