Rapid French: Volume 1

By: Earworms Learning

Narrated by: Marlon Lodge

Length: 1 hr and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Earworms mbt© is a revolutionary accelerated learning technique that takes the hard work out of learning.

By listening to these specially composed melodies with their rhythmic repetitions of French and English a few times, you pick up over 200 essential words and phrases that will not just be on the tip of your tongue, but will be burned deeply into your long-term memory in next to no time.

If you like music, and want to make rapid progress without any formal knowledge of language learning, earworms mbt© Rapid French is the course for you.

Volume 1 is your survival kit of essential words and phrases to get you by on your trip abroad. Volume 2 will have you talking about yourself, past, present, and future, expressing your opinions, chatting, and flirting (who knows?).

This audiobook also comes with a free booklet to accompany the course which you can download by clicking on this link. Free booklet

You will feel you are learning within minutes and might just be amazed by how easy acquiring a language can be!

©2005 earworms mbt (P)2005 earworms mbt

A pleasant kickstart and review

I recently tried Rapid German: Volume 1 and was so pleased I immediately picked up Rapid French: Volume 1 and Rapid Spanish: Volume 1. I'm starting to deal with many new countries in my job, and this series promises to make coping with the language transitions much more pleasant.

This program covers your basic "Tourist French" - no serious grammer or massive vocabulary lists. What's unique about the program is that the lessons are set to background music and feature speakers with very pleasant voices. Even though you are still basically listening and repeating simple phrases, the music and the pace really relieve the tedium.

I've been working on my French for a few years, and often need (and dread) a quick refresher. This program helped my brain switch back into french mode in a little over an hour. Some people may not like the music or the format, so I recommend that you listen to the audio preview before you buy to see if this is the program you're looking for.

28 of 28 people found this review helpful

Also Good Fun...

I think the other reviewers are right on with their reviews. However, I am so excited about this listen that I couldn't help but add my 2 cents. While I speak 2 other languages besides English, I never find learning a new language painless -- or more importantly fun. But as I visit Paris quite frequently, and have yet never mangaged to pick up a word of French, I decided to download this (based mostly on the recommendations of the other reviewers) and give it a try before my next visit. I wholeheartedly agree that this is a painless and fun way to learn basic conversational French. The phrases are spoken over a music track (which really helps keep your attention and the phrases in your mind) in a dialouge format (between an English speaker learning basic French and a French speaker) and the chemistry between the speakers is engaging. What I also found useful was that the English speaker sometimes makes mistakes in pronounciation which are corrected by the French speaker and this made me feel both less worried about making mistakes and better able to hear that I was making similar mistakes in pronounciation. This is truly a fun and useful listen and I give it 5 stars up.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

An innovative approach to learning a new language

With my holiday to Paris fast approaching and absolutely no knowledge of the French language, I went searching for a technique that would enable me, in a very short time, to understand and speak basic French.

Thankfully, I found Earworms Learning and at the rate I am learning Rapid French (Vol 1), am already confident I will be ready to move onto Rapid French (Vol 2) before I travel to Paris.

This innovative technique takes the listener through a number of ‘songs’ – background music to a series of phrases spoken in a repetitive, rhythmic fashion. The combination of music and words seems to embed the phrases into the listener’s memory thereby accelerating the learning process. Supporting the spoken word is a booklet which outlines each of the phrases in English and French as well as phonetically to help with pronunciation. For me, this booklet has also greatly assisted my learning by providing a visual connection to each of the phrases.

Not only am I excited about travelling to Paris for the very first time, but am now also very keen to try out my new language skills with the locals.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Totally Painless

I have tried many language audio programs, and I have been disappointed in almost all cases. This one, however, I cannot get enough of. I actually enjoy listening to it over and over, and it really does burn the words and phrases into your memory. The speakers not only have very pleasant voices, they have a chemistry together that is very appealling, and along with the background music the first word that comes to mind is sexy - not something ordinarily associated with language programs! This is well worth your money and more importantly, your time. I'm so impressed I can't wait for volume 2.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Love it!!

