Customer Reviews

Michel Thomas Method™ Japanese For Beginners, 8-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

HAVE YOU BEEN WONDERING AROUND AMAZON FOR MONTHS, MAYBE BOUGHT A TEXT OR TWO, STILL HAVENT LEARNT ANYTHING - AND MAYBE DONT EVEN THING AN AUDIO CAUSE IS FOR YOU? Good. Cause it means i wasnt the only one. Stop looking. Get this. Move on and start speaking Japanese.

My review in short:

Im really impressed at how much i learnt and how i retained it. (I though audio programs were a joke)
Im not saying you learn a whole heap, and you will all be masters of Japanese, but i think you will surprise your self with this program.

It teaches you how to speak, in full sentences, like a native (although very basic), and you end up with a very good understanding of how the language works.

It puts you in a good place to continue your studies. As well as a huge advantage over other students considered to be at your same level (based on vocab, which this program doesnt focus on).
Even though you are only talking to your CD player, its really good for speaking practice.

It should be your FIRST step in Japanese, but if you have already started it doesnt matter!
After this course you will have a good feel for the language and the direction you should take to continue studying Japanese (which is impossible to know otherwise).



My full review:

Firstly: You do not need ANY experience in Japanese, or any language other than spoken English to use this program. It doesnt expect you to know how to learn a language (yes there is actually an ordered process). So unlike other ways of learning it wont go into detailed grammar which just bewilders beginners - and then they give up.



To summarize what this course does in three words:

It teaches verbs!

This might sound odd to someone who hasnt learnt another language or who hasnt begun Japanese, but this is the most important part of languages, Japanese especially - infact verbs can be entire sentences [where as in English someone might ask you to go for a swim with them, and you say "yeah, ok" , in Japanese you would say "yes, swim" or simply "swim". BTW, swim is a verb...]
Further more, can you remember your old school teacher saying "all full sentences need to have a verb"? This is because the verb is really all a sentence is, the rest is just vocabulary. This is the basis behind the Michel Thomas Method. It also does basic conjunction, which is the modification of a verb based on tense or other factors. Like swim, swimming, swam. Lucky verbs (and the rest of the Japanese spoken language)are much easier than in English. Along with the verbs is sentence construction, where to put nouns, adjectives etc...
Luckly, again, Japanese is very structured and logical so with the clear instructions in this course basic grammar is very easily picked up. (After doing this course you will start to think English is a ridiculous language and you must learn more Japanese ASAP so you never have to speak English again! - joke - kinda...).

How does it do it? Well the format is a native English speak explains the language, step by step, with examples. Then you and 2 students on the CD say respond to what the English speaker has asked of you (basically to translate her phrase into Japanese). Then a native Japanese speaker says what you have just said, but only fluently.

The native English speaker is literally English, she has a slight English accent, but very weak - a good neutral voice with clear diction, im not English and their accents usually bug me.
.The 2 students on the CD, 1 student sounds like a little proficient [like its the 2nd time round in the course] the other sounds more like you will be the first time,but you will probably find your self in between, which is a good place to be.
The native Japanese speaker repeating what you say is the best idea, and makes this course so good because you can speak along with her and try to remove your accent and keep the pase.


Michel Thomas vs Pimsleur:
Ok this is a big one. I think Pimsleur is the best selling audio language program for most languages teaching with an English background. And its a good program so thats fair enough. The difference between Pimsleur and Michel Thomas is thus:

Pimsleur - Parrot drilling of phrases and vocab
Michel Thomas - Problem solving drilling of full sentences

Note that this is a HUGE difference! Although since both are only the first step into to learning a language, which one you choose doesnt make too much of a difference. Both will give the responder a good feel for the language by the end.

Ultimately, i think the Michel Thomas method is better. Which is why im wring this review (of praise). I tried both products (at my library) before buying the full Michel Thomas Foundation course (and later "Advanced" course). And although i didnt go all the way through the Pimsleur, you will find other what i have said about its method reflected by other reviews on the net.
As i said, either programs is a great start - because thats all these programs are, a start.
Im trying to to repeat what the other review has already said but its hard cause he was correct, and thorough.

