Michel Thomas Method™ German For Beginners, 10-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series) 1st Edition

by Michel Thomas (Author)

102 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0071600743

ISBN-10: 0071600744

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Experience the language learning method millions around the world have come to trust

Unlike most language learning systems, the Michel Thomas Method enables you to naturally and intuitively develop the building blocks for language comprehension. You learn at your own speed--listening, speaking, and thinking through the language. Guided by language teacher extraordinaire Michel Thomas, each CD takes you through an interactive lesson with two other learners. By the end of the program, you will have the ability to put together words and phrases together naturally and make your own sentences. You will have basic vocabulary, conversation skills, and the confidence to speak in German.

About the Author

Michel Thomas taught languages for more than fifty years, developing a unique and revolutionary learning system that made him the world's leading language teacher. His method has been used to teach celebrities, diplomats, dignitaries, academics, and business executives.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ McGraw-Hill; 1st edition (April 27, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0071600744
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0071600743
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.2 x 1.55 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #789,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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102 ratings

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Michel Thomas

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5 star		69%
4 star		15%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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J. B. Gonzalez

You won't be disappointed.

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2010

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I have tried Berlitz & Pimsleur, Pimsleur being far superior to Berlitz, but I have to say that this is by far the best teaching tool out there. I read all of the reviews prior to purchasing and was a little hesitant because some said that the instructor had a thick accent and the students were distracting. Others thought that the last two Cd's were identical to the first 8 without the students. First let me say that while the instructor does have a bit of an accent, he is very easy to understand and his teaching technique is superb. Secondly, I found that the students made the learning easier. It really feels like you are sitting in a room with a French tutor and two other people. It was very good and helped in the learning process. Lastly, you can not just skip to the last 2 CDs. They are a review and a chance to practice what you learned, but they are not instructional in nature. I just finished the entire series and am ready for the next level, which I am about to purchase when I finish this review. You should also know that you can get then lessons on your iPhone and iPad and I think that Itunes sells them as well. I bought the cd set and then downloaded them into my iTunes so that I could listen to them in my car and on my iPhone. The cost is about the same. Buy this if you really want to learn French quickly.

23 people found this helpful

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JAW

Recommended, with reservations

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2011

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After reading reviews on both sides of the fence, I decided to take the plunge, given the relatively low price. It's the reasonable cost that saves this product from a lower star rating for me.

For those familiar with other language programs, you will find this method a kind of low-rent Pimsleur course. As other reviews have exhaustively detailed the structure, I will not do that here. For me, it's a useful tool to have in your arsenal, and there are some valuable tips given. In sum:

Pros:

1. Inexpensive
2. It takes a lot of the mystery out of French (even something as small as his story about Alexander Dumas saying English is just "French spoken badly" helps)
3. The structure of the grammar is demystified a bit
4. It's something you can throw on as you drive or chill out with a glass of wine
5. His hints about emphasizing the accent at the end of a word was helpful to me, personally

Cons:

1. The Polish accent has to be addressed: I didn't care. It's not really a pro or con, in my opinion. I get that he's not a native speaker. At a beginning level, even I know enough to know there may be a better way to pronounce certain words. This course isn't about that, I don't think. If pressed, I would say the course could be made better by remaking it with a native speaker - but it's not that big of a deal.
2. He's kind of a jerk to the woman on the tape. Granted, she's got terrible pronunciation, but still...
3. His entire philosophy isn't wrong, it's just he seems to misunderstand basic concepts of memory. He goes out of his way in the beginning to say, "don't memorize anything!" Then, when the woman struggles with recalling (read:memorizing) a word he mentioned 10 minutes prior, he says, "DON'T GUESS!" Well, if I'm not memorizing, and I'm not guessing, how exactly am I supposed to get you that word you asked for? Like it or not, memory IS involved. I supposed what he's saying is that he wants everything to soak in on a subconscious level, and for our existing language skills to just "connect" with the French language. Who knows, the guy's a little nutty.

