Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not against classroom learning of French – in fact I think it’s a very good way to learn and I did have a little private tutoring. The problem for me, and I’m sure for many busy people, is finding the time on a regular basis to attend class. With private tutoring I could at least vary the times to suit myself but it is a very expensive option. A few hundred dollars doesn’t go very far on one-to-one French lessons!

On the other hand a few hundred dollars can get you an astonishing variety of learn to speak French software. Prices start at just over $10.00 and although packages exist that will take several hundred dollars off you I don’t think it’s necessary to spend that much to get a good basic level of the French language.

There are far too many French language software programs for me to cover them all. A quick search will turn up literally hundreds. What I can try to do is tell you about some of the alternatives and what I see as the benefits.

Let’s start with the benefits.

Learn to speak French software will allow you to learn at your own pace. Any time you have access to a computer you can learn some French. Some products in the middle price range – say around $100.00 – will also have French MP3s, sound files that you can copy to an MP3 player or onto a CD so you can have French lessons while you’re walking around, on the train or driving.

Modern French language software incorporates a variety of systems to help you learn French quickly. Digital flash cards, memory games, involving and entertaining animations or movie clips. All these things keep your French learning varied, and if they keep you interested you’re more likely to learn French fast. For the traditionalist you should also find transcripts of any audio that you can print out and read. Supporting your French lessons by reading the texts is always a good idea anyway.

The alternatives?

The number of French software alternatives will depend on your budget. It’s probably not true of all cheap French software but at the bottom of the range those I’ve tried are quite limited. There are some good starters for kids but if you’re looking to speak fluent French you’d be better off with something a bit more complex.

Unfortunately of course this means a bit more expensive. However, if you compare $100 spent on learn to speak French software with money spent on private lessons it soon seems a bargain and for your money you can get systems like Rocket French that boast that they will have you confident in the French language in as little as eight weeks. Some systems offer free trials too.

At the top end you can buy systems for several hundred dollars that if followed to their conclusion will teach you a great deal of French. Whether the additional expense is worth the detailed grammatical knowledge is difficult to quantify. If you’re visiting France on holidays then you can probably get what you need in the mid-range but if you’re intending to live here permanently it might be worth it. Unless you’ve got deep pockets you’ll need to investigate each alternative carefully!

Conclusions?

So is learn to speak French software really the easy way to learn French? I would have to say that much as I enjoy a good read, books cannot compete with modern French language software systems. They can be not just educational but also involving and fun! There is no comparison with how we learned when I was at school. Whether your eighteen or eighty you will learn French faster.

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The growing use of French speaking software is because of how well it mimics, almost exactly the way you would want to study with a real French teacher.

The various programs actually often utilize a French native speaking instructor so the French always is correct. The nuances such as enunciation and pronunciations, as well as grammatically correct French phrases is a very popular feature on some of the best French software available today.

Online French lessons really encourage the student to interact with the French software and the multimedia formats really lends to a results driven, pleasurable experience.

The best foreign language software that teaches French allows the new French student to move at their own pace. The learning is fun because of the way the French speaking software makes the learning experience interesting and upbeat. They accomplish this by using auditory as well as visual learning cues just like the traditional French classes that you would have to drive miles to attend. But with the French software you can learn from the convenience of your home and the comfort of your couch instead of some stuffy French classroom.

Another big plus for learning to speak French with online software, especially with the best French software products is you are empowered with the ability to accelerate your learning curve due to the amount of valuable cutting edge learning tools provided. Plus, the ongoing online support that is made available with the top French speaking software gives you a 24 hour a day raise your hand and ask the teacher a question type of ability.

So you can learn fast, or slow, and always have the software as well as human support.

The result is whether you plan on traveling to a country where they speak French, or if you simply want to impress a date by speaking French when ordering your French meal. After you have completed your French software you will be excited because you will be speaking French fast and be able to speak it with the confidence you would want.

In summary, selecting the right software program to learn to speak French is a really important task. You would want your French software to have the interactive tools as well as the ongoing support we have mentioned here. Speaking French fluently, and quickly with the best French software available online means you have a lot of choices.

Enjoy your journey and we hope these tips have been helpful for you.

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I am, of course, referring to Rocket French, a breakthrough in modern language learning developed by a collaboration of French and English speakers so both sides of the coin are covered. And that’s something that’s so important. I can’t overstress the need to learn French from a French person. It’s absolutely vital for French pronunciation.

I don’t want to sound too serious – especially when we’re trying to make learning French fun, but I think this is key. If you’re trying to learn French from someone who was born speaking English, I don’t care how good he or she is, they aren’t French and the difference is clear. Honestly, I’ve lived and worked in France for over two years now (and been visiting for fifteen before that) and my French isn’t bad at all – but a French person knows instantly that I’m not from around here! They might compliment me on my ability with the French language, but they know I’m a foreigner. When you start to learn French you really don’t want that disadvantage from day one – you want to be listening to a French person giving the lesson so you can try and duplicate the pronunciation and intonation accurately. I know it’s not always easy – but you want to hear that French accent – not a mid west American one!

Fortunately with Rocket French, that’s what you get – so straight out of the box you’re on the right track.

I’m quite lucky in that one of my friends over here is a French teacher – as in she’s French. She actually teaches English and German to her French students during school time, and she makes a bit extra doing private classes for English speakers evenings and weekends. I introduced her to Rocket French a while back and now she recommends it to all her classes. She agrees with me that its light-hearted approach encourages fast learning but she also says that because it’s been conceived by French speakers it has absolutely correct grammar construction, something she says is vital. She’s also very keen on the fact that a whole section has been dedicated to verbs – an area that’s critical for good French but which is sometimes not covered well enough. The fact that it’s interactive and challenging to use rather than the traditional learning-by-repetition method is a bonus. Overall, she says she sees new students grasping the language not only faster but also that they speak better, more accurate French.

Rocket French calls itself an eight week course but to be honest there’s no-one breathing down your neck so you make your own timetable. However you approach it, imagine going from no French to competent, confident command of the language in just two months. How satisfying will that be?

So lets learn French, you say – my advice would be to strap yourself into the Rocket!

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