Its amazing, i really noticed how fast i was learning. Im not sure how people usually use these audio programs, but i listened to most of the tracks twice, and as well as that part builds on the last so you are kind of saying the same things quite a few times. What i noticed is the reduction in time it took me to construct a sentence (the presenter on the CD says something in Enlgish and you have to say it in Japanese, which requires translation of words, sentence order and removing redundant English words and adding Japanese words).



Where to from here?
Well, what this program has done is saved you a lot of time and money on classes, and puts you at the same level of understanding as it would take about 20 x 2hr sessions, home study and $500 - $1000. The difference is you havent dont much vocab or used any technical terms, and you cant write in Japanese - but you will understand how the language works, as well or better.

So after this program you can either continue teaching your self or start going to classes/private tutoring. You will need to review what you have learnt in a more formal way, with textbooks and linguistic terminology. And ofcourse, you need to speak to Japanese people (...in Japanese). This is where classes always beat self study.

Next step after this course [well lets say after congratulating your self, not that this course is difficult, but its still an achievement] is to get a book like this:
Japanese Verbs at a Glance (Power Japanese Series) (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
Japanese Step by Step : An Innovative Approach to Speaking and Reading Japanese
Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication: A Self-Study Course and Reference

You could also start learning from the standard texbooks, Japanese for Busy People etc, but besides the addition vocab they give, you will basically already know everything in those basic textbooks. (note Japanese Step by Step is not a conventional textbook, and is perfect for the level you will be at after complete this audio program).

Oh, and if you havent learnt how to write yet (which isnt big deal), i suggest:
Let's Learn Hiragana: First Book of Basic Japanese Writing (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
Let's Learn Katakana: Second Book of Basic Japanese Writing


Work though books, go to some classes, then look at some more books like this:
Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You (Power Japanese Series) (Kodansha's Children's Classics)
The Handbook of Japanese Verbs
The Handbook of Japanese Adjectives and Adverbs (Kodansha's Children's Classics)

And then you will be really happy with what you have achieved. Well i am anyway...
And i really appreciate Michel Thomas Method Japanese Foundation as being my foundation for Japanese.

I am a huge fan of the Michel Thomas courses. Having studied the previous Spanish and French courses which were taught by Mr. Thomas before his death, I can tell you that it is possible to obtain a certain comfort level with the languages at the completion of the courses. Having said that, the previous courses did have some flaws. For one thing, the format could be frustrating if one had plans to listen to the courses more than one time. Basically, Mr. Thomas guided two pupils (one of which was invariably slow to learn) by having them try to put simple sentences together based on a noun or verb previously introduced. The pupils would try it, and Mr. Thomas would then repeat it before moving on to the next example. The audio quality was just average, and at times Mr. Thomas seemed to lose patience with his pupils. At times, it all could get quite tiresome. The courses also appeared to me to be hastily put together. Still, for the money, the recordings were light years above just about anything else out there.

This new Japanese course, in my opinion, is pretty much perfect as a first level introduction to a very challenging language. Ms. Gilhooly not only has picked up where Mr. Thomas left off, but I believe has gone him one better. First off, the format is slightly different. Ms. Gilhooly, in her very soothing, mildly English accent introduces the concept, the students build on it, and finally the correct phrase is repeated by a native Japanese speaker. The inclusion of this last element, which was missing in Mr. Thomas' recordings, makes all the difference and really sets this recording apart from the previous courses. I never get tired or bored of listening to these recordings.

This course will give you a firm foundation in the basic concepts of conversational Japanese, which is a huge advantage should you choose to take your studies to the next level. You won't know a large amount of vocabulary at the end of this course, but you will understand how a Japanese sentence is constructed and you will be thoroughly familiar with a decent number of commonly used nouns, verbs and phrases.

