Image from WikipediaRosetta Stone has really helped me continue learning French fast. I took a few French classes at the Alliance Française in Toulouse, but now I am on my own. Using Rosetta Stone, I can keep practicing and learning French.
Today I worked on Level 1, Unit 6, Lesson 10: Tout seul, plusieurs, une foule, des amis, la voix passive. My favorite part of Rosetta Stone is the typing and dictation part. The other elements are easy for me but the typing section really makes me think and learn. It will not mark something correct unless there is gender and plural agreement, accents are in the right places, capitals are correct, punctuation and spacing, and a whole host of other things that often language learners think of being outside of the actual process for learning a language.
The hardest part about Rosetta Stone is when a word is dictated and it sounds the same as many other words, for example gens, jeunes, jaune. It is hard to determine which French word to use just by sound so you have to think about the context. Even the context doesn’t give it away sometimes. Then you have to look for plural and gender agreement because, even though they are spelled differently, they often sound the same. This is what makes it hard to learn Frenc, many words sound so similar.
I will keep at it and I’m sure I’ll make progress. Ill try to keep track of the good and bad about using a language learning program to learn a language so you can decide if it is right for you.
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The typing and dictation part of Rosetta Stone is what makes it more valuable than other “learn French” courses, because, at least for me, hearing and understanding is the most difficult part. Though I do have to admit it seems that my French comprehension improves after a month or so in France.
Owen, the vowels in the three words you mention — gens, jeune, and jaune — are distinct in spoken French, so the words don’t sound alike at all once your ear is attuned to the French vowels. One of the most important distinctions is nasal vowels (as in gens) vs. non-nasal or oral vowels (as in jeune and jaune). In these last two words, the final sound is the consonant -n. In gens, the final sound is the (nasal) vowel, and there is no pronounced -n.
Bon courage and keep working with Rosetta Stone. It’s pretty satisfying to feel your French getting better and better.
I have rosetta stone but I’m not motivated to use it. I should…really I should.
@Ken
Well I know that in theory but my ears don’t know it quite yet. It was a big deal for me to be able to know where accent marks were just because I could hear the sounds rather than relying on memorizing which words had accent marks. Now I’ve got to tackle this. I notice I don’t get headaches anymore from trying to concentrate too hard and I can effortlessly follow along in conversations. I’ve also mastered the 2 French facial expressions, disappointment and well extreme disappointment. Body language counts too.
@Colleen
You really should. Once you get into a groove I think it is addictive.
@Bob
It sounds like you just just the excuse for another trip to France, unfortunately the dollar is still in the toilet.