SmartFrench - Introduction to French, Vol.1 [Audio CD]

Christian Aubert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2007

"Our son is using the product (as complement for GCSE prep.) and making leaps of progress already after years of frustration and struggling. Probably the best seller we have ever dealt with. Recommend unreservedly. 20 February 2010" D. CRASS 'J Linn' Gt Britain
Check the demo on the smartfrench website
This is volume 1 of 2 volumes introducing basic French vocabulary, grammar and conjugation to the very beginner who wants to learn French, in order to prepare him or her to the practice of real life conversations in our 'SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner' product, or our 'SmartFrench CDROM - Learn French Like Real French People'. It's not just sentences that you can learn from 'SmartFrench for Travelers'.

You might want to study both programs (Volumes and Dialogs) simultaneously, on one side, the two volumes to acquire the basics, and on the other side the 'SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner' or the CDROM to tune your ear and learn to listen to the French language the way it is really spoken.

This volume 1 contains the alphabet, the numbers and the conjugation of the four verbs the most used in French and in English, with multiple examples. You will learn useful tips to memorize them easily. The volume 2 contains all the basic French vocabulary and basic grammar. It is necessary to go through 'Vol.1' before working on the second volume.

The basic vocabulary contained in the second volume represents the words you will find in any real conversations. We have recorded French people conversing naturally for our 'SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner' program (and for our CDROM) and we have analyzed these dialogs. We observed that 65% of all words spoken in any of these conversations were always the same and basic. After listening and practicing with these 2 volumes of 'SmartFrench - Introduction to French', you will know 65% of all conversations you will ever have in French or you will happen to listen to.

If your intention is to learn a few sentences to get by when you are in France, this tool is not for you. You should get our 'SmartFrench for Travelers' book and/or download it with the audios on the smartfrench website.

Like for all our products, we use our color-coding method to help you with your pronunciation. The way you will speak with SmartFrench is the natural way. You will sound like a French person very early learning French with SmartFrench and you will feel very confident speaking French.

Editorial Reviews

Review

We recently received an email questioning our 5 star reviews. We felt compelled to respond to our customer. This is our response: Dear X, To try to be seen by customers me and my team have to work extremely hard. We don't have the budget to appear on top of pages like others do. I am not a teacher at university either who could have his students write comments. It has another advantage though. We are necessarily closer to our customers and we like to help them as much as we can. What happens with the reviews is the result of a close contact with them. When customers write a favourable comment for delivery adding that the product is good, we ask them for a review. We offer free advice. They can call us to chat in French. We replace lost booklets for free. We give lists of vocabulary for free to all our buyers if they need. Naturally if they like our products, we ask them for a review and we ask them to paste it on all our products (as they are related). I am happy when our customers write good reviews and even so if it's written with spirit. If they copy from other reviewers, it's their choice. We love our customers and they love us. Everything can happen. We have once received an unfavourable review, which, we could prove, had been written by a competitor... and he pasted it to several of our products, just like another opinion below! At Smart Language we would never think of writing a bad review, for any reason except if we'd returned a product and would be denied a refund. By the way, we have always refunded when asked and if you want to return yours, it's absolutely fine. Our method is unconventional and certain people will not like it and it's their right. We have been very fortunate over the years to communicate by email or on the phone with so many wonderful people. We received the generous free help of writers, lawyers, journalists, and professors, who had bought our products and wanted to help us (for the description, corrections or else)... --Response to customer

... Our technique was born from the difficulties we experienced ourselves in communicating in English. It was absolutely necessary for us to help people avoid the same difficulties. That method really came from the heart and I am convinced that there is no better product on the market that develops the faculty of listening to the language and speak it like ours does. When a mother emailed us and told us that she wanted to make sure the product was suited for her son as the money was limited, I honestly told her that it was not designed for young people. She decided to try it anyway and afterwards, she emailed me again and told me: '... our son is using the product and making leaps of progress already after years of frustration and struggling'. Of course, once again I asked her to paste her comment everywhere possible. I am very and personally sorry if that offends some. With the budget we have, I don't know what else to do for our products to be discovered. The words of mouth have been good so far. On the descriptions we always mention to either start with the SmartFrench volumes of introduction or work with them simultaneously. With all the reviews, emails and calls, I have realized that the cdrom is most appreciated by people who have already struggled with French or who have been disappointed when travelling to France. When I was recording the lessons, our French sound engineer told me the method was right because he never took any English class. I asked him how long it took him to feel comfortable speaking English, he told me one year. For me, after 5 years of English classes, I could not have a regular comfortable conversation in English when I arrived in the US. It took me three years to feel comfortable. It seems that fixing the problem was harder than listening first to something you can't understand and mimicking when someone --Response to c --Response to customer - suite