Moreover, this course will definitely motivate you to want to continue with your study of this fascinating language. You will not be disappointed with the purchase of this set, and basically, as it costs about the same as a tankful of gas for your vehicle, you won't find a better educational value.

You can read several reviews that give the run down of what this set includes. I watch a lot of anime and have always wanted to speak Japanese, but the course was never offered in my High School and in College it was geared towards people getting a degree in the language. So I began looking for some learning materials that were not the typical "learn how to ask for things on a trip" but instead helped you learn the language and study towards being able to speak fluently. I bought several books, but I wanted something that actually helped me practice my conversation and speaking skills. This set is perfect for filling that void in my studies.

I recently moved and drove from Houston to Portland and listened to this set the whole trip. The pace is pleasant and not hurried or too slow. I like the fact that the 'students' and the native speaker repeat everything as well as the narrator explaining things. Save your money and grab this instead of Rosetta Stone. And definitely DO NOT get the other Yellow box computer program (is it Instant Immersion?). I sent it back after 2 minutes.

I also loaded this onto my I-tunes and can use it with my cell phone and Ipod for when I run. It's great, though sometimes people stare at me when I run past speaking Japanese to myself.

I can't say enough good things about this program!

My wife is Japanese, and I've been working to learn the language in my free time for the past couple of years. I've taken instructor-led courses, read books, used flash cards, and used a variety of audio CDs (including Pimsleur), interactive DVDs (including Rosetta Stone), and on-line games. After having gone through the first 4 hours of this Michel Thomas Method beginner course, it has become my favorite approach by far.

Here's why the Michel Thomas Method is truly awesome:

- It very effectively emulates a small classroom environment with a very structured and patient teacher (with a voice that is a delight to listen to!)

- You not only hear the other "students" speaking the lessons, but you hear a native speaker repeat the correct answer every single time, which is INVALUABLE when trying to learn proper pronunciation

- It teaches grammar in very logical chunks that get re-inforced over and over again until they become natural and automatic

- Even though I already knew most of the vocabulary covered, I found the explanations and practice to be incredibly beneficial in finally allowing me to really understand speaking structure until it's almost second nature

Here are things you will NOT learn from this course:
- Reading and writing Japanese (obviously)
- Lots of vocabulary

But that's okay -- those things can be learned elsewhere. What's most important (to me, at least) is to get a deep understanding of and comfort with the fundamental language structures and how to manipulate sentences to correctly say what I want to say. And that's what this course does better than any other. More vocabulary can (and should) be added later. But to get the right foundation right away for listening to and speaking Japanese, this is the best program around.

Michel Thomas' approach is the best I've encountered. Though I'm only half way through the 8 CD's, I've greatly expanded my Japanese vocabulary. Their approach to teaching is very different than the standard "remember the phrase" type of lessons. By breaking down the language, you learn how to speak it starting with simple phrases up to more and more complex sentences. I use to live in Okinawa and could speak the language fairly well and I bought this to bring me back up to speed. Though it doesn't teach you to read or write Japanese, it does teach you well enough to have you speaking it in no time. I have the Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone Japanese courses and this one is (in my opinion) the better of the 3.

The Michele Thomas method for learning basic Japanese grammar is excellent. You will not learn a lot of vocab, but you will come away with a powerful tool: you will understand how to use almost any Japanese word in a sentence. (Later, you can fill in the blanks with vocabulary building tools.)

This program does an excellent job of getting you to comprehend the language structure, rather than just parroting back select phrases.

However, the format is annoying. The narrator speaks, a male and female student on the tape take turns giving the translation a try, and then a native Japanese speaker repeats the phrase for pronunciation. The female student is REALLY BAD, especially as the lessons progress. Listening to her gets painful, slow, and frustrating. It's difficult to skip past her and time it correctly to listen to the native speaker... imagine having to do that 20-30 times per CD. Just awful.

