LISTENER

Chaz

  • 17
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  • 290
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The right pace and repetition for a car listen

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-20-23

The speaker speaks the English once, then the French, then the English again, slightly differently, then the French again. This is slow enough to enhance comprehension, but not so slow as to be irritating where you've already learned the phrase. Excellent selection of phrases. In the car, you really can use hearing the English the second time and the problem with other audiobooks is that they do not have the second English phrase. Slight criticism - some of the idiom translation is more by overall meaning than by literal, and the differences could be identified.

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Buy the paper or Kindle book first!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-20-23

As another reviewer has mentioned, the narrator blows by the English/French, barely stopping to take a breath. You thus have to listen to this with a text before you. There is also no free .pdf here. The book, which I bought in an inexpensive Kindle format after I bought the audiobook, has the needed text. And the book is excellently formatted in columns, French and English, for efficient review and understanding of the speaker while listing. Amazon says the audiobook is free with purchases of some kinds, so apparently you should look at purchasing that first. Alone, this audio reading is incomprehensible but its usefulness is absolutely completely saved by the necessary book version. They work very well together.
Apart from all of that, this is a major tome with a lot of useful vocabulary and phrasings. I also like the fact that the phrase numbers are said in English and French, so the time spent hearing the number is not just wasted and the phrases are easy to locate in the book.

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2000 French Phrases Audiobook By French Hacking cover art
  • 2000 French Phrases
  • The Most Frequently Used Words in Context to Increase Your Vocabulary and Make You Conversationally Fluent (French Edition)
  • By: French Hacking
  • Narrated by: Elodie Nowodazkij

Pretty good intro to phrases; intermediates only

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-20-23

Not sure if this is still available for buyers in September 2013 as I think it has been supplanted. But its a good introduction to complex French phrases. There is a .pdf available for download for purchasers. It has the English and French translations and I highly recommend listening to the phrases with that .pdf in hand. It makes the first listening of the phrase phrase set much more efficient. There is no other explanation, so it is really only for intermediate learners.

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Excellent; a bit short

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-20-23

A little gem with an introduction to a number of idiomatic phrases. Clear explanations. A bit short however, as it leaves you wanting more of the same.

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A true and superb language tool! Listen in car!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-17-23

Unlike the vast number of pretender purveyors of language learning books, this one has a true method. There is a "call and response" type of repetitive cadence between Professor Frobose (of the University of Illinois) and his spunky native language speaker Chloe. He speaks English; she speaks French as they go through the verb tenses. There is a lot of judicious repetition, so this becomes fixed in your brain. Perfect for listening in the car. Intermediate learners will enjoy the review and some new things about the verbs. There are no discernable mistakes here and that's really quite a feat. This particular title focuses on basic common verbs.

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Just stories in French with one paragraph translated

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-07-23

Each story is just a complete long story in French read in French with one little paragraph translated into English at the outset. Everything else is in French. Anyone trying to learn French will be lost. Requires an expert level. I’m intermediate and was lost after a few minutes. Most irritating, nothing is explained in English. Just goes on and on in French. Should be listed as stories in French without claiming to be more than that. Useless for learning. 8/2/23 - I added a star since I was a bit too harsh and the authors are well-intended. But my criticism is accurate. I have no idea why there are only two reviews at this time by people who have actually purchased the book, and some 40 reviews by people who have been given it for free (by getting the free book they seem to violate the review guideline “A review that has been posted or modified in exchange for compensation or incentive of any kind.”)

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1 person found this helpful

Wonderfully executed word list: Arabic English(2)

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-02-20

Clearly pronounced in both languages, each word group starts with the Arabic word then after slight pause repeats the English word twice. While evidently meant for Arabic speakers, this list is also useful to learners of Arabic. While I don't need the repeat of the English word, the repeat is unobtrusive. Elegantly simple and effective. There is of course also a English Arabic(2) version of this available here on Audible. For less than the price together of an inexpensive sushi combo, you can have these great learning companions for the car.
There's no annoying advertising, self-promoting, music etc. Just the words. Five stars.

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Conversational Spanish: This Book Includes: Conversational Spanish Dialogues for Beginners Volume I, II, III, IV, V, and VI A

Clear drilling, could use fewer English prompts

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-26-20

I listen to these types of drill-oriented language books in the car, and I rarely consult the texts. It is clear that the author has put a lot of work into his book. The starter conversations are interesting enough and the speaker enunciates clearly. The conversations end and the author goes quickly into some explanation, and then drilling of the words. I'd give it a five but for the fact that the English prompts (like "repeat after me" and "in syllables" and "one more time") are repeated without any relief from them. I'd prefer if the drilling stays in Spanish after the quick intro to the word. We do get it; you can just use silence.

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8 people found this helpful

Legitimate method -great repetition useful phrases

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-07-19

It is too bad that most of the language instruction authors, including Lingo Jump, choose to use an introductory "sample" for Audible which is not really a sample but rather is a form of advertisement. But Lingo Jump, unlike in regard to several other titles available here by other publisher the "Parallel Audio" method actually is an articulated method for a solid introduction to very well chosen 501 legitimate phrases. The phrases are well chosen and well pronounced (and they appear to be the same English list used for each Lingo Jump parallel audio language -- I now have three languages with the parallel audio method). The English is stated first, and then, here, the Spanish is stated at conversation length, then repeated at various speeds, and the culmination is the phrase repeated again at full speed. This really allows one to absorb the parts of speech. The English and the Spanish are articulated in high quality.
That's the first group, and it is worth hearing a few times. As the course moves along in the audio, the next group is the 501 phrases simply in Spanish. Then the next group is the 501 phrases in English with the Spanish repeated once after each phrase. What is only missing and what I would like to see is the 501 Spanish first, with the English pronounced immediately thereafter. Nonetheless, there is plenty of sophisticated repetition here.
I've not had any prior Spanish, but am pairing this with another course (another supplier) to get the introductory grammar. This keeps me guessing, but I have enough French and Arabic (Spanish is considerably influenced by Arabic) to make some good guesses. I would say beginners might typically best have at least a grammar primer before going into this as the course does not give any kind of intro or explanation of the parts of speech one is hearing. But clearly for the lower intermediate to intermediate, or for higher level as a refresher, this course is fantastic.
By the way for phrase number 453 in this and in the other parallel audio books - the English speaking prompter just clears his throat. He should have said "Throw it away" Here in Spanish:
Informal = Tíralo
Throw it away
Formal Tírelo

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6 people found this helpful

Pimsleur French Level 2 (Comprehensive) Audiobook By Pimsleur cover art
  • Pimsleur French Level 2 (Comprehensive)
  • Learn to Speak, Understand, and Read French with Pimsleur Language Programs
  • By: Pimsleur
  • Narrated by: Pimsleur

Slow and steady, judiciious repetition wins day

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-15-19

Finished level 1 and purchased this level 2; it continues appropriately at a higher level with the high quality Pimsleur methods. Continues with (1) introductions to appropriate vocabulary sensitively measured with appropriate gradations for the beginner as the course progresses; (2) absolutely perfect pronunciations by the speakers; (3) interesting conversationally oriented subject matter; (4) judicious repetitions of previously introduced material in different contexts; (5) helpful explanations for pronunciation; and (6) integrated and helpful but not completely necessary written .pdf materials.

As with level 1, this is perfect for commutes and very polished. Continued annoyances include too many nanny-like communications about what to do. On the whole another an excellent course worthy of five stars.

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2 people found this helpful