French for Dummies

by Vivendi Universal

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005J8D2
• Item model number: 71247
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 8, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,518 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #22 in Software > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > French
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Whether your motives are practical, intellectual, or just plain curious, French for Dummies is an entertaining program that will most certainly teach you a little Français.

French for Dummies is easy to install. While there are two CD-ROMs, only the first one is required for installation. The application also includes Adobe Acrobat Reader, Macromedia Shockwave, and AT&T WorldNet software. The user environment is colorful and fun, and navigation is simple. There is nothing too complicated in the way of menus, steps, and selections, and each time you visit a new section, a cartoon tutor pops up to explain what you should do next.

The best feature of French for Dummies is that it starts with the basics. It recommends the first thing you do as a new student is familiarize yourself with the different sounds of French. You can listen to recordings of both male and female native speakers pronouncing single syllables, multiple words, and similar-sounding words. This feature is great for new students who cannot begin to form sentences unless they know what French sounds like. Other useful features include wide-ranging lessons, activities, and quizzes. The user goes at his or her own pace and can move forward or back, depending on learning speed.

For those who believe practice makes perfect, French for Dummies incorporates speaking exercises into the learning plan. The downside is that these speaking exercises do require a microphone that does not come with the software. For users interested in using this option, many different microphones are available in a variety of price ranges.

French for Dummies is ideal for anyone with a real interest in learning French. It does not promise magical learning abilities, but rather incorporates real language-learning practice within the technology of interactive media. The result is a tutorial program that will put you well on your way to finding that bathroom in Paris, getting a taxi in Lyons, and picking up a fresh baguette in Nice. --Kendra Hayden

Amazon.com Product Description

This software is ideal for the casual learner. Users will learn to speak, read, write, and understand French through 24 real-life lessons, activities,quizzes, and games, delivered in a humorous and engaging style. The For Dummies style provides straight-to-the-point lessons and help from the ubiquitous Dummies Man. You can jump into everyday conversations with live-action video activities, and build your vocabulary with thousands ofvocabulary words. The Instant Immersion option allows the user to eliminate the translation, intensifying the direct experience of French. Interactive technology gives you instant pronunciation feedback. The Status Map tracksthe user's progress for quick reference, and the dictionary and grammar index is always easily accessible.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars French Made Simple, July 9, 2002

By 

Edmund Perlas (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French for Dummies (CD-ROM)

I've been using this program for 3 months and I really think it's effective. It breaks down the process of learning the French language into easy, bite-size sections. Each section covers a specific area of learning that is fairly comprehensive and the coverage is just right so users should not feel overwhelmed.

One of the best features of "French for Dummies" are the interactive word games. They might not sound serious at first, but they sure are fun, and sometimes make me forget that I'm studying French. They sure work. The words really stick. Another cool feature is the interactive voice recognition where you are made to pronounce words. The program will emit a ring sound if you get the pronunciation right and an irritating "question mark sound" if you don't. It's a good way to force you to say the words properly.

Overall, this is a really well-designed program for learning basic French. And for its low price, you really get a lot of bang-for-the-buck. I liked this program so much that I've also bought the "Spanish for Dummies" tutorial CD-ROM.

My only complaint is that it's difficult to find information about the whole line of Dummies language tutorial CD-ROMs. I only found out that "Spanish for Dummies" existed is when I passed by a PC software store. It's not listed in [Amazon.com]. Information about this great line of language tutorials should be made easily available. Even the Syracuse Language Systems website is not provided. I even had to search for it on the Net but unfortunately, the website doesn't seem to be working. I'd sure like to know what other languages are available.

Still, "French for Dummies" is a great buy. Oh, and by the way, it works on my Windows XP system.

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy "get started" language learning, August 31, 2001

By 

L. Peppin (Fort Collins, CO) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French for Dummies (CD-ROM)

I am not good with languages. But I need to learn some French. We bought another CBT which my husband likes, but he's good at languages. I wasn't learning with that one because it threw you in the deep end too soon. This one is better for easing yourself in. Maybe once I've used this for a while, I'll move on to the "harder" one, but that depends on how deep this goes. Perhaps it will be enough. Either way, I'm very glad I bought this one, because I was getting frustrated trying to learn on the other. Buy this if you need to get started with French, but are not naturally good at languages.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Surprise!, July 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: French for Dummies (CD-ROM)

I started taking VERY expensive private French lessons 12 weeks ago, and was really frustrated in what I thought was my inability to learn French. My accent (or lack of) had become so embarrassing, I was reluctant to even TRY to speak. I was about to give up altogether when while on line,looking for a French/English dictionary I saw the "French for Dummies" CD. The exceptional price and good reviews persuaded me to give it a try. WOW! What a great surprise! I can honestly tell you that one [intensive] week with this highly INTERACTIVE program has improved my comprehension and pronunciation as much if not more than 12 weeks of private tutoring! You'll be surprised at how many differant types of presentations there are! (video, games, language lab)I LOVE THE LANGUAGE LAB! Its a huge help to be able to practice making the SOUNDS of French (in PRIVATE!:-)) and get INSTANT feedback. I also really like the video clips of the native French speakers, Its been very helpful to me to be able to SEE the language spoken. While this program is certainly intended for someone with a little or no prior French, it isnt remedialits A LOT of FUN! Just as I was beginning to get really frustrated, and think I just couldnt learn French "French For Dummies has reinvigorated my desire to master French!! Youll love the logical and functional way the lessons are laid out, the ease of knwing where you are in the lesson progression, as well as the quality of the software. Most importantly youll learn FRENCH! Give it a try youll parler Francais in no time!

PS
While you can order a headset / mic thru a special offer from Syracuse, I think it's worth it to go get one BEFORE your CD arrives so you can get started RIGHT AWAY! HAVE FUN!