Perfect French with the Michel Thomas Method (MT) by Thomas, Michel (2011)

I studied French at school, but Michel Thomas method is unbelievable! As someone put it, I learnt more for few months listening to CD's then for several years at school. But, having that base from school did help with understanding his method much better. I really love his approach. I bought his Total French method, this one and also Vocabulary one - Master Class. Will review the last one once I listen completely (got it few days ago).I loved all CD's but the very last ones when people from company are doing vocabulary instead Michel Thomas. I know they meant well, but Thomas Michel would probably turn upside down for some of the practices they use in teaching us new words. I did not liked it. But, I am giving 5 stars because I believe it is well spent money, I really enjoyed and still go back to CD's with past tenses.

I had used and really liked previous Michel Thomas Series I'd bought- Total French (in which CDs 1-3 were Speak French and 4-7 were Total French). This series - Perfect French had 4 CDs of Advanced French and 5 CDs of Vocabulary Builder French. The first 4 CDs have Michel Thomas and 2 students. The 2 students are non-native speakers but certainly more advanced than the 2 students in the previous students. The first 4 Advanced French CDs have all the qualities I have come to like about Michel Thomas - witty and engaging presentation and silly but effective mnemonics. He dwells at length on the past forms as well as subjunctive. The next 5 Vocabulary Builder CDs don't have Michel Thomas but a different non-native speaker and 2 native speaking students. This is much faster and no-frills than the ones delivered by Michel Thomas. However this being more about vocabulary, I felt that it didn't really need his touch and I was more than happy to absorb all that these had to offer. All in all, I am very satisfied with my purchase and would highly recommend it.

Such a great method. I've studied French many times, trying different methods. This is the first one where you really learn to "think it out". Instead of brain overload with tons of memorization, with this method, I find myself recalling things and learning things in a much more organic way - like you do when you're a kid. Was just in Paris and enjoyed the moments of understanding, and communication. Am continuing on with everything in this system with the aim of becoming more fluent.

If you have a decent foundation in French (a couple of years of high school French or something similar) this set of CDs can be most helpful. The pace is brisk and the instruction uses most of the verb tenses in compound sentences. However, the course has helped me greatly. Forces me to speak and get my English-speaking tongue around the French pronunciations. I spend a few months each year in France and I plan to use this as my warm-up now and into the future.

I agree with the other reviewers, only the first 4 CDs are actually Michel Thomas. However, those 4 CDs are worth the price of the set. His method is the best. I have been taking classes at a cultural center for over a year and it wasn't until I got the Michel Thomas sets (I started with the first set), that I really started to catch on. These CDs have vastly improved my comprehension and pronunciation.

The CD labeling is profoundly sloppy and problematic for customers who rip the files to play on a portable player.- The naming is inconsistent making it difficult to identify the lessons and to make a play list.- Some of the discs have the same names as discs from the Total French so that those files are over-written by Windows Media PlayerNote the names stored on the disc titles:-----Perfect Franch [Disc 1] ... {“Franch”?! Perfect indeed!}Unknown Album (23/07/2011 10:51) Disc 2 ... {Unknown to Hodder & Stotten?!}Michel Thomas Disc 3Michel Thomas Disc 4Speak French Disc 1 ... {Vocabulary Disc 1; it will over-write Disc 1 from “Total French”}Speak French Disc 2 ... {Vocabulary Disc 2; it will over-write Disc 2 from “Total French”}French Vocabulary (Disc 3) ... {Vocabulary Disc 3}Review ... {contains no review material, only setup utilities}-----I'm confident the training content is great, but it takes hours to get it all loaded onto a player due to the sloppy naming. The same sloppiness was evident with the Total French CD's.

I have purchased other Michel Thomas French CDs. His precise translations and ability to equate those to English were both charming and useful. Most CDs give the overall meaning of a phrase, without breaking it down. Michel Thomas, in breaking down the parts of a phrase, gives you the tools to use the words in other contexts. He draws connections to English that help in usage and memorization. Half of the CDs in this collection do not feature Mr. Thomas, however, instead, they revert to glossing-over translations so prevalent elsewhere. The woman recorded invokes his name often, but does not use his techniques. At $75, I was very disappointed.

I admit that this very expensive set does say "Michel Thomas" and 'method' in smaller print on the cover. I bought it mistakenly thinking it was Thomas himself doing the teaching but it is a woman with an incredibly irritating little voice. So irritating in fact that I have given up on the course entirely! I may have another bash one day but after being subjected to the dreadful American woman on Michel Thomas's first course, I believed that it would just be the man himself but I was wrong. Nowhere does it even state the name of the woman giving the course which is strange.....

An excellent continuation of the first course, challenging but not too challenging.

Really good service and product. Arrived in good time, and turned out to be a whole set of all the courses, not just the ones I had ordered. The Michel Thomas method is amazing. I've wanted to learn French for ages but didn't know how to go about it. I always forgot things as soon as I'd read them, but this way really does work.

We have tried several French courses but without doubt Michel Thomas is the very best system of learning and the best teacher. The recordings were made some years ago with less than state-of-the-art equipment so that the sound quality could be better, but this is a very minor snag,

Gréât product. Arrived quickly and well packed. Would use again.