RocketFrenchReview.com

All over the world, more and more people choose to take on a second language. So it is only natural that more and more learning language programs are sprouting up all the time. But with so many options readily available, finding the right one can be quite tough. So if you are interested in learning the language of love, here are a few things that you should know about two of the more popular programs today.

So in this Rocket French VS Transparent French Complete Edition article we will go cover

• How you learn,
• what you use to learn,
• and what you learn.

in these 2 language programs.

Rocket French

Rocket French is a course that has developed over the years. It is now accessed through it’s self styled learning lounge. You can learn a lot more about the course in the Rocket French review, the new audio course and how the learning lounge works posts. However for the purpose of this article a brief overview of the course follows.

So the main part of Rocket French is the audio course (33 lessons). There are quite a few other things you can do with the course and they seem to be improving it all the time.

You can also play language games with their Mega games suite and their flashcard system. You can now record your voice and see how it compares to a native French speaker with Rocket Record.

Getting The Timing Right Can Be tough !

They also have pretty comprehensive testing system and this helps to monitor your progress through the course and keep your motivation up.

All the audio are accompanied by written text that explains the grammar and the vocabulary used during the audio lessons. There is also a grammar and culture course that gives you more depth to your understanding of the language. This can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF document. (31 lessons)

Transparent Languages French

The Transparent Complete edition is basically 5 of Transparent Languages products bundled into one product. So you get 5 cd’s in the box that contain software or audio files. These products are :

1.Byki Deluxe – flashcard learning environment

Building your vocabulary with flashcards – there are various sets or lists of words that you go through. As you progress through the lists the complexity of the words or phrases get more difficult.

There are 3 steps to the flashcard system.

In the first step, the word or phrase is displayed in French and English. It will also be spoken or pronounced by a native French speaker and there may be pictures or photographs to help you understand the meaning of the word.

The second step displays one of the words or phrases at random, pronounces it and asks you what it means and to say it out loud (ideally). When you flip the card, the English equivalent is revealed and you can see if you were correct. This improves or tests your comprehension or understanding of the word. Then the system asks you to write the word or expression in English.

Then it does it the other way round. This time the English word (and any pictures/photos) are displayed and you are asked to say the French equivalent. Flip the card to see if you were correct. Once you have said the word, the next step is to write it in French.

So gradually, you get to test reading, writing and comprehension.

You can also record your voice and measure how your pronunciation compares to a native speaker via and graphical representation (this is similar to Rocket Record, the feature in the Rocket French course – or maybe the other way round)

You can also play various games such as hangman, crossword puzzles and other word games. You can also track your progress on the words you have learned.

The people from Transparent languages recommend that students start their learning here. I’m not sure about that as it’s a bit of a slow way to start but it is easy to use and doesn’t push you out of your comfort zone too much.

2.Everywhere French Audio Lessons

This is the audio component of the course that can be used at home or “on the go” using an mp3 player like an iPod or such like. Many of the parts of the audio course have imagery with them so you really need an iPod with video capabilities. With this said, any mp3 player will still be able to play the soundtracks but won’t be able to show the pictures.

There are 35 lessons which means 5 hours of audio. Like most audio courses you listen and repeat what is said. The lessons are like a tutor teaching you French. She will teach various concepts, explain things be it vocabulary or cultural references and will ask you questions.

Your goal is to repeat words and phrases when they are said or answer questions when they are asked. You can do this by pausing the recording to think, saying the word and then resuming the recording where the tutor will supply an answer.

3.Transparent French Premium Edition

The Transparent French Premium Edition is essentially a course book on the French language. This is where you will learn how the language works – the grammar and the way certain phrases are formed. Verb groups and verb conjugation. Again this component of the complete course comes on a CD but when running on your computer looks like a book. You go to various chapters and turn the pages just like a real book.

4.Lexicon Translation Dictionary

This is also on CD and comprises 65,000 words apparently. It’s basically an electronic dictionary. You type in a word and you get the equivalent in the other language. This includes the spelling, definition and how it fits in grammatically.

It sounds pretty comprehensive but I’m not sure how you would use it as part of the course. It should be a handy reference guide and something you might turn to if you are looking to seriously expand your vocabulary. I would probably prefer a traditional book dictionary but that’s just me.