I have been in Japan for 23 years and finally someone has made a Japanese Language course that is totally "ON THE MARK!" I can't begin to say how awesome this is and of course I bought the 8CD and 4CD series. I have finished the 8CD series and can't wait to start the advanced course. I just wish there were more to buy after I finish the advanced course. By the way, beware that the 8CD course includes CD 1 and CD 2 from the starter kit. (THEY ARE THE SAME CDs) so don't buy the starter kit if you are going to buy the 8CDs!!

This package of "Speak Japanese- Michel Thomas Method" is truly a marvellous product. I am having fun learning to speak Japanese as these CDs really simulate a classroom atmosphere since there are 2 other students learning the language with me.
Helen Gilhooly presents the material in a pleasant manner and she repeats the sentence even when one of the other students falter. I highly recommend this 8 CD set for anyone who wish to speak Japanese at beginner's level.

Michel Thomas has become one of my favorite beginner courses for learning Japanese. This course aims to teach you basic grammar, unlike "listen and repeat" courses that explain little and expect you to be a copy-cat. There is a professor and two other students, so it feels like you are in a small classroom environment. The male student is quick/correct with his answers, whereas the woman tends to be slower and make more mistakes. Instead of blindly memorizing, you will get lots of practice building your own sentences based on what the professor has taught you so far.

There are demos available online so you can hear a few minutes of the material. If you go to the Michel Thomas website and look at their FAQ section, they have a link to the booklets that come with the course. If you read it, you can get a good idea of how much grammar is taught.

At the end of this beginner course, you will be able to speak about what you like/dislike, what you are good at/bad at, what you are planning to do in the future, what you did recently, explain something using "because/therefore," etc. If you know your kana, you will be able to write short journal/diary-like entries on Lang8, which I think is awesome considering the course is less than 10 hours long (you would have to look up some vocab depending on what you wrote, of course, but you'd have the grammar down).

After finishing this course, you could either get the Advanced course (which isn't really "advanced," more of an upper-beginner level) and/or use something like Learn in Your Car Japanese (LIYCJ) to build up vocabulary and sentence patterns. Since you'll already have the basic grammar down, LIYCJ's material will make more sense. If you want additional listening practice with fun dialogues, sign up on Japanesepod101 for the free trial and try it out (or download as much of the material as possible). All of these should be supplements to a grammar textbook; they are not meant to teach you all about Japanese, but will give you a good foundation and extra practice. Plus, audio is great because you can use it during otherwise unproductive times (driving, exercising, etc.), so these resources won't take away from your main study time, they will enhance/develop your knowledge.

PROS:
-A general note: only the first track has the loud annoying beeps that people have mentioned. The rest of the lessons just have a brief pause when you are supposed to answer a question. If those beeps had continued I don't think I would have been able to use this course; I felt like I was getting a hearing test! So if you listened to a sample and heard the beeps, don't worry about them, they are only used a few times in the first couple minutes.
-Teaches common grammar quickly. I don't think there is a faster way to pick up basic Japanese grammar, just takes 8-9 hours! I found that I didn't need to repeat any of the tracks to learn/retain most of the material. I think I'd only repeat this course for review or to improve my response time.
-Classroom atmosphere is relatively engaging, more fun than "listen and repeat" courses. I look forward to putting this in my CD player.
-Learn a few hundred words
-Tons of practice building your own sentences. You won't feel like you are memorizing anything.
-Generally good explanations of grammar that even a complete beginner can understand.
-The teacher describes wa pretty well (ga is not discussed as much, it's used towards the end). They don't go over all of the uses for wa and ga, but the ones they do cover are done well. Instead of generalizing too much and saying "wa is for the subject" a billion times, you are given a few examples of where it is used. e.g., wa is also used to contrast (Yesterday I went to school, but today I'm going to work).
-They don't overuse watashi ("I") and other pronouns like most learning programs. They actually hit you over the head with "we don't need to say 'I' because we're making the assumption that we know who we are talking about."
-The price is worth it. While I think Pimsleur is a good course and many people love it, most wouldn't consider it worth the price. If you use MT and then LIYCJ, you'll learn what Pimsleur covers at a fraction of the cost. Plus you'll understand the grammar better and learn more vocabulary. It's a pretty powerful combination.
-Audio quality is great. I find the professor's voice very soothing and engaging.
-I've found that I don't need to pause the CD to answer. Sometimes I have to talk over the students' answers but I think this forces me to think quickly with distractions.
-In some ways I think this is more "bang for you buck" than an actual class. It's only ~$50 right now and you'll learn quite a bit plus practice your speaking skills. You'll definitely learn more Japanese in 9 hours from the CDs than you would in a classroom, and you'll actually retain it without doing homework. If you've thought about taking an introductory class to get started, try this first and then see how you feel. If you are disciplined you should be able to learn faster on your own. This course will give you a good start.