Learning to music- what a great concept! In two days I've already learned some very valuable sayings that I'll be able to use in Europe. I ordered French 1&2, and Italian 1&2 and am excited to learn. The voices are nice and easy to listen to and the soft music makes learning so much easier. The book that comes along with is an incredible help! Thank-you for making learning so much fun! I play it while walking my dog and find myself dancing down the street!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Rapid French, Volume 1

I ordered this audiobook before our upcoming trip to France, and I am happy that I did. It is effective and enjoyable learning. The music integration is quite innovative. The accompaning booklet is a must, and the instructions are helpful. Overall, I do recommend this audiobook.
This is the only book I have reviewed from Audible.com,and I am already impressed by their work. I just wished I had more time to review more.
Thank you.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Rapid French: Volume 1

This was a very helpful CD. I was going to France in one week.... I learned enough key phrases to get me through the basics. I liked the music with the words, in the sense that they help with the flow and the cadence of the phrases. I highly recommend it. I did not learn all of the CD in a week, but a lot more that some other tapes I had tried to listened to. If you have a month you really will be satisfied.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable language re-learning

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! I was looking to brush up my tourist French and this was wonderful to listen to. Relaxing but helped refresh my accent and vocabulary.

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure whether it would as work as well for someone with no French background. For me, looking to renew my high school French, it was great.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

For a quick trip, a quick way to learn French

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The earworms books use music and social play to engage your brain and make learning French more interesting. You will only learn a limited number of phrases but they will all stay with you. This series was developed by someone who really understands how to engage the elements of human memory. I'd recommend 2 and 3 as well and I bought all three in Spanish for my son, though he has already surpassed this level of Spanish.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great Introduction

If you are a lover of all music this will be a great start for the the love of music and French.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

complimented on my French!

I've played this audiobook many times now, for obvious reasons, and never found it irritating or the need to shout 'Get on with it'. No.. I admit to getting in the rhythm and singing back the responses. The results have been effective, tried and tested with confidence in France.

16 of 16 people found this review helpful

Interesting format

Very good idea. Works very well in its execution with one problem. I am not sure whether I have picked that much french up.

One minute I am convinced I have and then I can't think of anything french to say.

I think that it is a problem with learning a language. I have tried to listen to some french after this and its very hard to follow.

It does work as a good introduction and I would recommend some free podcasts after this.

All in all get it - but dont imagine that you will be fluent in french at the end of it. ;)

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Great

I am one of those people who know the lyrics to music, not because I particularly like the song, but just because they are set to music, so this way of learning French really worked for me.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

teaches a few useful phrases

Pleasant to listen to, and I wound up knowing a few useful phrases. But it does not teach you how to speak French. It started slowly, but some of the sections were too rapid and I could not catch what was being said.

Fine for what it is.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Hooked!

I am hooked. I downloaded volume 1 and 2 of Italian, French & Spanish in order to brush up languages I had previously learned to varying degrees. I am already wondering what language to attack next! I travel a lot with work and have the audiobooks on as I'm driving around and am already memorising words and phrases that I'd either forgotten or never knew. I don't feel that I need a book, although I have downloaded the accompanying pdf files for reference. Almost everything I can pick up straight from the recording - just as language is acquired naturally by children - listening and repeating.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Different approach and seemed to work well with me

Found it strange at first but as a different approach it seemed to work well with me.

Fair

Great idea just a little bit too short in length. Maybe adding another chapter or two would help

Not worth bothering with. Do not waste your time and money.

Extremely laborious, slow, tedious and not worth spending any time on. The music is of the same level.

good way to learn!

You must listen a lot, but it does seem to work. I would be happy ordering in a restaurant or bar now, as book 1 will get me through a holiday.

Excellent

I used this to refresh my basic knowledge of the language and found the style easy to listen to. I remembered a lot of the phrases too, so would recommend. Also bought the second in the series.