My French Coach Reviews

• Je parle français!

  
  By A3VBWZJ1BRMSQZ on 2007-12-19
  I moved to a French speaking part of Europe a few months ago and have been determined to learn French ever since. I enrolled in a university level course, hired a tutor, and try to practice at my local pub as much as possible.
  
  I was doing "OK" but then I heard about this title. I ordered it from Amazon and I have to say I am IMPRESSED! This is exactly the type of study program I needed. Unlike listening to straight audio (Berlitz Rush Hour French) the DS makes the process interactive. You get ranked (from enfant on up) based on your completion of the levels. The title has an excellent recording feature to let you record a word or phrase and then either listen to it alone, or play it back in unison with the French audio.
  
  The many games you must play to master words to unlock the levels are challenging, somewhat addictive, but fun. I try and play all of them on the DIFFICULT level as they make me work harder.
  
  But, it's not perfect:
  
  One glaring thing missing is they do not list the masculine or feminine identifiers for the verbs. That would have made this a perfect tool because the M Vs. F tense is still a killer for me as I try to weave sentences together.
  
  Also, they make a very strange error in that "Tu" or informal version of "You" is listed as "Formal" and the formal version "Vous" is listed as "Informal." That's a very blatant error.
  
  The dictionary is very limtied. For example, while it has the word for "puppy" there is no word for "dog." It also does not provide definitions, so you'll need a dictionary to ascertain the exact meaning of a word because as in English, a single word can have many different meanings.
  
  The audio and visual "phrase book" for social situations and traveling is probably worth the price of the game alone. It came in very hand on a recent trip outside Paris.
  
  I play this every morning for about between 10 - 15 minutes. It also helps pass time when I have to wait someplace, e.g., barber shop, car dealership, etc. My vocabulary is now over 500 words and even my French tutor (a very picky and precise Parisian) started recommending it to her other students.
  
  No matter what your level, from don't-have-a-clue-about-French to advanced level people who want to brush up on vocabulary, this title will be a useful training tool and a quality way to practice and brush up on existing French skills.
  
  I have to give UBI Soft and Nintendo credit for scoring another way to attract adults to the DS. Unlike a bulky laptop I can play this thing anywhere and that's what makes it so appealing. It really is a quality and inexpensive learning tool, but could be even better with a little tweaking in (hopefully) newer releases.
  
  
  
  My rating for this should be four and not five stars.
  
  

• Wonderfully educational & entertaining at the same time!!

  
  By A1J4W21AIGFAAC on 2007-11-24
  This is an absolutely wonderful title in the DS line up. I have been wanting to learn French for years, & finally I have a way to do it easily. I've used this multiple times now & it is very addicting & leaves me with a feeling that I've really learned something. I would DEFINITELY recommend this title.
  
  

• Excellent aide in learning a language!

  
  By A2K1H0ML6NZPB6 on 2007-12-17
  Ubisoft did a wonderful job with this game; it's a very well done learning tool. I do notice, however, that the instructor (a rather comely woman!!) does speak exceptionally fast and this may not be the case for all dialects of french. Additionally, there are other dialects of french (case in point, my in-laws are french and sometimes use different words or phrases than are taught here).
  
  Nevertheless, activities that assit with spelling, sentence building and conjugations are an invaluable addition. Having a conjugation chart is helpful and players can find themselves using the charts initially and then replaying the game without the chart. This is where real learning takes place. TRES BIEN!!
  
  The game is also entertaining. What is nice is that being "conversational", this reivewer did not start with lesson one. Upon commencing, the game gives a "pretest"; based on those results, the player will start at a level that is right for them. For example, I started around lesson 18. It's worth mentioning, however, that one can go back to the initial lessons and it is good to do so for review.
  
  For the price, it's a very good way to either learn a language at least conversationally and/or even sharpen language skills for those who are conversational or for those who took the language in school in years past. The reference section is very helpful for looking up both words and phrases.
  
  EXCELLENT tool for the cost!!
  
  

• Grammar Errors and More! Beginners need only to apply.

  
  By A1A1G5Y5D280ZA on 2008-01-07
  I had this game for 2 days and played it for a few hours...only to realize that it's a horribly made game.
  
  The grammar is never really touched upon, and the use of articles (critical in French) is overlooked almost completely. You are taught words like pastéque (watermelon) but are never taught that it's really "un pastéque", a masculine word.
  
  If you ever have a vocab word longer than 14 letters, then it won't show up in most minigames and you'll have to play other games to pick it up, and you have to if you want to go to the next lesson. I reached lesson 24 before I gave up on this silly game.
  
