Michel Thomas Advanced Review Course: German (Michel Thomas Series) |
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Author:
Michel Thomas
By Hodder Arnold
Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 9780340939024
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0340939028
Label: Hodder Arnold
Manufacturer: Hodder Arnold
Publication Date: 2006-09-29
Publisher: Hodder Arnold
Studio: Hodder Arnold |
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Brilliant, but avoid the Vocab Builder CDs..., 2008-04-01
In reply to a previous reviewer:
> I read in the accompanying booklet that there will be
> a Vocabulary course introduced in March 2007, 3 CD's
> providing over a 1000 words with Native speakers.
> This will be a very welcome addition.
It would have been, if it really HAD followed Michel Thomas'
teaching methods. Unfortunately, it didn't. It was more
like a "Learn German in Your Car" style learning method -
throw some vocab at you, then never use it agian. As soon
as you've heard it, you've forgotten it.
They obviously wanted the "1000 new phrases" selling point,
with no emphasis on you actually *learning* any of them, or
seeing how they are used.
So... DO buy this Advanced Course (which really IS Michel
Thomas) but avoid the Vocab Builder course.
 Less of a good thing, 2008-11-25
I found the Advanced German course very practical. Both that and the Foundation Course had a question-and-answer format which focuses on grammatical building blocks. Michel says a phrase and two learners have a go before the teacher gives the right answer. This package is exactly the same as the Advanced course but with the two learners' responses edited out. That's it, really. The result is obviously a more compact offering, and it works very well as a reminder of the points in the (admittedly quite long) full course. Not sure it would work independently, though, without the explanations. What distinguishes MT courses it that they are not a simple list of phrases; there is a feeling of progressive construction. This is now reduced back to a simple list of phrases with (due to the prompts being edited out) some idiosyncratic intonation. I'll be using it as a quick revision aid before a trip to Germany in a few weeks, but I suspect it is probably not much use without having done the other two courses.
Just Michel and you!, 2006-10-01
This programme is a one CD distillation of the 5 hour advanced course (see my review below this paragraph, as it covers the same material). The advanced course covers all of the tenses in the German language and gives you the opportunity to practise. It is fantastic! However, there was always a problem that when you came to review the material you had to listen to the two students thinking out their answer (as the tapes were recorded real-time and not scripted). The editing process has removed the two students and just leaves Michel asking a question in English and then giving the answer in German. It is a fantastic resource for really over learning this material so that it becomes second nature and will improve your fluency. A recommendation to buy.
This is probably the best language of Michel's as he possessed a native German accent (he lived there from childhood) so you will be following an excellent model for pronunciation.
I read in the accompanying booklet that there will be a Vocabulary course introduced in March 2007, 3 CD's providing over a 1000 words with Native speakers. This will be a very welcome addition.
Advanced Course Review:-
This follow-on from the 8 hour course and two hour language builder course has lived up to expectations, it is excellent!
As the name of the course suggests it is designed for students that have either completed the first courses or acquired a grounding in German through other means. If you are an absolute beginner you should come back and purchase this course when you have picked up the basics, its not for you yet.
Michel uses the same technique as the 8 hour course, two students (one male and one female) and himself. The students are different from the 8 hour course, they make very few mistakes. The benefit is that when listening to the course again you will not continually have to wait for the mistakes of others to be corrected.
There isn't much new vocabulary in the course but what you do get is a thorough analysis and chance to practice quite advanced German grammar .
There is a small booklet that accompanies the course but there is no more than a summary of the course content on each disc so if you are looking for a written explanation of the grammar you would be better buying Madrigals Magic Key to German by Margarita Madrigal (OUT OF PRINT but worth it if you can find it!). To be honest I think this is a good companion for anyone listening to these discs as all of the tenses described by Michel are included in here along with more written practice exercises. In fact the method used in both Michel Thomas and Margarita Madrigal is very similar.
A word of warning for those looking for advanced vocabulary, there is not much in here. If you are familar with German grammar then you should buy other materials to improve your vocabulary but for intermediate learners this course is definitely good value for money and should be high on your list of German materials to buy!
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