Product Description

Michel Thomas took the language-learning world by storm.
With no books, no memorising and no homework, Michel teaches the basic grammar of the language painlessly. Using the method he perfected over 50 years, he shares his secret with the world - and 'makes it simple' (Sunday Times). In only a matter of hours, he gives you a comprehensive grasp of the structure of the language, enabling you to communicate with confidence. The present, future, conditional and past tenses are covered, and you are taught to think about the ideas that you are trying to communicate, rather than to translate words slavishly. He points out the similarities of the vocabulary in English and Spanish and gives you the tools to guess the words you do not know, or think you do not know.
In the 'Language Builders' Michel consolidates and expands your knowledge of structures and vocabulary in a one-on-one lecture session with you at home.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39724 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-28
• Released on: 1900-01-01
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: Spanish, English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio CD

Sunday Times
"Thomas makes it simple"

Review
"A great way to learn; it's fast and it lasts". (The Daily Telegraph )

"Five minutes into the first CD, you already feel like you're winning." (Time Out )

"Michel Thomas is a precious find indeed." (The Guardian )

"Thomas makes it simple" (Sunday Times )

"Michel's methods will teach you effectively and easily" (Daily Star )

"Hugely inspiring" (Red )

"Ideal for any business traveller who needs to be able to get around confidently." (Sunday Business )

"Excellent for learning ... This entirely audio course is easy to use and quickly results in some useful ability in the new language. Great for the car."
 

(Adventure Travel )

"Moving along at a relaxed, slow pace, punctuated by amusing anecdotes and jokes from the teacher, the new words, phrases and language rules are gently introduced and reinforced through subtle repetition without ever being tedious. In fact, despite a distinct emphasis on non-work, the course proves very effective and enjoyable, and its format is ideal for learning anywhere you like. So, if you only want to learn to speak the language, this course is highly recommended."

(Top Real Travel Product, Real Travel )

Sunday Business
"Ideal for any business traveller who needs to be able to get around confidently."

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Customer Reviews

Good but fast pace at first
This language builder is excellent for those who have completed the 8 hour course or who are already rusty intermediate speakers of Spanish. I found the pace a bit frightening to begin with and also it is a bit annoying that Michel doesn't leave much time between what he is asking and his reply. You have to be quick off the mark with the pause button!

Otherwise, I have found this course to be very usefully in consolidating my knowledge of Spanish and practicing more structures. Some reviewers complain abou the course being dry, I don't think this is the case. You shouldn't try and do it all at once. Just do 10 to 15 minute bursts over a couple of days and you will pick it up. Infact if you look at what he is doing here it is very clever. He is repeating vocabulary that you know and then introducing just one or two new words at a time so that you don't feel bombarded with new stuff- I felt a constant sense of accomplishment as I went through the course.

We have waited a year since the release of the first course for this next installment, which one feels could have been done at a more leisurely pace than the two hours it has been allocated. Is there any more to come? and if so let's hope we don't have to wait another year! (Since writing this review an Advanced Course has been published, which will be the last course as Michel died in January 2005)

Also for those who already have the complete course, the style of this 'language builder' is different, there are no students to listen to, it is just Michel Thomas and you 'one to one', which I personally prefer. As Michel spent his formative years in Germany he does have a strong German accent. By all means use this course to gain the knowledge but then listen to authentic Spanish and practice to gain a good accent.

Overall a recommendation to buy if you have the grounding. If not, buy the complete course first and then buy this when you have finished, otherwise it might seem a little intimidating. A real improvement on the first course is that it comes with a little brochure with all the phrases in so you can see how each is written down- I found this very useful.

Challenging and rewarding
If you already have a basic knowledge of Spanish and you want to enlarge your vocabulary and get some further practice, this is ideal. It is fast paced, and the CDs are packed full of useful content - no musical interludes, no "authentic" backgrounds or similar rubbish that other publishers put in. There are not even any pauses for your replies: you MUST keep your finger on the pause button if you ever want to get a word in edgeways (and if you don't you won't learn anything).

The booklet is useful too. It is mainly a vocabulary list, and small enough to fit in a pocket or bag for quick revision at odd moments during the day. Again, there is no superfluous gloss, no colour photographs of flamenco dancers etc..

Ignore the publisher's comment that "Michel Thomas takes the responsibility for the student's learning" - you will need to concentrate, listen carefully and think before replying. This is a course for people with motivation.

I had learned my basic Spanish from other courses, and not being familiar with Michel Thomas I found his approach refreshing. I can imagine that if you have already done the 8-hour course you might find the Builder course a bit repetitive. On the other hand, I don't know of any other language course at an intermediate level and fast pace to recommend as an alternative.

A bit over-priced though.

Michel Thomas Spanish Language Builder
I was put off after reading a couple of other reviews and then after taking the plunge felt that it did seem to be just a recording of Michel reading through a list of words. But I must say that I was wrong! This is equally as good as the first 8 hour course but runs at a much quicker pace and you need to be ready with the pause button. A lot of the ground covered is from the other course but this is good for consolidating what you have already learned. I paid £16 for this course and learnt more in the time spent with this than £80 for a 15 week, 2hour per week collecge course!