5.LinguaMatch French

Lingua Match is a unique part of the Transparent languages courses. You will find it in most of the courses that they offer. It’s a virtual world or cartoon world that you are participating in. There are 30 scenes or situations that tend to be things that people learning French or traveling in France as a tourist might encounter.

So checking into a hotel or eating at a restaurant are typical scenarios. The situations will be populated by cartoon or virtual people that will pose questions of you and ask you questions. You will ask them questions and so forth until you get to the end of the scene and achieve the objective of the conversation.

All the software is made for PCs with Windows operating system. It is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Vista or higher.

Comparison

Side by Side I think the Transparent course has more content but is also more expensive. Rocket French can be downloaded whereas Transparent is a box set that is shipped to you (I think you can now get a download option but I’m not sure how that works or how effective it is). One common complaint with Transparent was that you had to constantly change disks in your computer when using it which got a bit tiring and interrupted or interfered with the learning experience.

Rocket French is more likely to be used online or by downloading the audios for an mp3 player. Rocket French has a forum that is quite active and the creators of the course and support staff visit from time to time.

The Byki flash card method is better than the similar mega games and flashcards offered by Rocket in terms of size and variety. For instance you can write in both English and French with the Byki system. Although you can add new words in the MegaVocab game and MyVocab section in Rocket French, you can’t really interact with the system other than answering multiple choice questions.

I preferred the audio course in Rocket French which was a bit more informal than the Transparent version.

Transparent has LinguaMatch, which can make learning more interesting. Rocket French has nothing like this. Transparent also has a huge electronic dictionary. Again, Rocket French doesn’t have anything like that although to be honest a dictionary isn’t really going to help you learn French initially but will be a good reference guide once you have the basics down.

So here are the facts, now you make the choice – Rocket French or Transparent French Complete Edition ?

Rocket French is slightly cheaper than Transparent. It is also more modern and likely to be improved over the years. Owners of Rocket French get all new updates according to the creators. You can get Rocket French here

You get more content and tools with Transparent but it doesn’t seem to have been updated for a few years now. If you are interested in Transparent then it is available at Amazon here.

Rocket French and Fluenz French are relatively new learn French courses that are set to take on the 800 pound gorilla (I think that’s the expression) of the learn a second language field, Rosetta Stone. Apparently Rosetta Stone have a massive budget to promote their product and keep it in the spotlight. It’s not a bad product either which always helps but can be expensive if you are planning to get all the levels. But enough of that, we aren’t interested in Rosetta Stone but rather a comparison of Rocket French to Fluenz French. As there is already plenty of details on what you get in Rocket French – see the review, the learning lounge and the review of the audio course – I’ll give a brief overview of the course and focus more on the Fluenz course in this post. So hopefully this Rocket French Vs Fluenz French review will help you decide which course is for you.

Rocket French Review

Rocket French has evolved from a PDF document course with a few word games thrown in to a fairly substantial course. The course is now accessed via the learning lounge. This is basically where you can get all the Rocket French resources. This includes the aforementioned PDF course, which is like a grammar and culture course. You can click on words in the document and they will be spoken by a native French speaker, the creator of the course of course, Marie Claire Riviere.

Rocket French Word Games

You also get the three games that seem to be similar to the Rosetta Stone in style. You are shown pictures and have to guess the right answer. There are roughly 25 questions per section and upwards of 20 sections per game.

The games are MegaVocab which shows you 4-6 pictures and a French word. You have to guess which picture matches the word. You can add your own pictures/word combinations to beef up the number of words in the system.

MegaVocab Game - C'est Numero Trois !

Next is MegaAudio which is similar. It shows 4-6 pictures and says a word out loud,. You have to guess which picture is closest to the word.

The final game is MegaVerb which is slightly different. There are no pictures and it is simply a verb conjugation test. You are given the infinitive verb and then various questions are posed of you, like what is the 2nd person singular. You have to write it down, including all the accents, which is harder than you might think. The game tests present, past and future tenses.

Audio Course

The next part of the course is the audio course, which comprises 31 lessons of around 20 to 30 minutes each. The format is an English speaking narrator (or friend of the course creator) and a native French speaker (the creator Marie Claire). Each lesson is a scenario as they travel through France. Various common scenarios that people traveling in France or a French speaking country might encounter are covered from the basic introductions and saying hello to more complicated stuff.