... Our technique was born from the difficulties we experienced ourselves in communicating in English. It was absolutely necessary for us to help people avoid the same difficulties. That method really came from the heart and I am convinced that there is no better product on the market that develops the faculty of listening to the language and speak it like ours does. When a mother emailed us and told us that she wanted to make sure the product was suited for her son as the money was limited, I honestly told her that it was not designed for young people. She decided to try it anyway and afterwards, she emailed me again and told me: '... our son is using the product and making leaps of progress already after years of frustration and struggling'. Of course, once again I asked her to paste her comment everywhere possible. I am very and personally sorry if that offends some. With the budget we have, I don't know what else to do for our products to be discovered. The words of mouth have been good so far. On the descriptions we always mention to either start with the SmartFrench volumes of introduction or work with them simultaneously. With all the reviews, emails and calls, I have realized that the cdrom is most appreciated by people who have already struggled with French or who have been disappointed when travelling to France. When I was recording the lessons, our French sound engineer told me the method was right because he never took any English class. I asked him how long it took him to feel comfortable speaking English, he told me one year. For me, after 5 years of English classes, I could not have a regular comfortable conversation in English when I arrived in the US. It took me three years to feel comfortable. It seems that fixing the problem was harder than listening first to something you can't understand and mimicking when someone speaks. Repeating dialogs seemed more efficient. The dilemma we had was to call the level of the cdrom 'beginner level'. How to explain that learning grammar is one thing and listening is another, that you can be intermediate or advanced in French and still a beginner at listening? We chose to take a risk to disappoint a few but to give the opportunity to all. At least, they would see with the lists of vocabulary that 65% of any conversation, casual or not, regardless of the person or the theme, are just basic words. We developed SmartFrench not as a quick fix but for the serious learner. If you are lost after two lessons, it's normal to me. I was lost after 5 years. But if you stick with SmartFrench, you will have a chance to have a lasting result. If people want to learn only a few casual sentences, the SmartFrench for travellers product is the one to get. I would suggest that you get more than one method, like you had more than one teacher for any subject you have learned in your life so far. All methods will teach you something and are good in that sense. We are always welcoming our competition and I am not concerned if they are better or not as good. They are very different. Some will fit you more than others. SmartFrench was conceived to be a long time companion to refer to along the road, a method to learn French from and also one to use and check periodically the progress made. Cordially, Christian Aubert Smart Language --Response to customer - suite

Product Details

• Audio CD: 43 pages
• Publisher: SmartPolyglot (December 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934519014
• ISBN-13: 978-1934519011
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Books on CD > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars START WITH THIS METHOD FIRST if you want to learn French quickly, March 4, 2008

By 

Music Critic (Belmont, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SmartFrench - Introduction to French, Vol.1 (Audio CD)

This method works. Period. I have a bookshelf full of French language learning tools (books, CD's, flashcards), and they seem useless now that I am using SmartFrench. I listen to it six days a week. I'm going to be able to converse at length with someone on the street in Paris when we go this summer. I have been studying French almost daily for 3 months, and I was to the point where I wished for a program (like this new SmartFrench method!) that would just teach the basics: the most used verbs, and an easy way to become proficient in counting (pay attention to how many times a day you say numbers and you'll see why it's critical in learning a foreign language). Because I'm tired of only learning to ask, "I would like a croissant", or "Where is the bathroom?", I am thrilled that this method is helping me to have a two-way conversation in French. I'm already speaking French to my twin (a French speaker) and she just laughs--she is so shocked at my progress.

This is a simple, simple program. The SmartFrench Audio Cds Beg I, Vol. 1 Vol. 2 (separate purchases) figured out which essential vocabulary words, verbs (4 of them), and phrases you need to know to speak French quickly. This method also teaches you counting. It's unbelievable that this simple, easy approach has never been done before. I'm glad someone finally did it! Some of the most successful, useful inventions become obvious to the rest of us after someone comes up with the idea, and we smack our foreheads with the palm of our hands thinking, "Why didn't I think of that? It's so obvious!" SmartFrench is like that.

The teacher on the CD is really gifted. He speaks at a perfect speed, or tempo, his voice is easy to listen to, and he's SMART! It's literally like taking a French class without having to go to school. He gives you tips, clues, and ideas on how to remember things. You get the sense that he truly, truly wants to help you become proficient in speaking French.

