Customer Reviews

Instant Immersion French Deluxe

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

 

 

I can see why a complete beginner would not like this software. I agree that it would be difficult for a beginner to use. The glossary and the grammar instruction are not placed in obvious locations. You end up having to 'stumble across' them. However, once you do find them, they are in fact pretty useful, providing pronunciation for all glossary words and useful examples of grammar. This software would definitely not offer the same benefits as a traditional beginning French class though.

As a supplement to a class, or for those who are rusty in their French, and/or who have grammatical knowledge but who have not had much experience in interacting with those who speak the language and need work on speaking and understanding, I think it's a fantastic resource. It's been at least 10 years since I spoke French, and I found it very helpful to me in regaining my knowledge and in improving my pronunciation. It's a definite winner for those reasons, but it lacks 'user-friendliness'.

I don't know why I gave it two stars. I guess I felt a little generous. I have been studying French for a little over 4 years and I wanted something really interactive. It's semi-interactive but most of it is just a jumbled mess. The exercies don't go together. There are no themes to choose from. It's hard to learn any new vocabulary when it is all jumbled together. I wouldn't call this instant immersion. I would call it instant confusion.

This is the worst software product that I've ever owned, bar none!!! It has no systematic plan of instruction and it thrust the user into language tranlation situations right out of the chute, with out even the slightest preparation.

As a primer it is totally worthless. It doesn't begin with an overview of the alphbet, nor a review of basics of French grammar, nor does it deal with the elements of sentence structure. It jumps right into conversational translation without the least bit of preparation.

If you are a beginner, steer clear of this product. It's a waste of your time and your money. Never have I encountered a more frustrating software product. Were I the developer, I would not want my name associated with this product.

I really enjoyed this product. the only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 is because the voice recognition doesn't always work exactly as planned and saying a phrase over 20 times can be frustrating. However you really do start picking up the language and it has a translation for every word it uses available during each exercise.

I was on the verge of a trip to Paris, and couldn't remember any of the French that I learned in High School. This Audio/CD-ROM set was a great refresher course. I would also recommend it to beginners as a low level introduction to some of the more important phrases and sounds in the French language.

I found this really difficult to learn from. Since I had spoken French many years ago, I was able to remember some things. It was then that I realized this was actually quite effective for reviewing a language I was rusty in. And the voice recognition software was useful in refining my accent.
I did think the voice recognition was a bit picky. I thought I had a fairly good accent. But the software wanted it to be exactly how the computer voice pronounced it--even so much as requiring me to raise and lower my voice.
Overall, I would not recommend it to someone wanting to learn a new language. I would recommend it to someone wishing to brush-up or improve a language they're already familiar with.

I bought this at a local store and was lucky in some sense that I already went through 5 years of written French in school (about 15 years ago). The CD will be difficult to use if you have absolutely no French background. Also while going through the audio CDs it would have been nice if you could see the actual spellings of what you were repeating. Other than that I believe it is ok. I gave it three stars but if I had no basic French linguistic skills I wouldnt give it more than 1.5 stars.

This is the best French language software I've come across. I wish it came with a booklet, but for the price, I can't complain. I spoke French fairly well years ago, and I've lost a lot of the language. This allows me to hear French spoken quickly and to practice my own speaking and get useful feedback. The topic selection is broad and easy to navigate, and the program includes extensive work at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. I bought this used through Amazon for around $20. What a bargain.

As a child, 65 years ago, I learned French in high school in Hamburg, Ger-many, where you learn a foreign language to speak, read and write it. My
parents also hired a private tutor to ensure that I'd speak the language fluently. Alas, although languages come easy to me, I never did my homework and, when I concentrated on English because we came here in l949, most of my French went phffft ... Since then I've tried Berlitz, both classes and records.

I find the Instant Immersion French Deluxe course quite excellent and hope, once I get down to it seriously, I'll finally be able to speak
French -- and not only under the influence of wine and to a two-year-old child only.

it would be helpful to have a base (know the pronunciation and a few words)