CONS:
-While they have edited out a lot of pauses/mistakes the students made, as the course continues the woman keeps making the same ones over and over. These should have also been edited. It's fine to make common mistakes so we know not to make them, but after a while these mistakes slow down the course a ton. I don't want to rag on the woman, no one is perfect and we all make similar mistakes (especially when driving and not paying full attention :-). It's the editor's job to get rid of those and make the course streamlined. I can see how having a "slow" student makes beginners feel more confident in their abilities, but they could have made her a bit faster and better.
-Not as many verb tenses are taught as I had hoped, and they are mostly the polite versions. LIYCJ looks like it teaches more. (The advanced MT course teaches the rest of the verb tenses and quickly goes over casual forms like "da" near the end). There is barely anything about adjectives, which I need to practice. The focus is on verbs. Still, this is forcing me to start thinking in Japanese more, and I'm more comfortable/confident with my speaking even though I'm still a beginner and I don't know much.
-The professor uses mnemonics for almost all new vocab words. I use mnemonics a lot for language learning, but the ones she uses are pretty useless. She tries to link words that don't relate to each other at all (e.g. "a road is being built out of ASH and TAR TOMORROW" to learn the word "ashita", which means "tomorrow" -- and that's one of the better mnemonics). The mnemonics are too "open" and silly. Use them if you are having trouble with a word or when learning how to write kanji (e.g. Heisig's Remembering the Kanji). They aren't necessary for EVERY SINGLE vocab word you learn.
-After the professor or one of the students speaks, a native speaker also says the correct answer. This is great for pronunciation. Unfortunately, each time the students speak and then I speak, my pronunciation is worse. Try to ignore the students and focus on the native speaker if you can. It's certainly better than a classroom full of students who don't care and have atrocious accents, but this could be improved. To their credit, the students try their best to pronounce things correctly. Since this is a beginner course, it's not that big of a deal. Use this to get familiar with grammar. You can use other materials to improve your accent, it just takes some practice.

OTHER AUDIO COURSES

While I think the popular audio courses are very different from each other, and it's a bit unfair to directly compare them, comparisons are still useful, especially since you probably can't afford all of them for lack of time/money. With that said, here's a comparison of some of them:

Comparison to Other Audio Programs (from what I've read in reviews and learned from listening to samples, I only own LIYCJ and Michel Thomas):

-Michel Thomas: Slower-paced. Lesson/classroom format with two other students that explains grammar. Small amount of vocab (couple hundred words), but you'll know it well. Has you build your own sentences with lots of practice. Lesson overview booklet included. Good value for the price. 8 hours of audio for beginner course, 4 hours for advanced course. Tracks are roughly 5-6 min in length, so easy to skip back and forth. Would pair nicely with LIYC Japanese (I suggest using it before LIYCJ). The "slow" student in the lessons may get on your nerves after a while. I've found it very engaging and fun. Best audio course for complete beginners in my opinion.

-Learn in Your Car: Faster-paced. Listen and repeat. There are no audio lessons that explain grammar. However, transcripts with brief grammar notes are included. Focuses on building vocabulary and learning basic sentence patterns, covers major verb tenses. ~1800 words/phrases. Occasionally incorporates previously learned vocab in new sentences to reinforce. Good value for price. 9 hours of audio. Tracks are short, easy to skip around. Better for semi-beginners than complete beginners.

