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I tried this product with rusty GCSE Spanish and found it a great
revision session. This Michel Thomas pack, the 'Language Builder',
contains 2 CDs and a pocket-sized vocabulary book containing everything
that is covered during the course. This is useful because it allows
you to see how the words are spelt so you will be able to recognise
them in written form when you are in the country. It is designed
to follow on from the 8-hour Michel Thomas Spanish pack or can simply
be used as a revision tool for someone who already has a little
knowledge of Spanish.
The great thing
about Michel Thomas is that he breaks down the language step-by-step
to make things simple. He explains how sentences are constructed
by translating them literally into English or relating the new word
in Spanish to an English one. This way it makes the new vocabulary
and structure easier to remember, particularly for those who are
learning a language for the first time. I use the term 'remember'
loosely because part of Michel's technique is to make you 'recall'
through logic rather than to 'remember'. He tries to emphasise that
there is no mystery and that anything new can be explained and broken
down simply.
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The
great thing about Michel Thomas is that he breaks down the
language step-by-step to make things simple.
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As a female learner one of the main problems I found was the constant
use of the masculine form when giving examples. Women trying to
learn will not be so comfortable with feminine forms and would need
extra practise after this course. He mentions the feminine form
and reminds you that it exists but definitely not enough to realise
where you are going wrong. He tends to focus on sentence structure
rather than essential vocabulary and although structure is very
important, you would also need to put in some of your own work on
vocabulary if you were to go to Spain on holiday or to work, otherwise
you wouldn't be able to buy train tickets, meals etc. with confidence.
A difference
between this and the 8-hour pack is that there are no students to
listen to. While the first 8 hours is a 'virtual classroom' setting
where you are the third student can be really helpful at first,
the Language Builder CDs just contain Michel Thomas speaking which
personally I think helps you to learn at a quicker rate. Hearing
where the students go wrong the first time is interesting, but to
hear their mistakes a second time round is quite boring and it is
quicker just to let Michel do the talking.
A problem for
me was that only the formal 'you' is used so people like myself
who are trying Michel Thomas for reasons other than formal speech
will not be familiar with the use of the informal address and will
end up using the formal 'you' with close friends. I think it would
be better to have both forms in order to demonstrate a concept that
we don't have in English and to cater for students who are learning
for familiar speech.
All is all,
it is definitely a good next step if you have got basic grounding
in the language and the booklet with this pack is a handy reference
guide. It's a shame there is no continuation after this because
it all stops when you feel like you're getting somewhere. Michel
has a great technique and the fact that it is completely audio is
great for someone who has little time to sit down and study. After
a few listens it will definitely make a difference to your confidence
in the language.
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Michel
has a great technique and the fact that it is completely audio
is great for someone who has little time to sit down and study.
After a few listens it will definitely make a difference to
your confidence in the language.
|
Click
here for more information about all Michel
Thomas Spanish language courses.
Michel Thomas is the world-famous language guru, who has taught
the stars to speak another language in record time. He has taken
his ground-breaking audio-only technique and put it on CD and cassette
for us all to enjoy. There is a beginner
8-hour Michel Thomas language course available in French, German,
Italian and Spanish and then a follow-on intermediate
2-hour Michel Thomas Language Builder available in the same
languages. He has recently released Michel
Thomas Advanced language courses in French, German and Spanish.
Click here for more information about all Michel
Thomas language courses.
Click
here for more information about the best and most innovative Spanish
language courses.
If
you require any further information, please contact
us.
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