  

• very limited, mostly focused on vocabulary

  
  By ABJBDHC6PZ588 on 2008-02-12
  this is a decent game/edutainment title in terms of production and content, but it's severely limited. there are relatively few mini-games, and the focus is almost solely on vocabulary and short phrases. several verbs are introduced, but there's very little reinforcement and conjugation is never fully explained. after you get to lesson 35 or so the rest of the "1000" lessons consist of completely unrelated groupings of often useless vocabulary (e.g. "quarry"). there are tons of cognates (e.g. "cookie", which is the same in french) which could've been spaced out a little more, and there are numerous notable mistakes (e.g. one lesson skips over presenting half of the word list and still tests you on them, and there are places where a word is presented as the translation, but then a different word is used when quizzing). all in all this is a good, but def. not great, package. clearly a quick money-maker that with a bit more time and effort could've been truly indispensable.
  
  
• 8th Grader in ONE Day
  By A369CJWF6NLZD8 on 2007-12-26
  I have to admit that I'm addicted. I spent 6 hours Christmas Day playing this game. I was just going to take the pretest to see what I remembered from college, but after scoring into level 10 I was hooked. While the kids played with their new toys, I pecked away at this one. It took about 5-10 minutes per lesson and by bedtime, I'd completed level 80. It was a great review. My son who I originally bought it for will be lucky to do one lesson a day, but by the time we go to Quebec he should be able to understand a little. This game really is great for all ages and ability levels. Thanks for the review UbiSoft!
  
  
• You formal, You informal
  By A233BDVSIO7JFJ on 2008-01-24
  The game teaches Tu is the formal form of You. I'm rusty on my French but not the basics. Tu is the informal form of You, and Vous is the formal form of You. I'm sure others fluent in French verify that. I can't see how they messed up on that, as it is very basic.
  
  Simply google: french you tu vous. You will see other sources state that Tu is informal. The game teaches Tu as (fml.) when it should be (infml.)
  
  Probably not ideal to be learning to use the incorrect form of You when you visit France and talk to strangers but oh well. Vous will apply to most everyone: strangers, older people, waiters, store clerk, doctor, and anyone you don't wish to offend.
  
  Overall, I'd say it's ok as a supplemental activity to learning, but not as a main source. Best to look out for errors as you go along with the game, and check against another source. Otherwise it's fun as an activity involving French language.
  
  
• Stimulating
  By A22FAQLPUY1T1O on 2007-12-07
  This is an incredible learning tool. If you are looking for Nintendo DS "games" as learning tools or to get the brain stimulated this is for you. If you are a life long learner age 16 or 60 it's a great find.
  
  
• Clever and fun.
  By A3KHYPREG3SWN5 on 2007-12-30
  I love to learn new things. I also love video games. This game was a pleasant surprise. At first I wondered, can I really learn a language like this? But the games are addictive and the record and compare feature is fantastic. I learned German in High School and both Latin and Spanish in college and this game is helping me learn French faster and better than any of those classes. The real test will be my next trip to Belgium, but the translation dictionary feature is worth the price alone, even if I can't remember a thing I practiced!
  
  I only hope that more languages are added to this series. I would love to learn Chinese or Japanese next. Or brush up on one of the languages I already "learned".
  
  
• Mic Feature is Rare Tool
  By ALS0MQ6MPIKIP on 2007-12-11
  I wish the pre-test would have allowed me to skip a little further, as I have still not got past units I would consider review for myself. However, it IS excellent review, and true to its claims, it seems to have something to offer a range of learners--more advanced students may just have to go through some easy review before they get to more challenging material. The ability to use the microphone to test your pronunciation is a rare tool. It makes me want to get the Spanish version too, and start another language from scratch. Dare I hope that Italian, German, Japanese, might follow?
  
  
• Simply awesome
  By A1C0PQUYZUCHVI on 2007-12-28
  I bought this for my sister for Christmas and she absolutely loved it-so did I! I've never had a formal lesson in French but now I know over 140 words. I'd recommend this game to anybody.
  
  
• Great learning tool.
  By A1N8ABMHQVM0IT on 2007-12-07
  This is a great learning tool. I took three years of French, but forgot most of it. This game is refreshing my memory in a fun and easy way. I recommend it to anyone that wants to learn the language.
  
  
• My French Refresher
  By A2I778FB954O2G on 2008-05-29
  I purchased the game to help me review 4 years of high school French. I'm not sure if it would help a person just starting out but it does help review. Some of the games are useless and give too much credit towards mastering words but for the most part the oral and flash card challenges are good.
  
