Tell Me More French Premium Version 7 [Old Version]

I almost did not get this product after reading some of the reviews, but Rosetta Stone was boring and did nothing for me. So, I gave this a try. I agree with the reviewers who say the documentation is weak. It does jump right in and can be discouraging at first. But, once I figured out how to use it, it is great. I love the way it leads you to the grammer, pronouncation and translations. I am going to have fits with verbs, but that's me.I have finished about half of "Complete Beginner" and actually feel I have it down. The various learning modules really help in and out of context. Hearing a word or phrase and having to type it out is the toughest, and most helpful, drill I have come across. The ablility to practice pronouncing words and phrases with feedback have me speaking well enough to be understood by a lovely french lady I happen to know.I recommend this product, as it is working for me. Just take your time when starting out, press "translation" to see the english portion, and click on "words" to get any word to practice it alone. It slowly builds understanding and usage at a comfortable pace. One more note. Do not get overwhelmed when looking at grammer/verbs. It gives a complete explanation and can be too much at once. Just get the part you need and move on. I promise you, you will be visiting this section a lot, over and over (at least I do). I still hate irregular verbs in any language.UPDATE Sept. 27, 2008. I have now finished "Complete Beginner" and "Beginner". I am 3/4 the way through "Intermediate". I still recommend this product. In fact, I have contacted the manufacturer to upgrade to the 10 CD version (no update available, but they gave me a discount to purchase it outright).My french is progressing at a nice pace. I have enough of it in my head to feel comfortable in getting by in France. Talking with people is so much easier then talking to the computer. I thought it would be the other way around, as the computer will use the same words over and over, but the face-to-face allows gestures, pointing, slowing down, etc. So much easier to be understood.One of the things I suggested for future releases is the ablility to slow down the computer to really hear the words. Auralog did respond to my suggestions. They commented that the reason they did not include this feature is to allow the student to hear french at a normal speaking pace. Slowing it down would be counter-productive. Well, OK. I did not think of that. It is true that I am becoming comfortable "at speed" and sometimes slow talkers (happens when they figure out you are new at it) are actually harder to understand.I am happy with my progress so far. The program does work. I have been told I have a "slight American accent" and the effort I have put into the language is noticable. I do not know if people are being nice to a beginner, but I am happy, and can be understood.

I just started with the TellMeMore French course and looks good so far. I'd say that the speech recognition is the weakest point of the software, other than that everything's just fine.

Absolutely useless for the beginner. Totally confusing. It assumes a knowledge of French even at the outset. A ridiculous waste of money.

Here's where I'm coming from. I've spoken French since I was 5. My Mother was French. My relatives are French. I've studied French literature in college. I've spent time in France and in French speaking countries. I am a certified high school teacher.My knowledge of grammar and my pronunciation were suffering from lack of use, and I wanted a computer-based program to practice French. Since I have a daughter who would like to learn French, the program needed to include all levels - beginning, intermediate, and advanced. I bought both the  Rosetta Stone French Level 1-3 Set  program and "Tell Me More." In my opinion, Rosetta Stone can't compare to the instruction in "Tell Me More," which is far superior in all aspects. I love "Tell Me More," and actually work through the lessons for fun and relaxation.To be honest about "Tell Me More," the other reviewers are correct in stating that the technical components are difficult to set up, and the manual is not very detailed. However, the technical support is excellent. You call technical support or write to them. They call you and talk you through the issue or do a remote session on your computer. The technicians are knowledgeable and competent. Once you deal with the voice recognition set-up, it's all wonderful!Rosetta Stone makes me crazy. They use photos and ask you to put labels on the pictures or choose the right picture for the phrase - over and over and over and over. Even if you know the phrase, it is easy to choose the wrong picture because it is unclear or because your brain is addled from working the same phrases over and over and over and over . . . That is NOT fun. I hate it. When you know something, it doesn't matter. The program doesn't recognize that you know it and advance. I REALLY hate it. In "Tell Me More," after finishing an exercise, you immediately know if it's correct. There is a green signal and an encouraging sound. If your answer is incorrect, there is a red signal, a discouraging sound, and you can see the correct answer. The best part is that, unlike Rosetta Stone, it is intelligent enough to advance to the next exercise.Auralog, which makes "Tell Me More" language programs, has offices all over the world but is based in Paris. The program uses native speakers of different genders and ages, a very useful technique. The French is so clear and perfect it is a pleasure just to listen to it.The websites for Rosetta Stone and Auralog show the difference between the methods and companies. Rosetta Stone gives you about 3 pages of information about the program and a short, about 10 minute, demo. Auralog offers a 1-week trial of its on-line course, at any level and for any audience.Auralog creates language software for consumers, businesses, governments, homeschoolers, libraries and schools (language labs). The lessons are designed for all purposes, economic, political, travel, and more. They address students at all levels - primary, secondary and university level.In the intermediate portion of the program, which I am now using, there are 12 topics: family; speaking about yourself; spelling and counting; time and dates; objects and animals; adjectives; arriving in France; meeting people; in Paris; finding your way when traveling; talking about your work; and working on your computer. Each topic has 12 activities in 5 categories: culture, vocabulary, grammar, oral and written. Activities are: dialogue; sentence pronunciation; word pronunciation; phonetics exercise; word/picture association; word searches; word association; the right word; fill-in-the-blanks; words and topics; words and functions; mystery phrase; crossword puzzles; sentence order; dictation; written expression; and videos with questions. If you start an activity and tire of it, you can change to another activity and return to the first later. The program retains your progress and shows the percentage of correct answers.The speech recognition is particularly useful. In sentence practice, you can repeat the sentence. If that is too difficult, you can break it down and practice word-by-word. It displays pitch and wave forms. You can repeat and also listen to your recording. This is very effective.In short, I find "Tell Me More" to be interesting, comprehensive, effective and fun.