Rosetta Stone French Reviews
Level 1, 2 & 3 Set (322 Reviews)
The Complete french set will enable you to fully express your ideas and opinions in french and master the conversational skills required to plan adventures, care for your health, and move abroad.
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French Level 1, 2 & 3
322
322
It does not work. It is way over priced. I wasted my money.
February 20, 2013
Learning for fun
I bought levels 1-5 french. I have been self studying for 10 months when i decided to buy rosetta stone. I really like the program. it has become a little addictive for me. I like that you can pause the learning sessions after each grouping. this allows you to really look at the differances in grammer and spelling, which is important to get you through the spelling sections that come up. the spelling part is very difficult. however going over it over and over till you get it right really makes it stick in your memory. there are also games that you can play that are really fun. you can play them alone or with someone else. but I find it dificult to actually find someone else to play them with when I am online. there are game nights, although I have not been able to try out game night becouse of my work schedule. the program also has reward stamps that you get in your profile to show what you have accomplished. however I have noticed that I did not recieve one that I earned. ( a little disapointed by that). but I really do feel that my efforts to learn french have progressed much quicker and more thouroghly than before. I definatly recomend this software to anyone looking to learn anouther language.
October 6, 2012
Cool program overall, but with some obstacles
Rosetta Stone is a pretty good program that helps you retain the language in a fun way. Right now I'm almost done French level 3, and the program is very effective at keeping me engaged. I'm impressed with how I can walk around applying my new vocabulary to most of the everyday objects I encounter.
The two major complaints I have are the speech recognition and the writing sections. The speech recognition is okay with single words, but with whole sentences, it is difficult to get it right unless you pronounce each word one at a time. That can feel awkward.
The writing sections are very unfair, especially for a language like French. The audio/visual sections give you some wiggle room, but if you don't write exactly what the program expects you to have memorized before, the whole item is marked incorrect. The program seems to make arbitrary choices regarding some minor grammar. And with only 10 or so items per writing section, this can get very frustrating.
Despite these obstacles, RS is still a great program, so I will still continue to level 4 and beyond.
February 13, 2012
Good and bad
I started this language learning experience with one year of college French years ago. The course seems intuitive and is fairly easy to follow. I can't imagine how someone with no background in French could do it. I have consistently gotten 0 percent on every writing test and see no improvement. I need to call the consultants for advice. It is very nice listening to French after 20years. I am just beginning so am not sure how much I can review at this time. I am Very disappointed that I bought this course two months ago and now you can get five levels for what I paid for three. I think the saleswoman should have made that clear to me that if I waited I could get the whole course cheaper.
April 27, 2011
Challenging
Although I like the challenges of learning with this program, the combo of visual with audio can be risky. While listening to the CD audio in the car, as recommended for practice, I was trying to envision in my mind the scenes from the program. I almost got into an accident! Now I only listen in the house!
I have not found my language for support on the 'schedule' tab so this has been frustrating. I will have to call them.
The iPhone/iPod app doesn't seem to load permanently, so when out of wifi it is only available part of the time. This is unnecessary as it should not be wifi dependent.
I have yet to become a believer, but I'll keep trying!
April 15, 2011
Work Benefits
I work with a group of people where English is not the first language. I found that using Rosetta Stone I was immediately able to communicate better with them and the more of their language I was able to speak, the more relaxed they were using English. We have both improved our work relationships and social skills by using Rosetta Stone. Thank you for developing such a great program. I have used other programs and none of them let me learn & speak the language so quickly.
April 9, 2011
It Really Works!
During a recent trip to St. Martin (French side of island), I was able to put some of my Rosetta Stone-acquired skills to the test. I asked questions (in French) and was met with rapid-fire responses from the locals every time! I had to explain that I didn't understand them speaking so fast because my French was basic (I had just started Level 2 at the time of my trip) and was told that I sounded like a native speaker. Being able to gracefully attempt speaking a country's language definitely ingratiates one to their host, and I was able to do so.
Whenever a friend, colleague or stranger (I travel for work, so I meet a lot of people!) mention they wish they could learn another language, I ALWAYS tell them about Rosetta Stone and explain the method of the program. The best new function is the live chat with a native speaker. This helps to overcome the fear of "breaking out" a new language into a real conversation without feeling self-conscious or embarrased. I wish I had more time in the day to learn more languages. I wish Rosetta Stone could have an in-person "Boot Camp" training for a few days!
