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This book goes straight to the heart of the matter: communicating in colloquial French. Once you have worked on the first 2 or 3 units, you are able to shop, order in a restaurant and generally greet people politely. Each unit builds on and revises the grammar and vocabulary learnt previously and by the end of the first 10 units one knows how to ask/tell the time, ask for directions, count to 100+, discuss sports and hobbies. The vocabulary itself is above all useful and fairly simple to start with, the CDs are very helpful for pronunciation. The grammar is explained in easy terms but possibly a little too simply sometimes. For example, by concentrating on purely spoken French, this method only briefly mentions to the learner that the subject and verb are usually reversed in the interrogative form, which may hinder the learner's understanding of a spoken or written response as this form is still widely in use. The exercices are original and varied and although, at first glance, some may seem a little juvenile, they are quite entertaining to do. The drawings are not always of the best quality. As with any teach yourself package, this one requires regular, disciplined work, but it will give you tangible results rapidly especially if you are able to use the language in a French-speaking environment. I am actually using this method at the moment to help teach French to non-French speakers living in a French-speaking country. Their aim is to be able to hold simple conversations after the first few lessons and so far, we have had very positive results. I would recommend spending about 2 hours on each unit for the first 5 or so then more as they become progressively more complex.
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