Rocket French Audio Course

More vocabulary, verbs and tenses are thrown in as the lessons progress. There is a transcript of the dialog in French and English if you can’t follow what they are saying. This shouldn’t be a problem though as the English speaking narrator explains what the lesson is all about and asks questions etc. There is also an option to download the audio lessons if you want to listen to the,m away from the compute on an mp3 player.

After each lesson there is a testing section where you answer multiple choice questions. This is marked and you get a mark. Depending on your mark you can choose to do the lesson again or move onto the next lesson. At the end of a chunk of lessons that have a common theme, say er verbs, you can take a bigger test – 75 questions – which cover all the lessons. Again, you will pass or fail this test and this will inspire you to take the lessons again or move on to a harder lesson.

Voice Recognition

A fairly new feature of the Rocket course is that you can analyze your pronunciation. It’s called Rocket Record and is similar to other language courses. When you record your voice, it is graphically mapped and compared to the image created by a native French speaker.

Voice Recognition with Rocket Record

What Can You Say With Rocket French ?

I’d say that you should get to a decent conversational level of French at the end of this course. By conversational, I’d say you should be able to communicate with people if you were a foreigner traveling in France and you need to ask for directions, checking into hotels, buying things in shops. You’d also be able to have simple conversations about what you like, want to do in the future and what you did in the past. The thoughts you can express will still be fairly simple as you don’t have the vocabulary, turn of phrase and more complex verb conjugations. These can be learned by speaking with people and actually becomes fun if you approach it properly.

Fluenz French Review

Fluenz French is a computer program that works on PC and Mac computers. The idea behind Fluenz is that you are being taught by a tutor one on one. The tutor looks at you directly out of the screen and explains things to you.

The Course Is Much Better Than The Box Looks !

Format Of A Lesson

Each lesson follows the same format. The Tutor, Sonia Gil, explains what the lesson is all about and what you are going to learn. When she has finished, you click the next button that takes you to a common scenario that a traveler in France might experience.

It’s basically a picture or photograph of the scenario and an audio dialogue of 2 or more people speaking. Buttons overlay the photo which give you the option to hear the dialog with English and French subtitles on, French subtitles on or no subtitles at all. You are advised to listen to the dialog three times, first with English/French subtitles on, then French and finally no subtitles.

How the Audio Course Looks - Je Veux un Despe !

By the third time, you should have a pretty good grasp of the dialog and the concepts that are being demonstrated. When this is done you click the next button. This takes you back to the Tutor who explains the lesson and the concepts behind the language.

The teaching is good. They go out of their way to describe French from an English speakers point of view. So they point out how the grammar constructions differ, how adjectives are positioned  differently, why certain words are contracted, the idea of feminine and masculine words and things like that. They always relate this to English so that an English speaker doesn’t get totally lost.  This is a good way to learn in my opinion. It works for the adult mind, which is more goal focused and  time limited than a child might be.

Sonia the Tutor

After the explanation, you go through a series of tests, which they call workouts. The first workouts see how well you understood the lesson and the final workouts apply the concepts learned in the lesson to build on previous lessons.

So they make you match the French sentences in the lesson to the English equivalents. You also have to match a picture to a spoken French word (not unlike MegaAudio in Rocket French).

Match The Word To One Of The Pictures

Then write the English words displayed or spoken in French,

Write the English phrases in French – tricky with the accents,

Write The French Of The English Phrase

Write the French words after listening to them spoken,

Write the French phrases after listening to them spoken,

Type out the conversation or the entire scene in fact

The final 2 tests are to match phrases that are using the same words in the lesson but in slightly different contexts to the original lesson. And then to say the phrases out loud – repeat after the native French speaker. Your speech is recorded and you can listen to how it sounds compared to a native speaker. There is no graphical representation, you just have to use you ear.

There are 31 lessons in the Entry level Fluenz French course. You also get a phrasebook, user guide, audio CDs and mp3 podcasts.  The entry level is basically the beginners course and there are 4 more levels.

Fluenz French Levels

Each level costs around $170-180 (best price is currently at Amazon) or you can get a bundle which makes them cheaper than buying each level. Levels 1 and 2 are a good bundle to get if you want to get to a decent conversational level. By conversational I mean you could get by as a tourist in France. You could ask obvious questions that a tourist might have. You could do shopping, go to restaurants, use the transport systems and things like that. You probably couldn’t hold and in depth conversations about politics or such like but you have the basics of the language.