Merci beaucoup! J'aime Rosetta Stone!
April 8, 2011
Learning French
Rosetta Stone is effective. I am only through Lesson 1 and can make myself understood and communicate with native speakers. Of course it's only in present tense so far, but I'm making quick progress.
April 7, 2011
Enjoying my journey!
I invested into learning a new language (French) for personal development, and I couldn't be happier. I was told how difficult French was to learn and although it's true, I have learned a lot in the few weeks that I've had the program and appreciate the attention that I've been receiving from the Rosetta Stone staff. I love the ability to self-pace, and have even taken to writing new words on index cards and testing myself later. I have had a few interactions with native speakers in Simbio and enjoyed being able to feed off their fluency and lend them mine. I've reached a point where I am bothered by the thought of failing to learn more rapidly or progress further, but I'm looking forward to picking up where I left off, reviewing previous lessons, and making the most of the program!
April 7, 2011
Simple Learning Style
I could not believe how easy it was to catch on to the new material! The mixture of learning vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation increases how fast you remember the material.
April 7, 2011
beware families
The product is great, however, we bought the program for my family to learn French before a trip this summer. We loaded it on the computer and all of us have been taking turns. However for us to use the iphone app, you only get access for one user. You must pay 25 per month, per person to use the app. So for a family of 4, thats an extra 75.00 a month extra. without use of the app, we are left fighting over the home computer.
March 28, 2011
Better than a live group class
I've studied languages on and off for years but even "intensive" classes that meet every day don't match up to the personalized experience of Rosetta Stone. Not only can I squeeze in concentrated and productive study time whenever I have a few minutes during the day or evening, I just love the live sessions with native speakers. There have never been more than three students in any of my sessions, and all of the instructors have been excellent at working with everyone in the group.
November 8, 2010
Rosetta Stone Totale version 4
Being over 50, I thought I wouldn't be able to learn a new language. I have tried in the past with no avail. My mother's health is failing and she is from France. Her sister's and brother's are there also, so I am hard put to get this under my belt so I can converse with them to let them know what is happening with their sibling. I also hope to one day go to France and visit them. I am amazed at my progress and how much I retain. I love it!!
November 8, 2010
Not happy with voice recognition
Just started Rosetta Stone today. I'm taking French in college right now so much of the beginning units are easy to me. So far, Rosetta Stone is entertaining and helpful.
The one problem I have is with the voice recognition. It will tell me I'm incorrect before I even say anything. Additionally, it took me about 20 attempts to pronounce "fille" when I was saying it exactly right each time, and that's just one example. I would suppose any sort of voice recognition system might be glitchy, so I can not fault Rosetta Stone, but still, it does get rather frustrating at times.
July 2, 2010
It Delivers!!
It is so refreshing to order a product which delivers on exactly what it promises. I am currently hosting a French foreign exchange student, and this program has been immensely beneficial. Thanks Rosetta Stone!
April 29, 2010
French 1, 2, 3
I am utilitizing Rosetta Stone and it really does work. I (try) to study daily 30-45 minutes a day (in the beginning it was 60 minutes daily). I also listen to the practice sessions on my ipod. The repetitive learning method really does work! Now, if only Rosetta Stone had an iPad app, I might be up to lesson 4 or 5 by practicing during lunch!
April 23, 2010
Fun way to learn
I have always wanted to learn French, but as a full-time medical student and new father, I don't have time for traditional language classes. With Rosetta Stone, I can tailor the learning experience around my busy schedule. I am amazed at what I have been able to learn in just a few short months.
April 22, 2010
The BEST language learning experience. Period.
I have taken French classes since I was in Elementary School. (I am only 14) Last year, I bought Rosetta Stone Levels 1,2, and 3. I felt that the classes that I was taking weren't enough. I had hoped for a very long time, and still do, to become extremely fluent and live in France for the rest of my life. I am almost finished with level one, and I have already learned (I've kept track) exactly 426 individual words, and can remember all of them. My French pronunciation and vocabulary has greatly improved. I recommend this software for any language.
April 17, 2010
Already Reading the Bible in French
My wife and I have long known about Rosetta Stone's reputation as the best language learning system apart from getting a really good native tutor or living in an immersion setting. However, we held back from buying a program for many years because of tight finances and busy schedules. Eight months ago, we finally jumped for French 1,2,3 when it was on sale, and we're glad we did.
