SmartFrench: Learn French from Real French People

SmartFrench and SmartSpanish at first glance may appear unorthodox. Their method is so different from the "standard" foreign language teaching techniques that most Americans are accustomed to, that some people may be put off because it's not what they expected. But if you have an open mind and are willing to try a new approach, you will be rewarded.

For a motivated adult who wants to not just go through the motions, but really learn a language and get to the point of actually being able to converse and function in a foreign language, the SmartFrench series is vastly superior to Berlitz and most every other audio CD method I have seen.

I am a native English speaker who learned French and Spanish as an adult (in my twenties). I can now say that I am fluent in both those languages, but I also spent a lot of time and sweat in inefficient study that, looking back, could have been much accelerated. I only wish SmartFrench and SmartSpanish had existed then.

I've tried a wide range of methods, including traditional in-person language schools. I took five years of German in high school and college, and while I got excellent grades and my grasp of vocabulary and grammar was good on paper, if you drop me into a German beer hall I have no idea what people are saying -- and that's the problem with the way most foreign language is taught. I "know" German, but I can't speak it. If that's your goal, SmartFrench may not be for you. But if your goal is to get quickly to the point where you can actually converse in a foreign language, then I can't recommend this audio product highly enough.

SmartFrench doesn't follow the traditional academic pattern. If you judge it by that expectation, you'll be disappointed, and I think this accounts for the negative reviews. It does something much more valuable -- teaches language the way the brain is actually wired to learn language. It may feel unfamiliar at first, but if you stick with it, you'll see results that will actually pay off, and probably quicker than you expect.

This method made learning French much easier for me. I started using them on my own at first and then got so interested in learning the language that I found myself a teacher. But even taking some classes - I still use the method because it is so helpful to help my comprehension level and conversation skills. Highly recommended.

If you want to learn French like the French children do, use this product. If you want to start with grammar and vocabulary, try the excellent SmartFrench - Introduction to French, Vol.1 and 2. I use both in combination with this product and I am very satisfied. It's very clear, very efficient and very fast. Thank you.

"SmartFrench' Audio CDs (Intermediate/Advanced
Half the program was in Beginner French, "Intermediate French" took up eight pages, "Advanced French" took up all of nine pages. No Vocabulary, no grammar. It was a $23 joke. No addresses to contact so the money went down the drain.
HOW YOU GOT A GROUP OF 4 STAR REVIEWS AND NONE LESS LAUDATORY SUGGESTS THET THE AUTHORS HAD A BUNCH OF RELATIVES!

I have been studying French from textbooks so far. My greatest weakness is understanding how French people speak in real life amongst themselves. While I can read reasonably well, I have difficulty understanding native French spoken at normal speeds. I also struggle to understand French movies.

SmartFrench addresses my needs quite well. It offers a CD product that emphasizes listening to native French people speaking at normal everyday speed and then meticulously explaining how the spoken words, phrases, sentences are actually pronounced and linked together. For non-natives like us, a major reason that French pronunciation and aural comprehension are so difficult is due to liaisons and unpronounced syllables/words during speech. Smartfrench addresses this very well by highlighting the places where words are glided together i.e. liaisons and also where the syllables/words are silent. The CD and the booklet that comes with the CD marks out in red all the alphabets/words that are silent during speech and underscores all the liaison links. This is radically different from my other French courses where I hear natives speaking but not told where, how and why certain alphabets or words are silent or abbreviated during speech or where the liaisons occur. The CD goes through 15 interesting dialogs with a beautiful model, a chef, a gallery owner, a singer, a diplomat and so on. Their speech accent, style and level of formality varies, which give good practice in listening to how different natives speak. The product's website offers a DEMO that gives a flavor of how the program works.

I found SmartFrench to be the most focussed on teaching the student how to listen by giving valuable tips and an effective listening road-map along the way. It does not distract by trying to teach grammar & vocabulary at the same tim, but single-mindedly zeroed in on helping the student to develop the critical listening techniques for understanding real life French. For beginners, this approach may be daunting, but I would still recommend to practice listening right away, at the inception of learning French. This will familiarize the ear to the sound, rhythm and intonation of real-life native speech and trains the ear from day one how to listen. The SmartFrench technique is very effective in that regard. For rank beginners, SmartFrench offers a separate 'Introduction to French' product that teaches basic grammar, conjugation, vocabulary and sentence building, to complement its unique Listening method mentioned earlier. You can check it out at their website.

If you want to train your listening skills to eventually understand what the natives are saying, or watch an undubbed movie, news or documentary, SmartFrench is a great training product to add to your French language tool-kit.