What Can You Say With Fluenz French ?

You could build on this through further lessons or practice talking to real people. As I have mentioned before, half the battle with a new language is getting the confidence to speak to real people. Once you can speak to real people, your language skills will come on in leaps and bounds.

In terms of specifics, Fluenz Level 1 goes into present and future tenses of verbs. Level 2 goes into past tenses. More scenarios with more complex communication are taught in Level 2 as you would expect.

Levels 3,4 and 5 go into far more depth with grammar and more complex language. More vocabulary is added in as you would expect. By the end of level 5 you will have learned everything you need to speak to French speaking people and have in depth conversations. You also have a good base of vocabulary too. You should be able to have a decent conversation with any French speaker where you express your thoughts and feelings.

One thing you should always remember though, no matter what a course says it can teach you, you will always be learning the language. You will always have to learn new words just like you probably learn new English words every now and then. However the learning won’t be difficult or a chore like it was when you first started out.

What I like about both products

They seem to be constantly improving the features and functionality of their courses. In other words, giving you more resources and tools to make learning easier. The content doesn’t change that much just the way you use the content and the things you can do with it. For example, Rocket French now lets you record your voice and compare it to a native speaker. Fluenz have added flashcards to their current course which can be played a bit like a game. There seems to be genuine accountability for the course and people that will respond if you have an issue or will make changes to the course based on user feedback. I think this augurs well for both courses in the future.

Comparison

Rocket French Premium is pretty much the same level as Fluenz French 1 in my opinion. Rocket French introduces past tense unlike Fluenz, who do this in their Level 2 product. However Fluenz have more scenarios in Fluenz 1 than Rocket so this kind of even things out.  The production values are better in Fluenz than Rocket in my opinion. Also, the tutor seemingly teaching you one on one might be more motivating for some people. Rocket is cheaper than Fluenz (especially if you get Fluenz Levels 1 and 2). Rocket French have a forum where you can talk to the course creator and other people learning the language.

Both courses are aimed at an adults I would suggest, unlike Rosetta Stone that caters from anyone 6 years and up.

<<< Get the best price for Rocket French here >>>

<<< Get the best price for all 5 levels of Fluenz French here >>>

With so many French learning language programs on the market today, finding the right one can be tough especially when they all claim to give you amazing results in just a short amount of time.

I’m not saying that these programs don’t deliver. It’s just that different people have different learning styles. So what may work wonders for me may not do much for you. So here are two French learning programs perfect for anyone planning a short term trip to the country with nothing but the facts in an honest review of sorts. Rocket French Or Pimsleur French: My Review, Their Facts, Your Choice.

What is Rocket French?

Rocket French is another product of Rocket Languages. They claim that you can learn French in just a few months by taking the interactive conversational approach.

Rocket French Is Accessed Online And Can Be Downloaded

They also call this the natural approach. Basically, they focus on listening comprehension and speaking skills and not so much on reading and writing.

So with this course, no matter what your French level is, even if it is your first time, you will be speaking French from lesson number one.

You will have your very own teacher, Marie-Claire Rivière as well as a couple of other French teachers and native speakers to instruct and guide you every step of the way.

What is Pimsleur French?

Pimsleur French is another course created and developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur, a linguistic specialist. He basically has two principles that he integrates into his teaching approach- Graduated Interval Recall and Principle of Anticipation.

Pimsleur French Level 1

Graduated Interval Recall basically means that once you start to forget a word or phrase in French, you will be encouraged to recall what it is. Principle of Anticipation is that you will “anticipate” or kinda like guess what the answer is before it is revealed in the lessons.

Two other factors that are part of this learning approach are the core vocabulary which is pretty much a limited list of important French words and terms that you will actually use in real life scenarios, and the Organic Learning concept which combines vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation lessons with useful French phrases all in one class, all at the same time.

What’s in the box

With Rocket French you will find 33 interactive audio lessons that last around  24 minutes each and are all 100% downloadable. These lessons are designed to teach you modern and casual conversational French.

You know, words and phrases that you will actually use in the streets of France. These conversations are supposed to enhance your speaking and improve you listening comprehension.

Aside from that, you will also get 31 French language lessons and 31 French history and culture lessons. The language lessons give you step by step explanations while the history and culture lessons teach you more about the country. Included are over 1900 audio clips, quizzes, and tests.