All that said, it's worth both your time and money for this course to supplement other things - for me, it's Tell Me More French. For a serious study of the language, THAT program rocks.

10 people found this helpful

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Paul Jacks

An Outstanding Course

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2007

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This course is truly extraordinary. I have been a student of French for many years and while possessing decent reading and vocabulary skills, I have always felt uncomfortable when speaking French. I have purchased many study aids over the years and none have really helped much. I have generally despaired that I would never attain my desired level of fluency. That was until I ran across an advertisement for Michel Thomas's course. Although I have some knowledge of the French language, I decided to start at the beginning, in order to progress through the entire course. Although skeptical at first, I really enjoyed each CD. Michel Thomas's teaching style is truly incredible. He breaks down pronunciation and elements of grammar in ways that I never learned before. His pacing is just about right (much quicker than Primsleur, but not too fast), especially for someone with a background in the language. The CDs already have me more comfortable constructing sentences than any of the collegiate or other coursework that I have undertaken previously. I look forward to each CD and the beginner course has proven to be very useful for both review and enrichment. I cannot wait to start the next series and I feel that by completing the full course and supplementary CDs, I will definitely attain my desired level of fluency. I strongly recommend this course for absolute beginners or for those students, like myself, who want to improve their skills in French.

33 people found this helpful

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Sam Neil

MICHEL Thomas Speak Frefch for beginners

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2011

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This was good and bad, It covered a lot of material and explained basic rules and word usage in a learnable way. The main reason I wanted a disc was for the native speaker. Mr Thomas is very good, but he isnt a first language English or French speaker. Some of his English sentences were poorly constructed. No native speaker would construct a sentence that way, but he was not teaching English, he was teaching French. He missed entirely the familiar form in French. What if we need to speak to children or were in less formal situations? Also he had 2 "students" on the tape and spent far too much time having them speak and figure out the words. I can pronounce French badly all by myself. I don't want to listen to students struggling. The female student was especially annoying,The sentences were long and complex and I wonder if his French sentences were as poor as his English ones. Overall, he did impart a lot of basic info, the CD was inexpensive, but I think a good class would be needed to build on this. A native speaker is a must.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Pete Abrams

Thought provocking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2011

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Having seen a television program of Michel Thomas teaching French to English secondary school children about fourteen years ago, and learning a little about his background, I feel slightly biased and am aware this is not as objective an assessment of the product in question as it should be. However, being involved for part of my life in linguistics and language learning and the remaining work side of my life in teaching, I found the approach refreshing and releasing. It is an approach which stimulates much thought about language learning. I have recommended the course to some of teacher colleagues, and recommend the 'Speak French' course by Michel Thomas, here.

One person found this helpful

Dorothyanne Brown

Michel Thomas - thank you!

Reviewed in Canada on March 31, 2010

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I don't know what it is about these CDs but they stick in my head and help me learn a language without even thinking about it. I've tried many many ways to learn languages and had given up, thinking my brain just couldn't do it. But Thomas' approach is easy, builds on the familiar, and gives grounding in the language so you can say useful and quite complex phrases easily within a few sessions.
I've just started the french series, but it looks every bit as wonderful as the Spanish set I listened to a year ago - and STILL remember, despite virtually no practice and cognitive problems associated with MS.
He's astounding. Highly recommended. It may not be everything to everyone, but it sure is an easy way to get started with and confident with a language.

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

You feel like you are in a class with 2 other students ...

Reviewed in Canada on June 15, 2016

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Michel Thomas teaches you in a way that just works. You feel like you are in a class with 2 other students who also make mistakes. His ideas are logical and makes sense as you go through the discs. Great CD! Really want to get the Spanish one.

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Michel Thomas Method™ German For Beginners, 10-CD Program (Michel Thomas Series) 1st Edition

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Michel Thomas

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