My wife had given up on French 15 years after doing poorly in a college class, and she wanted to give it another try. Within two months she not only surpassed the level she had gained in the college class but felt motivated to continue and confident that she can become fluent. She doesn't have much time to work with the program, but she sometimes sits down with Rosetta Stone when she wants to reward herself for accomplishing an unpleasant job.
I need learn French as a prerequisite for a post-graduate program. My primary goal is reading fluency, but I want to learn proper pronunciation from the start so that I won't need to re-learn it latter. Pronunciation is extremely important for learning vocabulary, morphology, and grammar. Therefore, I've set Rosetta Stone's speech recognition setting to the highest possible level, and I keep trying to get a phrase right even if it takes 15 minutes.
(Sometimes I wonder if I'm up against a glitch in the speech recognition technology, but often I discover a nuance of French pronunciation that I hadn't noticed before. Once I correct my pronunciation, the speech recognition technology tends to be more inclined to let me move on. My wife thinks I'm crazy. She's left the program at the recommended settings and skips any phrase that she can't get in several tries.)
I feel that my patience has been rewarded rather quickly because I'm already reading the Bible in French. Even though I don't know every word or every grammatical construction, I'm able to figure out most things from context, with a dictionary and grammar book to help out when necessary. I've also started to notice that many product labels have French translations--and that I can usually read them. Rosetta Stone has catapulted me through the tedious stages of language learning into the fun stages, and I can't believe I've arrived so quickly and painlessly.
Not only have I nearly reached my goal of reading fluency (at least with simple literature), but I'm also pretty confident that I have good pronunciation. Although living in an immersion setting would definitely be far better, I doubt that I would find a tutor with a computer's patience (and stubbornness) in demanding that I practice making difficult sounds until I have mastered them.
I find the program to be addictive, and so I've needed to limit myself to three lessons a day so that I won't neglect family and work responsibilities. Our five-year-old and three-year-old see us having so much fun with the program that they sometimes ask for a turn. Because, it's not designed for their age-level, they haven't gotten very far, but perhaps they'll make more progress once they learn to read.
Right now, my wife is half way through French 2, and I'm half way through French 3. We're dreaming of getting Rosetta Stone's German program next (another pre-requisite for my post-graduate program), and we've set aside money in our budget so that we'll be able to do it when we see another good sale. Even if we don't find a great sale, Rosetta Stone will still be much cheaper and much more convenient than a university class.
After I finish my post-graduate program, I hope to learn a few more languages, perhaps Arabic, Hindi, and Cantonese. Rosetta Stone makes it so easy that I think this may be a realistic goal.
On the negative side, in our Windows Vista operating environment, Rosetta Stone sometimes fails to start if we've been using Mozilla Thunderbird. We get Error 2123 and need to restart the computer to get Rosetta Stone to open. We were baffled by this error until we went to the support section of Rosetta Stone's web site. Now that we know what causes the error, it's not a big problem. Some friends have also experienced compatibility issues.
Also, although I would definitely recommend this program for someone in my situation, several friends who used it to prepare for living in Kenya were dissatisfied. They learned how to read Swahili but struggled with oral communication, perhaps because they were in a part of Kenya that uses a slang version of Swahili, perhaps because they were comparing Rosetta Stone with a native tutor, and perhaps because they were using an earlier version of the program. Definitely, the best way to learn spoken Swahili would be to live in a village with no other English speakers, but not all of us have that opportunity.
April 16, 2010
Great
I enjoyed learning and using Rosetta Stone from the moment I started it. Excellent pictures to highlight the language and very good interactive setup. The way it is presented makes the learner think about the language which opens the doorway to its retention.
April 14, 2010
Pleasurable learning experience
On the whole, I am very pleased with My RosettaStone experience. Since I am over 60, I didn’t have high expectations for learning a new language. But, when I do the reviews, I am surprised at how much I retain. I am probably learning as much as I did in my high school language class thanks to the calmer atmosphere and lack of peer pressure.
The educational method is carefully developed and the way that the material is presented in both visual and verbal form allows for several styles of learning. Gone are the long, dull lists of declensions and vocabulary to be memorized. The excellent photography and scoring method holds my interest and keeps the momentum going. The graphic design is clean and the interactive aspect has few glitches.