The progress tracking feature helps you keep score as it records all of the results of the tests and quizzes that you take. This also serves as a reminder of which ones you have already taken, the ones that you need to work on a little bit more, and the ones that you did well in. This feature will also tell you what you have to do next after you have completed a certain task.

For a little bit of fun, MegaFrench games are also part of the package.

You get

• MegaVocab,
• MegaAudio, and
• MegaVerbs.

MegaVocab will help you build up your French vocabulary. MegaAudio is supposed to enhance your listening comprehension as well as your French pronunciation. MegaVerbs is for learning verbs, verb forms, and conjugation.

You also have the Rocket Recorder and the French learners’ forum are other features that come with.

Practice Pronunciation - Not Very Well In This Case !

With Pimsleur French you get an audio course that is complete with a short textbook. This course applies the Pimsleur method as you take part in a French conversation right away while learning grammar and vocabulary at the same time.

These audio lessons come on CD but also have the downloadable version and last for about 30 minutes each. The course is usually divided into three different levels so that you don’t get confused.

And So…

Since Rocket French has a whole lot more features than Pimsleur French, it is only normal that you will also end up paying more. But this is not the case. You can actually get Rocket French for less than Pimsleur here. Rocket French is a good value for money course. It will get you to a conversational level French such that you woudln’t be fazed asking strangers for directions, booking into hotels or ordering food in a restaurant.

You Don't Get A Laptop - It's Just to Denote That You Use Rocket French Online !

Pimsleur is more “old school” in that you don’t have to use a computer to use the course. The best price for Pimsleur French Level 1 is currently at Amazon here. One thing to note also is that there are 3 levels with the Pimsleur course each costing around $170 to $200. Although it seems expensive, I like the way they teach the course and even the way they break down words into separate syllables so that you can get the accent right. It will take time but you can learn French well with Pimsleur.

Pimsleur French Contents

Rocket French Or Pimsleur French: My Review, Their Facts, Your Choice.

Everything sounds better when said in French – and all the more if it is said correctly. Learning the language of love is more than just about sounding romantic. So if you actually want to say what you mean, then choosing the right language learning program is the first step to success.

So, to help you out with your decision dilemma, here are two of the top programs that offer courses in French. Below you will find everything you need to know- an honest and unbiased review. Rocket French or Tell Me More French: how to learn the language of love- minus all the sweet talk, that is.

How You Learn

Rocket French uses the learning lounge to do most of it’s teaching. This is basically where you can access all the learning resources, including a good audio course, a pdf style grammar and culture course and a few word games that you can play on your computer. Along with the learning resources, you also get the support and learning environment that the learning lounge is supposed to represent.

The Virtual Rocket French Box

So there is a support desk, a forum, where staff members, including the course creator frequent. You also get plenty of tests and quizzes to help you to monitor your progress and keep you motivated. there are also things like articles that talk about the best ways to learn a second language, getting into a good study routine and other things that focus on how to learn best.

Rocket French teaches you how to speak, comprehend, read and write French however most emphasis is on speaking and comprehension as you might expect of such a course.

Tell Me French takes what they call the PRIME approach.

P- progressive,

R- real world,

I – interactive,

M-motivating,

E- effective.

Tell Me More French Box Set - 10 Levels Plus A Headset !

Progressive as they claim to make your French improve, no matter what level you begin with. Real world as they only focus on real life scenarios. Interactive as it is not just listen and learn. You actually take part. Motivating as you will never get bored nor complacent with the 40 different tasks that keep on challenging you. Effective as the creators say that there is a 94% success rate under their belt.

What You Get

With Rocket French you will have 33 interactive downloadable audio lessons of modern conversations in French that you will actually hear on the streets of France. You will be able to join in on these 24 minute long conversations that is supposed to help you practice both your speaking skill as well as your listening comprehension.

The Audio Course

You will also have 31 French language lessons that will teach you step by step.

These explanations will take place over 1900 plus audio clips, tests, and quizzes. The 31 French culture lessons will give you an even more thorough understanding of both the language and the country all together.

To keep things fun and exciting, you have the MegaFrench games- MegaVocab which is designed to help you build up and retain your French vocabulary, MegaAudio which supposedly will help you with your listening comprehension as well as your pronunciation, and MegaVerbs which should help you master French verbs and conjugation.

