French

Language Course Reviews

Rocket French

vs.

Tell Me More

Who Wins?  (Hint: You!)

  My wife and I travel to France at least twice a year. We picked up a few of the common words, but we both decided it was time to really learn the language.

  First, we enrolled in Adult Education at our local high school. What a disaster! The only time the teacher spoke English, was when she told us that she was going to conduct the entire class in French. So, for three hours a week, we learned nothing, understood nothing and watched other students drop out, until we finally did too.

  So, We went online to find a home-study course. We found many, bought and borrowed some and narrowed them down to two.

  A word about Rosetta Stone. I own it. I hate it. It was the first course that I bought, and the reason I started looking so closely at other French language courses, that became somewhat of an expert in the dozens of courses on the market. I wanted to learn and understand words and sentences that I use when I travel, such as "Can you give me directions to the Louvre?" or "Is there an ATM near here?", or "How much is a train ticket to Nice?". I have never used the phrase "the boy is under the airplane", or "the ball is on the woman", or "the horse jumps" which is what Rosetta Stone teaches.

  I also decided to find a course that I could listen to in my car. I blew through several, but they were no good because the audio was all in French and I needed to follow along with the book that came with it. Then I found Rocket French.

  Rocket French talked to me in English and then in French. Rocket French uses phrases and keeps introducing new words into the phrases, which quickly became sentences. Most importantly, the words and sentences are the ones that I use when I travel.

  I wasn't learning words in a vacuum. The phrases are about going places, finding and eating in restaurants, checking to hotels, changing money, buying tickets for the train and how to speak to native French speakers, in everyday French.

  Day after day, I turned my commute into learning time. And I did learn. As I progressed, I went from beginner, to intermediate. I'm still working on advanced skills. Mostly in my car. On the weekends, I used the computer based word and sound/picture games.

  The last time we went to France, I spoke French a lot, and people understood me. More amazingly, I understood them when they answered me back.

  I recommend Rocket French, especially if you don't have the time to learn at home. Do yourself a favor and try it. If you really, really hate it, you've got 60 days to send it back for a full refund.

Click here to go to Rocket French Sale Pricing 

  You've probably never heard of Tell Me More, but you will, very soon. They are a France based company, with offices around the world and only recently came to the US. They say that they been in business longer than Rosetta Stone. I found out about them through a friend who told me that Tell Me More has taken many government accounts away from Rosetta Stone, such as the FBI, Virginia Tech, all Florida and Georgia public schools, the naval base in California and more. Some of the language courses that Berlitz sells, are actually Tell Me More courses, with Berlitz's name on the box and a much higher price.

  Tell Me More has 3 French learning packages; a basic package with 2 levels, an intermediate package with 5 levels and the complete package with 10 levels. If you buy the 2 or 5 level packages, you can choose any of the 10 levels that you want. So, if you are not a complete beginner, you can buy the 2 level package and start at level 3, 4 or higher. If you buy the 5 level package, you can also choose any 5 levels that you want.

  The first 2 levels are basic vocabulary, some sentences and basic conjugation of common verbs. Levels 3 - 5 are designed to make you intermediate fluent and build on vocabulary. Levels 6 - 10 are advanced fluency, have business related terms and have you writing complete paragraphs and speaking complete conversations.

  They have an advanced speech recognition that listens to you speak and shows you how to speak with the correct French accent.

  Yes, Tell Me More has a 24/7 on-line chat, where you can ask both language and technical questions.

  But here is what really sold me...

  I called their office in the US and said I had some questions about their French language course. I was transferred to a young lady, who spent 31 minutes with me, explaining their course, answered by questions comparing them to other language courses and then she told me the most amazing thing:

        She told me, that she is an "instructor" and that "if I ever have a questions about

        the language, the use of terms, or anything else, I should call her and she will help

        me". A real person, in real time!

  Tell Me More has a 90 Day full refund Guarantee. Your best value is with the 10 level package, but if money is an issue, start with the 5 level. Don't tell them I said this, but that means you can buy the 5 level package, use it for up to 90 days, and then call them, tell them that you want to return it for a full refund against the price of the 10 level package, and they will give you a full credit of the 5 level package against the 10 level package. (Don't waste your time with the 2 level. You'll blow through that and quickly want more.)

Update April 2009:

I just went to Tell Me More's website and saw that they are having a sale. Check it out by clicking this link instead of the regular home page.

TELL ME MORE Performance French Language Learning Software

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