  
• Great!
  By A29AWQOESXNBE5 on 2008-01-12
  My 9 year old son wasn't keen on learning a new language but I knew that he loved using his Nintendo ds. I purchased "My French Coach" for Christmas and he loves it! Learning should be fun and this is a great way to introduce children to another language.
  
  
• a fun learning tool
  By A2KSCQ6O2OIMRY on 2008-01-30
  i bought this game because i wanted to brush up on my french i had learned in high school. i thought it would be cool to learn another language. this game makes learning the language fun.it takes things in baby steps; they give you maybe a dozen words to learn in a lesson. you don't move on to the next lesson until you have that lesson down. it even has a feature where the teacher says the word, then you record yourself saying it and play it back.
  
  
• Review & Learn
  By A1U1WCJA8LR59I on 2008-03-25
  The classes are very simple but you do learn new words and each new word is spoken in French so you can hear it. Then there are games to help you remember the new words you have used. Classes are only "unlocked" when you have mastered the words in the previous lessons. You can also play the games to master words which unlocks more lessons. Certainly great for reviewing French too if you had taken it in school.
  
  
• Learning made fun
  By A2JODP4SKFYP8K on 2008-05-06
  This game is helping me learn French with easy/fun games in just minutes a day. My only gripe would be that the voice compare function does not tell you if you are saying it correctly. So far, it's been great for word memorization.
  
  
• Learning really can be fun
  By A3FR259ORSZK5P on 2008-05-17
  Interested in learning a new language? Don't have the self motivation for tedious, long hours of study with audio tapes or books? You're in the right place :).
  
  Not only will you learn new things constantly but you won't even realize you're studying. Not only is this game very fun but very rewarding.
  
  I love this game and it's awoken a love of the French language in me.
  
  
• Excellent 1 on 1 coaching
  By A3G8Q15NOEW267 on 2008-06-13
  The games are great, lot of repetition, drilling and hearing the pronunciations are helpful. One of the recommendations that the game makes is that you also practice your new vocabulary outside of the game itself. It is not the easiest, but is worth the effort, especially when you start to understand the language.
  
  
• A Great Gadget!
  By A3PNBT8EU0H54E on 2008-07-29
  Not perfect, but a great gadget for review. My husband and I are enrolled in an elementary French class, and we also have bought language programs for our computers. My husband transferred the audio parts of the computer programs onto MP3s that we can listen to when we are out and about, but I found that this "My French Coach" makes a great additional gadget to review what I have learned.
  I am not so sure that a person could *learn* French this way, but it is a fun program.
  
  As far as am "on the go" translator/dictionary I have had trouble using it in the French class. It doesn't have everything! Still, I am finding it a nice additon to resources I already have.
  
  
• I've Never Spent so Much Time Learning
  By A2UM6T0D9F1DUX on 2008-08-12
  The lessons make sense, you can go at your own pace, and the mini-games used to reinforce the vocabulary are well thought out. I'm horrible at learning foreign languages, yet I feel I'm doing alright using this product. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this program will have me speaking French fluently any time soon, but it should make getting around France a little easier when I go.
  
  
• Good learning experience
  By ARPDSI1X7S0PB on 2008-08-29
  This game provides a good learning experience for the basics. It is possible to use it without gaining a great deal of French but with proper use it will give a good foundation. I will be studying French in France for 10 months and used this in combination with other tools to get a head start.
  
  
• Fairly good as a vocabulary builder
  By A3QQUW3J59KE0N on 2008-08-29
  My French Coach is fine for learning new words. Early on in the sequence there are some lessons that impart new concepts, but at some point, it seems to morph into nothing more than a vocabulary builder totally void of any grammatical concepts or lessons. That's fine I guess. I had hoped for at least some sort of rudimentary lesson structure to build upon throughout the many, many levels which one can progress. It can't hurt you to spend time with this game. Just don't expect too much in the way of improving your grammatical skills.
  
  
• awesome
  By A39L997UM0KB1L on 2008-09-16
  I love this game. Although when you use your stylus to write the letters, sometimes you can write the wrong letter and the game takes it as the right one. Other than that, this game is awesome and you do learn a lot of new words.
  
  
• Not bad, but the games are stupid and repetitive
  By AXYLAEIHD8549 on 2008-09-21
  The repetition of vocabulary is good, but the games are lame. One has you clicking on gophers that pop up out of holes, that's kind of pre-school. Since I have a 12 year old using the game to learn a second language it just seems infantile for both of us. The other game is a word search, but it gives you so little time to find the phrases, I ended up with tired eyes from having to scan so fast.(I also don't think that it helped me learn the language any better.) I thought the flash card games were better and saved me from having to sit there and painstakingly print out index cards.
  
  

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