One of the Mega Games - MegaVocab

Rocket Record is another feature that helps you with your French pronunciation as you can record you own and then compare.

You will also find that there are tons of quizzes and tests to keep you on your toes. These scores will automatically be recorded to the Progress Tracking Feature. This will let you know which tasks you have completed, which ones need to be taken again, and let you know which ones you should be taking next.

With Tell Me More French, you will have you take a placement test so that you know which level of French learning you should take. That test is the first thing you get upon purchase. There are ten levels that cater beginners all the way to advanced students.

Start your learning here...

After you will have 20 hours of interactive video. This will help you develop you skills in the French language. You will also have 20,000 various exercises that focus on reading, writing, speaking, listening , and grammar.

Tell Me More French lesson

After a formal lesson, where you see two people speaking or some scenario where a few people are speaking, you go through the lesson perfecting the various elements you need to speak, listen, read and write French.

A nice feature of the Tell Me More system is that you can click on a word and this will give you an option to hear it spoken or see how it’s grammar works. you can also see it’s translation in English and things like that.

Most of the lessons are actually just picture images that change as you various dialog is introduced. There are some actual videos but these are not so common.

Once the scene has been completed, you go through a series of tests which help the concepts sink in.  Each test will help on on some aspect of the learning process and the tests get steadily harder or more complex.

For instance, you might start with answering questions about certain words that were used in the dialog.

Complete the Text

Harder tests, like answering French questions by either picking from multiple choice, writing the answer on the screen or speaking it come at the end of the series of tests.

Answer French questions...multiple choice !

Speaking can be quite tough, especially if you don’t have a good headset…and even then, getting the accent right can be a struggle !

Tell Me More French - Speaking Test

An interesting feature is that you have a weekly EuroNews® lesson wherein you can practice grammar and vocabulary and learn about a current news topic at the same time.

There are also lessons on culture which include famous French landmarks, aspects of the French cultural life, famous French people or today and yesteryear. The level of language is quite advanced and is something that a beginner might come back to later.

Tell Me More French - Learn about the culture

You will also get a specially designed headset as part of the whole package. This offers speech recognition that will supposedly do wonders for your pronunciation.

SETS, spoken error tracking system, is a function that will automatically detect any mispronounced words that you have. That’s pretty hi-tech stuff.

Improve your accent with SETS

One other activity that you have is role playing. You will be immersed in real life scenarios that let you practice and improve what you have learned so far.

Workshops on reading, writing, listening, and speaking are additional features.

Tell Me More French is a massive program. Level one seems to have upwards of 50 hours of teaching resources and probably more if you include all the culture and news videos (which are taken from real French TV). So you can just imagine how much you get with 10 levels.

Both programs offer on the go ways of learning with files that are compatible with MP3 players and the like.

What Support You Get

Rocket Spanish offers email and phone support and even tutorials. Not to mention that Marie-Claire Rivière as well as other French teachers and native speakers will be there to guide and teach you every step of the way.

Tell Me More French offers FAQ, email, and phone support. You will also have access to a 24/7 online advise.

Conclusion

Rocket French is a good and well priced product. You can get to a decent conversational level with the course. The course seems to be improved on all the time too (the Rocket Record being a recent example of a feature upgrade). The owners claim that all upgrades are free to existing owners too so that is a nice feature that not many other courses can offer.

Note: You don't get a laptop with your purchase, it's just to indicate that you learn online !

Tell Me More French is an excellent product that has hours and hours of content. It is not as focused as Rocket French or Fluenz French on getting a speaker confident with speaking French quickly.

It is simply methodical and massive. In fact, you can tell that it has been made by a European company as it does not take the approach of many other courses where the main characters in the dialog are tourists or people involved in typical tourist scenarios.

The people involved in the scenarios are French and they are doing everyday things that French people would do. This is good as you get a real flavor for what France and French people are like but may not be for you if you want to learn French quickly.

In short, Tell me more is a great learning resource but it isn’t really a fast learning method by comparison to Rocket, Michel Thomas or Fluenz. It is more like Rosetta Stone in this respect. What’s more it is also quite an investment. If you get the 10 level product you can expect to pay over $600. This is much more expensive than Rocket French but is comparable to other big name brands like Rosetta Stone.

Tell Me More French is currently available at Amazon and is the best price you will find for this product outside of places like eBay. You can get the 10 level set here or if you only want a beginner package then get this set here.

