I have the French Fluenz program. The pace and design of the whole concept seems so time consuming and over produced to me. It's trying to be too cool and too hip. If you have the program, what do you think?
This is just the video of the program, Day 1.
To answer your question Capagris, the actress Sonias' manner, position, speaking style, perfect lighting, perfect make-up...etc., the whole presentation is stiff and very un-conversational or, over produced for a learning presentation. Do we really need the words to appear as she waves her hand... and disappear as she blows them away? All the effects seem to be wasting my visual time, meant to entertain not educate.
Maybe the right description is, that she is not engaging. The pace is very slow, she's trying to be too clever, I feel the presentation is distant. I never heard of Sonia Gil before Fluenz. I don't watch current movies or much TV.
What Fluenz has going for it are the lessons. I find them very helpful. The repetition, drag and drop, sound bites, native every day conversation etc. are all well composed and the program navigates/design is good also.
Even though Alexa from 'Learn French With Alexa', is a bit goofy, she is engaging at a comfortable pace. I feel, I get the information Alexa is presenting with conviction, as a native speaker. Her sence of humor, though, takes some getting used too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idso96RvnjE
Michel Thomas French method course is even more engaging.
Thanks for your input. I leave with the curiosity to try it, although the price point doesn't get me all that excited. For that amount I could take in-person lessons with native speakers.
Hi MacKenzie, have you tried the Michel Thomas Method? Michel explaines his methods here, on the first two tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUAe7i-NSEI&list=PL0D7693BCE96747B0
I did the first two discs of fluenz french. I too do not particullary like the way sonja speaks. It just dragged on. In the french course she is the only person that speaks, besides the audio which has an actual native speaker. I ended up selling that set and buying Fluenz German. In that program Sonja only does an introction and a bits of the audio and the rest is from a native speaker (all the lessons). However, the woman doing the lessons had the same issue. They speak to you like you are dumb and waste way too much of your time. I also hated how they would introduce a grammar rule, then five lessons down tell you "O you remember how I told you that thing about grammer, well forget that it isn't true." I get they are trying to gradually put you into the language, but I felt like it took way to long to cover very basic things. They are probably just trying to fill up time so they have something to sell for three hundred dollars. I did learn some things from Fluenz, but it took me three months of putting in a few hours every day to learn the first few basics. I no long really believe in paying a lot of money to learn a language.
I did all 5 levels of Fluenz Spanish, one a day for 5 months. I loved the program & recommend it. It was a great way to start learning. I didn't find Sonia offputting at all and doubt that it would matter much if I did as she plays a relatively small role in the overall experience. I appreciated the way she introduced the discussion & then followed that up with a discussion of what was presented, any nuances in the discussion & additional things to consider. I really liked the way Fluenz incorporates hearing & speaking the language, as well as writing the words/phrases and seeing how they are spelled. I also did Pimsleur 1-3 in the first 3 months & liked it too, but it was totally audio.
