Product Description

This recording follows on from the Foundation (8-hour) all-audio course which took the language-learning world by storm.
With no books, no memorising and no homework, Michel Thomas 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 teaches what it takes years to cover by conventional methods, giving his students a comprehensive working knowledge of the language – all the tenses are taught and practised; the position of pronouns is made easy, and Michel spends some time on the problems of translation, instilling in the students 'an enhanced awareness of their own language'. And he does all this effortlessly, 'effectively and easily' (Daily Star).
By the end of the Advanced course Michel has covered ALL the structures and tenses of 'A' level and beyond. Grammar points and tenses only touched upon in the Foundation (8-hour) course are expanded to give the student a complete knowledge of the structure of the entire language.
He points out the similarities of the vocabulary in English and French and gives his students the tools to guess the words they do not know, or think they do not know.
Join two students as they learn in real time. Become the third member of the class and experience the excitement of learning a language as if by magic!

This new edition has one, very significant, new feature – an additional ‘Review’ CD. All the main teaching points have been lifted from the 5-hour Advanced course and are contained on this one CD. The student hears Michel teaching a specific point, there is a pause which allows time for the student to give his/her response to Michel’s prompt, followed by Michel giving the correct response. If the student has struggled or given an incorrect answer, s/he can use the index in the accompanying booklet to locate the area of the main course where the specific language point was being taught in depth and can return to the main course to work through the relevant section again, quickly and efficiently. It can also be used very successfully by those coming back to the course after a lapse of time, either to check how much they have retained or as a quick revision tool. Only Michel’s words and phrases are on the new CD, so the course is summarised succinctly and with a new, snappy pace. Finally, the new edition is repackaged, with an up-to-the minute cover treatment and robust DVD-type cases inside a rigid card slip case, to ensure that the CDs remain damage-free and are easy to access and use.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6103 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-29
• Released on: 2005-11-01
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

Review
'a great way to learn; it's fast and it lasts' -- Daily Telegraph 'the nearest thing to painless learning' -- Times

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

"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 )

"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 )

About the Author
Michel Thomas had an amazing life. Born in Poland, he spent his early years in Germany and then in France, where he studied psychology at the Sorbonne in Paris. When war broke out, he fought with the Resistance and suffered imprisonment in slave labour camps. At the end of the war he joined the US liberation army and later settled in the US where he established his world-famous language school. For more than 50 years he taught languages to the rich and famous and became the world's most sought-after language teacher.

---

Customer Reviews

Remarkly good
I did not use the earlier 8-hour course, but I found this course easy to get into.

I'm not sure that the word 'advanced' is really justified, but the course is certainly very good at teaching the tenses of French verbs and their use. Nor do I agree with what the adverts say about it being 'painless' - it's certainly hard work, and I found that after 20 minutes I was ready for a break.

I'm fascinated by the way in which M. Thomas teaches the spoken language first, and the written language second; when I learnt French, it was the other way around.

Given the teaching method and the fact that there are students in the recording, who, of course, make mistakes, there's the question of how many times you'd want to listen to the CDs. On the other hand, if you listen to them a few times, doing what is recommended and answering all the questions, you get, in effect, at least 10-20 hours of one-on-one tuition - much more intense tuition than you'd ever get by enrolling for 10-20 hours of classes. This seems to me to make it remarkably good value.

So, I agree with the other reviewers, and strongly recommend this course. It's odd how what is, basically, a very old fashioned teaching method should work so brilliantly. There's a message here for our educators, possibly.......?

Great for learning tenses and language structure
The advanced course is an excellent way to develop your understanding of the structure of the French language. Michel works through a number of examples, highlighting the order of pronouns. He also covers the various tenses in considerable detail (something which was lacking from the earlier courses). For me one of the most important aspects was the use of 'would' and 'would have'. As Michel rightly says, you need to develop a sharpened awareness of your own language in order to learn another one.
The two students are far better than on those on the first course, so things move along at the right pace. This is helpful when working through the course a second or third time.
Having gone through the course a few times, I now feel confident that I have a good understanding of the tenses. In fact the verb tables in the more traditional course books finally make sense!
Do bear in mind that the Michel Thomas courses do not cover a large vocabulary. So, for example, if you are looking to learn lots of nouns and adjectives the course will be of limted value.
However if you are looking to develop your understanding of structure and tenses, this course is a great way to do so.

Amazing
A simply fantastic advanced course.

There is little vocabulary; but that's no bad thing. The words you might need are likely to be very different from the words I need.

However, on the structure of the language, this course is nothing short of perfect. It will teach you more about French grammer than you could imagine.

It's is a very exciting method, which I can see from other reviews, others find as addictive as I do.

He does have a trace of a German accent, which others noticed before me.

At the end of the course, you will no longer have to phrase everything in the present tense. After listening to the CDs a couple of time, you will be amazed at what you know.

I really do suggest you buy this CD (having bought the foundation course first!)