French in Action : A Beginning Course in Language and Culture : The Capretz Method: Textbook,   ISBN:9780300058215

Customer Rating: 

This French course has a phenomenal reputation, but that's only if you can get the DVD's that go with it. You evidently can't get them from Amazon, however -- just the text itself. To get the DVD's, you apparently have to go directly to Annenberg's page. The ISBN for the first course is 0-89776-394-7, for example.

The reason I say that this course is a waste of time for men is that it features a young blond French girl in nearly every scene. I'm not sure what her name was, but every time I try watching this I find myself standing at such stiff attention that I am unable to attend to the lesson at hand.

Customer Rating: 

The capretz method relies on language immersion effectively teach French. This is a refreshing approach compared to other courses in the market. It could be the cause of some early frustration. But, given the proper preparation and of course pereserverence on long run you actually would learn a lot more. Also the language is placed on the proper cultural context and so you actually would avoid awkward situations by learning this way. Short of actually living in France, immersion methods are in my opinion the most effective at teaching conversation skills. French in action is by far the best immersion course out there. It was developed by Yale Professor Pierre Capretz as collaboration between CBP and Annenberg foundation. It's also been around for 20 years, I suspect the effectiveness of the course is the reason for its extended longevity. I highly recommend this for any self learner. The audio course are a required component of this course. The workbooks will also prove extremely useful.

Customer Rating: 

You will find many five star reviews for various pieces of the French in Action course. There is a good reason for this, since the course is a magnificent introduction to French, covering roughly the material of four college semesters of French language courses. If you want to learn to speak French and have the time and dedication (at 30 minutes a day, the course should take a year or so to complete), I highly recommend French in Action to you.

The theory behind French in Action is immersion, speaking and listening and writing and reading in only in French from the very beginning. Watching the half hour videos forms the heart of the course (available as DVDs or, in the US, for free on the Annenberg web site; just Google French In Action). The CDs, textbook, and workbook are integral parts of the course, reinforcing the grammar and vocabulary covered in the videos; you really will need them. If you complete all of these activities, you will encounter what you are learning several times, with very clear explanations, always in French.

You do not need the Study Guide to tell you what to do when--simply watch each episode of the video, then follow the instructions in the workbook (I found it useful to watch each video again after completing the associated lesson, normally parroting back every line to build my pronounciation skills). The Study Guide is also tedious, because it tells you the purpose of each of the workbook exercises, but those purposes are perfectly clear when you encounter the exercises in the workbook.

There are a few fine points of French grammar described in the Study Guide that I would have missed, but, far from being a useful educational tool, I found the Study Guide to be a hinderence to getting the most from the course. My main criticism is that the Study Guide discusses everything in English. The genius of French in Action is that you are thinking in French from day one, so why interrupt with a bunch of English explanations? If you prefer having every point explained in English and every new word presented with an English translation, then French in Action is not the right course for you, anyway.

The Study Guide contains some quizzes, so you may need it if you are taking a formal course (check with your instructor first). Otherwise, I suggest that you take the time you would have spent reading the Study Guide to finish the course sooner, then use the time you saved to read French stories or magazines (and, of course, Merde! and Merde Encore!) instead.

One final point, unless you are an instructor, you can skip lesson one entirely. It's all in English, and is very interesting if you want to hear about why the course was developed the way it was, but it will not help you to learn French, with one exception, and I'll tell you that right now: pay attention to the gestures that everyone makes in the videos (e.g., you'll see that the French shake hands at the beginning and the end of every conversation, however brief). Now you know all you need to know to begin at lesson two--and you won't need the Study Guide to do it.

Customer Rating: 

French in Action: A Beginning Course in language and Culture, Second Edition: Workbook, Part 1 (Yale Language Series)

I wanted to learn French and selected the Capretz Method - French in Action as a beginning course in language and culture. The workbook is essential, but it must be stressed that to learn effectively, you also need the audio tapes and the videos. They are often available on the air or in the library, however, you need to study them more than one time through to pick up language nuances.

Each lesson consists of a 10 minute story (American boy meets French girl - cute story, adds interest), then an explanation by Professor Capretz. The workbook is divided into chapters and each chapter has a section on aural comprehension, oral production where you play the part of a character, and a question and answer segment on the above. Several additional study topics are covered, including a written practice where you write a short exchange between the two characters.

This is an immersion course and as such, is one of the best, but as I mentioned, the workbook is only one part of the course. I also urge you to pick up the Study Guide which guides you through the course. The course is not inexpensive, but very effective with all the tools.

Highly recommended.

Customer Rating: 

The book was not what I had expected, and Amazon made it very easy to return the book and quickly refunded my full purchase price. All dealings with Amazon was very easy.