Have you felt like giving up on learning French? Try this program and you'll get excited about it again. Have a Francophile in your life? This would be the PERFECT GIFT for them.

Side note:
*The "Beginner Level" and the "Intermediate/Advanced Level" CD's are also great, but have a different approach (VERY effective). Those CD's help tune your ear to the French language as you listen to native French speakers, at the same time teaching you to speak along with a really cool, innovative approach.
*The CD-Rom is also great. Very interactive. Nice to see the native French people speaking. Helps me to understand how to pronounce things even better and to see typical French mannerisms.

25 April 2008
One-and-a-half months after my last review I am still listening to SmartFrench. It is the best way to learn how to speak and understand spoken French bar none. The only way I can describe the reason that it works (since I am a musician), is that it is like listening to a song that you love. Once you have heard the melody a few times, it sticks in your head. The SmartFrench method makes French stick in my head. To me, French is very melodic, and it is a language that I love and want to learn. The narrator is the PERFECT teacher to teach you the 'melody' of the French language with its lilting sounds and liaisons. His voice quality, his flawless French and the way he explains each hint is perfect. He gives you all the secret phrases that every French person uses regularly, which you don't find in textbooks or other programs. Bravo, bravo, bravo! C'est vachement bon.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Program, July 1, 2008

By 

Peter (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SmartFrench - Introduction to French, Vol.1 (Audio CD)

This is an excellent program for learning to speak French the way it's supposed to be spoken. School classes teaches the hard stuff, like grammar, etc., and not exactly how to speak/listen to the language. We tried a few other programs and were fairly disappointed until we got SmartFrench. This is an excellent program where you learn to speak, and as importantly, listen to French the way it's supposed to be spoken at different speeds. This first set of CDs (Introduction Vol 1 and Vol 2) will give you an introduction to simple everyday words, as well as some fundamental French language structure, and how to use them. Also, the 5 most used verbs are explained on their usage.

Finally, if you're an absolute beginner in the French language, this Vol 1 and Vol 2 will get you started in the right direction. Afterwards, the next sets (SmartFrench Beginner, Intermediate/Advanced) will get you further in developing the right speaking/listening skills. This program focuses mainly on the speaking/listening aspect of the language and it does it extremely well. This SmartFrench program should be used in conjunction with reading, watching French TV/movies, and working with other French grammar programs if you want total fluency in the language. Enjoy!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to French, Vol.1 Review, April 11, 2009

By 

Jeffrey Fast (Suburbia, MI. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SmartFrench - Introduction to French, Vol.1 (Audio CD)

When I purchased SmartFrench's - Introduction to French, Vol.1 by Christian Aubert, I had already used another product to start me off on my personal goal to learn the French language. Being somewhat skeptical by nature, I thought I'd try Vol. 1 before committing to the entire series offered by this author.

Purchased as the CD versions, CD 1 was comprised with a track on the alphabet followed by a series of "learning numbers" tracks which varied the groupings of numbers in each phrase per track, i.e. 1-2, 1-2-3, etc. While this seemed an excessive amount of focus on numbers, since I had already learned numbers, it was somewhat challenging for them to be presented in this manner.

The last two tracks on CD1 brought in verb conjugations which for me was exactly what I had hoped for in purchasing this product. Unlike my previous language program of strictly memorization, Smart French was teaching me the fundamental building blocks to create sentences which could be used in any conversation.

CD2 continued this pattern with each track focusing on a new verb or tense of the verb. One of the most useful concepts of this author's technique was to reuse certain parts of a sentence throughout the CDs as examples, rather than adding new ones. For example, he used the nouns "book" and "market" repeatedly which kept the focus on the "verb at hand" rather than introducing new nouns to complicate the lesson.

After several months of daily commuting to work while listening in my car, I was hooked enough to purchase Vol2. As with Vol1., I was very happy with that purchase as well. For me, this series has a wealth of information within and I continue to review the material and on occasion pick up on little pieces I had missed in previous sessions.

I find the author, who also narrates the lessons, very easy to listen to. At times, I have referred to the transcript which is included on the CD's for clarification (did the word have a "p" or "t" used in the pronunciation). The color coding system used for the silent letters in the transcripts is awesome!

I would certainly recommend this CD to anyone who wants to actually learn French and speak the language. The Editorial Review / Product Description listed in Amazon is really a good synopsis of this product.

One of the most impressive aspects of my Smart French purchases was when I contacted them via email with a somewhat unusual personnel request. In this world of limited customer service, I was pleasantly surprised. The author himself, Christian Aubert, replied to me and had gone out of his way to fulfill my request.

They have a customer for life.