There are a few places where I might redesign were I developing the program. Sometimes it is difficult to tell from the photos what sort of response is required. Electronic voice recognition in is still in its infancy and applied to this program, is the weakest link. Sometimes I will receive a check mark for a long sentence even though I have mispronounced two words, and yet I will be marked wrong for one-word responses that I have used successfully with native speakers. I once got a check mark for clearing my throat!
All that being said, RosettaStone is the most interesting, pleasurable and comprehensive language program I have tried and I am excited to move on to level 2!
April 13, 2010
Made My Trip To Paris
My wife and I were planning a trip to Paris for our 40th wedding anniversary. I had taken French in school many years ago, but lost most of my vocabulary from lack of use. Using Rosetta Stone was a great way to get back some of my language proficienceny. I say "some" because I didn't complete the program in time before we left on our trip. What I did complete, however, was enough to help me communicate with the wonderful people we met in their own language, something they very much appreciated. I had a wonderful time. I was so excited, when I got home, I started in where I had left off to complete the program. I love the way the material is presented. It introduces new stuff all the time while constantly using and reviewing what has already been learned. This, in my mind as a former teacher, really helps with retention, even with an old guy like me. Seeing the pictures and interacting with the program is extremely effective. Thanks for bringing me back to my love of languages.
I have recommened Rosetta Stone to many people already and will continue to do so.
April 13, 2010
Better than a college course
I have taken French and German at the college level and one course for German in graduate studies. Learning French with Rosetta Stone is more thorough, organized, and effective.
What I discovered in my official classes: a native speaker with little teaching experience who basically serves as a pronunciation tutor.
What I discoverd with Rosetta: a product utilizing good technical teaching tactics that effectively instructs in the three most important areas for language learning (grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation).
April 13, 2010
Very easy
I found the system very logical and easy to use. Most importantly I was surpised by how much I retained from one lesson to the next. Rather than making a word-to-word association, I associate a word with an image so the language is more natural.
April 12, 2010
Enjoying a new language
I LOVE Rosetta Stone. It is the one way to learn a new language while actually enjoying the process.
Using Rosetta Stone is easy to do an always accessable to you so it is a win win for your needs and skill levels.
The best part is hearing yourself speaking a new language after a very short period of time! Having a converstation in French with my in-laws was one of the best moments in my life! Thanks Rosetta Stone!
April 12, 2010
Better than a group class
Compared to previous language courses that I have taken in a high school or college setting, I prefer the format of Rosetta Stone. In a group class it is often hard to focus on pronunciation, whereas with the Rosetta Stone format it is essential. Also I was able to move at my own pace. After completing the course and then traveling abroad, I was surprised at how much I could understand and that I was actually talking in another language -- and after such a short time. I have recommended this product to many others and I have completed the Italian course and am working on the French now. I hope to do Spanish next.
April 11, 2010
I'm doing it!
I enjoy the pace of the program. It is natural and not rote memorization. I've been able to keep to my learning schedule; going back to my computer every night. By level two I was walking around and naming things in French without thinking about it. I'm doing it!
April 11, 2010
Mad I didn't get it sooner
I never liked languages in school and I have never had the desire to learn one. But God changed that. He gave me the desire to learn French to have a impact on my mission trips, I am leaving on my 8th mission trip and I never been able to talk to them. I bought the French Level 1-3 in end of Jan. I am highly impressed with what I have learned and retained in only 2 months. I tell everyone that it is worth the money and some friends have went to buy a language because they now know that it works.
April 10, 2010
Worth the $$$
At first I was hesitant because of how expensive Rosetta Stone is, but my curiosity made me give it a try & I'm glad I did. I took French in high school & hated the cassette tapes & books. I struggled with it and never remembered anything. With Rosetta Stone I had fun & even if I didn't practice for some time, I still remembered everything I learned. I'm an artist, so everything is visual for me...as I listen to the lessons on my iPod, all the images come to me right away & I have no problems translating what I hear. Definitely worth the $$$
April 10, 2010
Never thought I'd learn another language
And I did!! After many years of procrastinating on taking a language class and wanting to learn French I decided to bite the bullet and purchase Rosetta Stone. It has been one of my best investments. It is fun and easy to use and I am enjoying practicing what I have learned with my colleagues in France. I highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn another language.
April 10, 2010
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