-Pimsleur: Very slow pace. Listen and repeat. Better than other courses for pronunciation, since it says each sentence at varying speeds and even backwards. No transcripts. Has Graduated Interval Recall method which asks you to repeat phrases you learned before at consistent intervals. Small amount of vocab (~500), but you'll know it well . Focuses on memorizing dialogue. Lessons are generally 30 min long, so it's harder to skip around to repeat something specific. Good, but seems overpriced for the material you learn. ~45 hours of audio for all 3 levels of comprehensive package, but most of that is repetition. OK for complete beginners, but MT is better in my opinion.

-Drive Time Japanese (Living Language): Some people seem to really like this series. It sounds extremely similar to LIYC, mostly listen and repeat. Reinforces/repeats previously learned words in new sentences. Comes with a booklet with transcripts. Relatively inexpensive.

-Japanesepod101: Podcasts plus other materials for beginner to advanced learners. Each podcast normally has a fun dialogue, slower version of the dialogue, then they explain the vocab and grammar. The newer podcasts (Newbie series and later seasons of beginner, intermediate, and advanced) seem more structured and efficient than the earlier ones. You can get a free 7 day trial to see if you like it. A basic subscription is $8/month (can download all podcasts, transcripts, and notes), but you can often get it for $4/month. Or you could pay for a few months and download everything you want and then quit. The latest podcasts are free on iTunes. Unfortunately, their website is a bit confusing and extremely commercialized (feels like an infomercial!), but the podcasts are actually quite good.

-Behind the Wheel: At this time I haven't been able to find much reliable information about this course, so I'm hesitant to recommend it. From reviews it sounds like it helps you build up your own sentences but also has a lot of "listen and repeat" material. One reviewer mentioned that it does not have the most logical grouping of words. (Note that some of the reviews for it are fishy...they are written by reviewers who recommend Behind The Wheel in every single one of their reviews, and the only reviews they've written are for similar language courses. There aren't very many "real" reviews left after you discard those, so beware.)
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A little about my Japanese studies: I'm using Japanese for Everyone: A Functional Approach to Daily Communication as my main textbook. For Kanji I use Remembering the Kanji, Vol. 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters. To review vocab/grammar/kanji I use Anki, a free flashcard software with spaced-repetition.

If you want some more ideas for well-reviewed resources, I've made a Listmania List called: The "Best" Books/Resources for Learning Japanese: Beginner to Advanced. I also made a guide that lists many free resources. I'll post those links in the comments in case you are interested.

This is a great way to learning the language. I can be doing an activity at home and have this playing in the background as I respond along with the prompts. It's nice for having in your car stereo for long trips or errands. I have also donned headphones and drifted off to sleep listening to this, learning in a semi-conscious way.
You have a British instructor, a Japanese native speaker, and a male and female student present in the CD recordings. The instructor goes through the lessons, the student(s) respond, then the native speaker has a turn so you can hear and learn the correct pronunciation and accent presentation.
I agree with some of the other reviews that listening to the female student gets painful (thus, my reasoning for the 4 1/2 star rating). I felt that way after listening to the first lesson. I feel like during the sessions, she didn't show up at the recording studio with enough caffeine in her system before jumping right in. However, her presence in the lessons may also put a listener at ease who is having issues keeping up with the material as well. Personally, I think it would have been better or even cuter if it had been a small child as the challenged learner.
Vocabulary, sentence structure, sentence order, and polite inclusions are continuous throughout, as is useful conversational phrases for the would-be traveler.
With Rosetta Stone being the big fish with an impressive reputation, sometimes it's hard to look at anything else. Any language program will offer different things.
This is definitely more affordable for the presently economic minded.
The Human Japanese program available here on Amazon is an excellent addition to the MTJ set. It teaches you writing, historical and present history of Japan, and includes games which help review and learn among many other things.