Gareth Hewes

Great if you approach it for what it is.

Reviewed: 03-14-22

Let's start from square one with what this book isn't: a strategy guide for learning your new language. Those leaving bad reviews seem to primarily have expected that, and if that's the case, this isn't your jam.

That said, this book has a wealth of compiled answers to what may be your most frustrating questions about your language learning difficulties. Why you may not have thrived in a classroom setting. Why you may have, but those strategies don't work for you now. Why your continued hard work may not yield an appropriate amount of results.

This book is written by researchers of cognitive science and presents itself as such. It's heavy in terminology and expects you to reflect on the findings and statistics to construct an understanding of what works by explaining how things function. That isn't to everyone's taste, and that is fine. The tone can also come across as a bit dry at times for that same reason, and that can be a deal-breaker for some.

Personally, I think this is a perfect counterpoint to the Benny Lewis style of "guerilla language learning", so to speak. Where one is about radical action and execution, the other is about deep understanding of the mental process that takes. Neither is solely right or wrong, because each serves an independent goal that, taken together, is greater than the sum of its parts.

The one thing I'd like is an appendix that boils down the principles to make it easier to make sure that building your learning plan follows the most effective mental mechanisms, but it's nothing that isn't covered in the actual content if you listen with intention. All in all, definitely recommended not just as a language learning aid, but for the deeper concepts of learning in general.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Great Starting Point

Reviewed: 07-14-21

No course, even a 10+ hour one like this, will teach you an entire language. But this is by far the best tool kit to start a language that I've found. What you learn in this course will greatly help you start on the right foot, and even begin conversing with native speakers to build and hone your conversation skills.

Highly recommended for beginners and even early intermediate learners!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

It's Great! Why? That's Complicated...

Reviewed: 06-16-21

You know those movies where it starts in the middle, and you're a little confused but highly engaged all the same? That's kind of how this system seems.

I'm an intermediate French learner, fairly confident in reading and writing but recognizing a definite deficit in spoken use. So for me, coming into this with the structural knowledge I have, it was really quite simple and effective in terms of activating the potential to speak and understand.

I do wonder how an absolute beginner would find this content; while I definitely agree with Paul's assessment that taking it at an easy pace and not stressing about being perfect will lead you to success, it is a VERY different format than the typical rote "phrasebook" style courses.

I'll put it this way: even as an experienced student in French, I knew shortly into part one that it was worth getting the whole series. If you get only one language learning series, I highly recommend it be this one.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!