So basically there you have it, Rocket French or Tell Me More French: how to learn the language of love? Which one is best for you ?

For people interested in a French course, picking the right one is often a stumbling block. with this in mind, here is a quick Rocket French vs Michel Thomas French review article. It should help you make a better decision if you are looking at one of these courses.

The Michel Thomas course is primarily concerned with teaching conversational skills. His approach to teaching is excellent and you leave the course with a sense of confidence that you can speak to people in French.

Michel Thomas French Audio Course

Rocket French teaches reading, writing, comprehension and conversational skills. There is a large vocabulary set that can be learned through the games and exercises in the lessons. The exercises allow the student to practice writing and the megaverb game allow the student to practise the conjugation endings of verbs.

Michel Thomas course is easy to use, all you need is a cd player. You can listen to the lessons anywhere, however, Michel prefers that you give all your concentration to the lesson so driving a car or other activities are discouraged.

Rocket French can be downloaded from the internet. Broadband internet is best but you can use dial up. Once downloaded the program starts with a main menu. The main menu lists all the lessons available, with descriptions of the topics covered . It also lists the French learning games and the flash cards. All the lessons and games are controlled by the mouse.

Michel Thomas French is aimed a people wanting to learn French quickly. If you are planning a sudden vacation in France or a French speaking country then Michel Thomas is a perfect choice. The best price you will get for the Michel Thomas course is currently at Amazon.

Rocket French is aimed at people that want to get a fully rounded French language education. You will spend many hours using the program as an educational tool and as a reference guide for French words and verbs.

The games provide a useful distraction when you need a break from the lessons or need to get into the french learning groove. Using the games you can practice verb conjugation, vocabulary recognition and listening/comprehension skills.

If you are interested in more information about Rocket French then visit their site. Try the 6 day free course as it provides a good taster of what the full course is like.

Summary

Rocket French has more features and tools to help you learn French. It’s scope is also greater – it teaches speaking, comprehension, reading and writing. Michel Thomas is only really concerned with speaking and comprehension. The Michel Thomas course is good if you want to get a quick grasp of a new language for a vacation or holiday. I also like how Michel Thomas teaches and learning is easy. Rocket French covers more and tries to get you to a reasonably fluent level. There is lots of support and features that keep you motivated and inspired to learn.

Of course none of the courses will really work unless you apply yourself to the lessons and then use what you have learned in real world instances.

Many French learning products say that you can go from beginner to advanced in 3 months. One such course is Rocket French. Do you believe this or is it just a sales pitch? Many would scoff at the claim. I have learned French and Spanish using a variety of methods over the years. I have gone to classes and used self study courses and wouldn’t describe myself as advanced in 3 months. Having said that I know people that have decided to learn French and become proficient within 3 months.

It seems to depend on 2 qualities that have nothing to do with the method of study that you decide to take. These 2 qualities are your aptitude with languages and your determination to master the new language.

I saw a documentary recently about Daniel Tammet, an autistic savant that had an incredible ability to pick up languages. The gist of the documentary was that many people with autism that have incredible abilities, have often learned and honed these abilities to compensate for abilities that non-autistic people take for granted, like social skills, for example. Tammet proved his ability by learning icelandic in one week, previously, having no knowledge of the language (which is claimed to be one of the hardest languages to learn in the world). At the end of the week he was interviewed on icelandic television and conversed in a relaxed manner to the TV presenter. The presenter was amazed that he had learned icelandic from scratch in one week.

Clearly, he had an aptitude for languages that the average person could only dream of, but each person will have an aptitude for learning a language. This aptitude might be closer to Tammets’ ability or probably less so. It is also claimed that aptitude for languages is greater in young child and this ability decreases as people get older and more conditioned to speak one language.

So how do you know if you have an aptitude to learn languages ? The best way is to try to learn a language an see how it goes. Other than that, you may feel that you have ability with languages because you have learned your native language to a high level. You might feel you have a natural ability to understand and manipulate symbols because you like word games, puzzles and crosswords. You may feel that you enjoy speaking new words or phrases. All these things might suggest you have ability but trying to learn a new language is only way you will ever know.

The second quality that will make your learning faster is a strong desire to learn the language. This is a very personal issue. If you are living in a country where you do not speak the language your desire to learn it will be stronger. You will learn faster because your life will be greatly improved if you do so.

