Pimsleur French Level 3 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs (3) (Comprehensive) Audio CD – Unabridged, June 1, 2005

I have gone through Pimsleur French Levels 1 and 2, and am completing 3. I have an Audible MP3 edition of 4 waiting for me and will continue to 5 if available. I listen to a lesson a day during my morning commute -- 2 half-hour lessons per disc, and I listen to each disc twice. I've found that the second time around, the learning really sets in. It has taken me eight months of daily lessons, repeated twice, to get to the end of Level 3.This is a purely auditory learning system, with very little in the way of explanations and nothing on grammar at all -- pure speech and listening. I find it excellent and I am slowly gaining in my ability to speak French; however, I also have a basic background in French from a thousand years ago in high school, so I'm remembering things like pronunciation, spelling, what contracted articles sound like, conjugations, and so on. I'm not sure how a complete newcomer without a basic background in French would fare with just the auditory input. I strongly recommend that if you have no background in French at all, you pick up a basic grammar text and just use it as a reference as you go along. Otherwise, what you hear would likely be purely phonetic and I think it would take much longer before the phonetics resolve themselves into actual words.Like others commenting on Pimsleur, I have often wished for transcripts (but I suspect that would jack up the price quite a bit). That said, this is an excellent system, very clear, enjoyable, and serious; challenging, but not so difficult that you lose heart. Each lesson begins with a conversation between a man and a woman, repeated twice, and the rest of the half hour lesson slowly builds up both vocabulary and syntax. Early in Pimsleur 1, they indicated that they would gradually change the instructions given in the lessons from English to French. This has intensified the experience of hearing and understanding the language. New vocabulary and phrases are repeated, explained, repeated again, and then used in varying syntax throughout the lessons. Material from previous lessons is continually brought back in, so memory is reinforced.For someone re-learning a language that he or she was once exposed to, it is an excellent way to regain some mastery. For new learners, a simple grammar text or even one of those laminated crib-sheets would allow for a fuller and more meaningful experience. Highly recommended in either case.

If there is one thing I've learned from reading these reviews, it's that language learning is an intensely personal process. The cost of Pimsleur is daunting, but I love it so much that I keep on buying more.I have a number of audio French programs but this is the one that works for me. The majority of the other audio programs I have tried seem way too simple by comparison. It is easiest for me to do a lesson per day on my commute from work, and I usually have time to repeat at least part of that day's lesson before I get home. Since I had a few years of school French in my distant past, I can usually visualize the words I am speaking, which is very useful for me. I really feel that after just a few months of Pimsleur, the French that I have now is way more useful than the classroom French I learned in school. In preparation for a trip, I had initially only planned to get a basic audio course, but after I completed French I, I just had to have French II, and so on.The content is useful for travelers. I always feel like I am learning to say something I will actually need to say in France at some point. Also, it is such a thrill to put together a complete sentence and get it right. The pauses to respond are on the short side, but I have convinced myself it's necessary to give me the impetus to get the synapses firing and blurt out that response.I have occasionally wished the CDs came with written material. I do have a phrase book and some French workbooks. However, I keep going back to the CDs. I feel that when I am learning this way, I am constantly making forward progress. I remember those first few lessons where all the different "r" sounds were so very difficult and I was convinced I would never be able to manage a decent pronunciation and still keep a straight face. I truly feel like the continued repetition is the secret.Others will learn differently, but I am an enthusiastic Pimsleur advocate.

I first purchased Pimseuler's French I in 2004 in preparation for a trip to France in 2005. I was pleased with what I had learned and what I was able to use when I actually needed to speak with someone while in France.Once I decided to make another trip this coming September (2010), I dusted off French I, finished it, and purchased French II. After finishing that, I bought French III and I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through it.The length of each lesson is approximately the same as my commute to and from work - 30 minutes by car. I work on each lesson as many times as necessary to get 80-90% of the content before moving onto the next lesson -- usually about 3 or 4 times. Each lesson builds on prior lessons and in addition to review, usually 5-6 new phrases and/or words & concepts are introduced. The program relies on listening and repeating. Some of the content is geared more toward business use than pleasure/tourist use, and more time is spent on the use of formal pronouns than familiar pronouns. However, that is good since one is more likely to use formal pronouns when traveling both for business or as a tourist.I tried Rosetta Stone, thinking that both the written & spoken lessons would be better, but I really prefer Pimseuler as it is much easier to pronounce the words correctly by ear than when I see them written out.I recommend the Pimseuler program for anyone who wants to add to their language skills for foreign travel.