Customer Reviews

Rosetta Stone V3: French Level 1 with Audio Companion [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Being 63, I expected to have lots of difficulty learning a new language. Not so with the total immersion method of Rosetta Stone. I'm half way through the first level and have learned much faster than I did as a young student being subjected to the endless vocabulary lists and grammar exercises. This method is truly intuitive and much easier, at least for me. I listen to the Audio Companion just before going to sleep at night. Great reinforcement. Technically, the product is extremely interactive and easy to use, flexible and adaptive to individual needs. I was hesitant to spend so much, but I am thrilled with my decision.

This is my first language software that I have ever used, so I don't have any other product to compare it to.

But I am almost done with Level 1 and I actually really enjoyed using it since it is very interactive and the learning method they use (correlating images to words etc) seems to be working for me.

The only thing that i am slightly disappointed is that I only purchased Level 1 and decided to purchase Level2 and 3, but if you notice they don't offer this combination (Marketing scheme???). So I emailed their Sales rep through their website and asked if they offer any discount for level2 and 3 combined. Even though I received a confirmation email, however after a week I haven't heard anything back from them (I even sent them another follow up email a few days ago).

So even though I think the product is almost worth the price, but I really don't like the fact that they don't sell/market Level 2 and 3 combined (It should make sense that a lot of people would rather purchase level 1 individually and if they are satisfied with it then they will buy Level2 and 3). But why they don't offer that combination doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps if I don't hear back from them soon I will go with another software.

It pains me to give Rosetta a 2/5 star rating, but, I think it is justified. They obviously put a huge amount of effort into this product, and it shows. However, I do not agree with their essential assumptions regarding language learning are accurate. Rosetta is all about total immersion, teaching you a language through total immersion in that language, (in their view) simulating how your learned your native tongue as a child. This paradigm manifests itself in a key difference than how other language tools work - Rosetta is 100% in its target language (here French). Rosetta tries to teach you language concepts by giving you a limited number of learning concepts (say, for exe, vocab), and then requiring you to apply it to a given situation. For example, if its teaching you 4 words, you'll be presented with a screen of 4 images, each of which corresponds to one of the words, and you have to match word to image. So for learning vocab, its outstanding. However, the major failure is on grammar and usage. The same principle applies - it will present a grammatical construct, and use image mapping to teach you. The problem really arises on nuanced principles. When the verb is "to be", its easy to learn "he is..." vs "she is..." by looking at an image of a man vs woman doing something. If you take a harder construct, for example, how to form questions, it becomes very difficult for a set of images to accurately convey the real meaning. For example, asking a yes/no question involves "est-ce que...."; asking a "what" question involves "qu'est'ce que..."; I found that the images could not effectively help me understand the difference between these two constructs. The same applies to many other types of usage, such as the when to use il/elle est vs c'est. Bottom line is that you lose a comprehensive understanding of what you're learning.

In contrast, I have a lot of formal language training in Latin and Japanese. In both situations, you learn basics (e.g., verb conjugation), then apply them to situations. I think one of the problems with Rosetta is the paradigm - they assume that you can learn a language as an adult in the same way you learned as a child. I disagree. As a child, you have no learning framework yet, other than osmosis and mimicry. As you go through school, you learn learning structure and learn to hold information in a structured way in your brain. Rosetta doesn't do that.

In contrast, I just found the product Fluenz and absolutely love it. It inverts the paradigm and teaches French by relating it to what we know in English with good, highly detailed explanations of what and why.

I learned a ton, even in the first 3 hour session i had in my living room. the way you interact in sections with pictures linked to sentences, it teaches you the way you were taught your first language as a child! there is no translation to English and back or anything like that, you use your intuition to discover a new language and it's a very natural flow.
I will be buying levels 2-3 in French and then learning other languages using only Rosetta Stone!

Oh my gosh------ Rosetta Stone. My poor husband has been attempting to learn immersion with Rosetta Stone whilst I've been away for many many months. I speak fluent French and I was initially impressed with the fact that he wanted to learn whilst I was away. Since being back with him, and listening to the Rosetta Stone, I realise how it's quite ridiculous and must be so hard for a beginner to follow. It's so convoluted and doesn't have any real order. It delves into something very advanced and they expect you to know. I thought the audio was crazy and way too complicated to follow. I would not recommend this teaching tool.

We bought this before moving the whole family (3 teenagers and a dog) to Paris. It has been great for each of us to have our own log-in and I can check on the kid's progress since it is mastery-based learning. The kid's teachers here were amazed that they hadn't been studying in school for a year or more - even after only completing Level 1 with Rosetta Stone! The voice recognition really helps develop a good accent. We got the version that didn't have the audio companion, so I can't comment on that. Two thumbs up for Rosetta Stone!

I think this product is good for are all types of language learners - vocal, audio, sight, etc. I myself need a little more on the grammar (verb conjugation, sentence structure), but as a whole I think this program is well thought out & very useful to anyone who needs a quck-and-dirty language course.

I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY ROSETTA STONE EMPLOYEES, THAT THEY ARE PAID TO POST POSITIVE COMMENTS ON-LINE. THIS IS VERY DISSAPOINTING.

I received this as a gift from my wife who bought it on amazon. Tried to install this on my new computer and they have locked be out because it was purchased on amazon and now trying to track down a receipt so I can use the software. Staff is very rude on for close to $500 would consider a different program just based on customer service.

My French is in between levels, so this is a bit tricky. Some too easy, some advanced, but overall, I'd recommend it. I use it with my 2-year-old. Fun.