Many people that buy a self study French course or take a class once a week have a vague ambition to learn the language but it is never a strong desire. It’s a ‘like to have’ rather than a ‘need to have’ skill. So the secret, if there is any secret, to learning a new language, for people with average aptitude, is to create a strong desire.

This is hard and you need to remain disciplined. Set goals and don’t allow yourself to be diverted from achieving those goals. You may have to sacrifice other things that you enjoy in your life to achieve these goals. You may have to work long hours. You may have to do things that you can’t see the point of. You have to keep going and keep focused on your goal.

With language learning you could set yourself a grand goal, like visit France next year (or in 3 months!). Within this grand goal, set yourself mini goals like learning the present tense for all -er ending verbs. Stick to these goals, put the effort in for the mini goals and build towards the grand goal. You may have to revise the date you achieve your grand goal but remain focused on reaching it.

Where french courses come into this equation is that they can help you to set your goals. They can motivate you to stick to these goals. And, they can teach you the ‘nuts and bolts’ of how the language works.

Rocket French ticks all three of these boxes.

The Rocket French course can be split into three main sections.

There is the basics section, the intermediate, where subtler aspects of the language are introduced and the advanced, where real life conversations are discussed.

Within each section are a number of exercises. Each exercise covers a topic which you can use as the basis to set your mini goals.

Within the basic section there are 25 lessons or goals for you to attain. The basic section should take you from French novice to an understanding of basic grammar and sentence structures. You will also be able to listen to the words, verbs and sentences spoken by a native French speaker. At the end of each lesson are a series of exercises that help to re-inforce your understanding of the lesson. Success in these exercises should help to keep you focused on attaining your goal and motivate you to continue.

The intermediate section has another 9 lessons that follow the same format. They introduce more verbs and more conplex uses of the verbs including past and future ways to use the verbs.

The advanced section features another 9 lessons. In these lessons, the teaching becomes more practical and actual everyday conversations are discussed and analysed.

So there are 45 lessons in the complete course. If you want to become advanced in French in 3 months that gives you approx. 90 days. If you study one lesson per day you can go through the course twice. I would advise that you concentrate most of your attention on the basics section. This is the ‘nuts and bolts’ of how the French language works. You need to know this section very well or the next sections will be lost on you. I would suggest going through the basic section twice.

Take notes on each lesson and revisit your notes the next time you do the lesson. If you go through the basic section twice, you will have taken 50 days. You should have a firm grasp of French basics at this stage and you can go onto the intermediate and advanced sections.

This leaves 40 days to master the next 20 lessons. Some of the next lessons may only need one visit if you feel you understand the material well. If this is the case you are a day ahead of schedule. You can use this day to work on lessons that you are not so sure about.

Rocket French also have a number of games that help to motivate a student. These include French flash cards that you can print out and play a word or phrase recognition game with. The course also offers a megavocab game where you guess the word based on a picture that is shown on the screen. There is also megaaudio, where you listen to audio and try to march it to one of 4 pictures shown on the screen. The third game is megaverb. This game allows you to practice conjugating your verbs. Verbs appear on the screen and you are asked to conjugate the verb in a particular tense and person. This helps you to remember verb endings. These games are good to warm you up before a lesson begins proper. You can also use them just for fun and re-inforce skills learned in the latest lesson.

You should strive to complete the course in 90 days. If you manage to complete the course you will have an understanding of french to an advanced level. I understand this to mean that you know how the french language works. You can speak to a good degree. This could mean having conversations with people in shops, asking for directions and small talk with acquaintances.

I still believe that you will have to learn a lot of vocabulary to be totally confident of your abilities. You will also have to learn many turns of phrase that French people use or you may lose the thread of the conversation. If you have an ability to comprehend conversations you can always ask what a certain word or phrase means. This helps you to make valid contributions to the conversation and also learn more French as you go.

So what is your next step ? Go to the Rocket French website and see what you think of the product. They give more details of what the course offers. They also have a free 6 day course which gives you a good taster of how the whole course works. Good luck with your studies.

This site deals with learning French using a language course. A self study course can be really useful when you are learning a new language but it can have some disadvantages over other ways to learn a language.

This site will cover some of the major advantages of various learning courses, including Rocket French. It will also highlight the aspects of learning a new language that a typical self study course cannot really help with and it suggests some way to get round these problems.