Closest Thing to Complete Immersion

I have been trying to become fluent in French for years. I studied it all throughout high school and two semesters in college, but I still have never felt like I 'got' it. This audiobook was perfect for me. I walk for about half an hour to work, so this is perfect to listen to during my commute. I bet it would be great in a car too. Even just playing it in the background while I do other things makes me feel like I'm getting used to the French language being spoken around me. It's a super long book, so if you keep it playing, it's not like it's going to end abruptly.

The book begins with short stories told in half French, half English. I have always wanted something like this because it doesn't really feel like a lesson. It feels like you're really just listening to a Franglais story. The reader will stop and repeat phrases, translating them. Much later on in the book, the reader stops translating everything. But by that time, you're sort of ready to just listen to some French. The stories aren't super complicated, so any basic knowledge of vocabulary will carry you through. The readers (there is a man and woman) don't speak too quickly either, so it's definitely made to teach French in an effective way. I think I really was learning new words right away and realizing I understood what I was hearing. It's fun to repeat what you hear out loud, too. Très bien!

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73 people found this helpful

Very Helpful Book

French: Short Stories for Beginners + Audio is an amazing book. I took French throughout high school but did not continue to practice after graduation. This was a wonderful refresher. I was not sure how easily I would be able to follow the stories after years without practice, but the style of this book was very easy to follow.

The book is separated into chapters that are anywhere from ten to twenty minutes long. This gives ample time to fit a chapter into anyone’s busy schedule. There are also various speeds that the book can be listened to. It can go as slow as 0.75x or as fast as 3x. This allows more advanced listeners to go through the chapters faster. It even offers a sleep timer to get some practice in before bed!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has taken French or who wants to learn French. It is very easy to follow and can fit into anyone’s daily schedule. It has definitely helped me sharpen up my French speaking skills.

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56 people found this helpful

Great audiobook to start your french learning

What made the experience of listening to French Short Stories for Beginners the most enjoyable?

A very friendly material that helps to improve your vocabulary and the first listening steps

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fred because is very gentle and demonstrate good values

Have you listened to any of Frederic Bibard and Mariem Nouni ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

I had been enrolled for french classes for a month. It was great but at the same time tiring because the school is quite far from my home. However, due to the importance a give to the french language for business and arts ( in this 21st Century you should handle at least 3 languages to be competitive) I decided to take some practice form other sources. (Additionally, I have my daughter enrolled in an international school where french is the main language. )


I was willing to practice some words and frases with my princess but is difficult to find something good online. I decided to do a search here in Amazon to see what can help me and I found this wonderful audiobook. Not only I practiced my french but I help my daughter with a wider vocabulary since I played the audio while we are at home.

The speakers are very good, the voices are clear and the stories are nice and very interesting. After every new word there is a translation to english so you can know what they are talking about. I would recommend this material to anyone who is willing to perfect the listening and also the speaking( you could repeat after the narrative ). Once you complete this book you start to improve your french language skill considerable. I have listened this book many times and the words and phrases are very solid in my mind.

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44 people found this helpful

Great Stories That Teach Conversational French

What does Frederic Bibard and Mariem Nouni bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I don't think I would have such an easy time absorbing the authentic French pronunciation if it weren't for this book being an audio book.

Any additional comments?

This is perfect for someone who, like me, has dabbled with French in the past, but doesn't have time to sit down with a book to study. The stories are enjoyable, and it made for a perfect light listening while going for a jog or walk. The stories themselves are particularly helpful in regards to conversational language - it helped me nail down a load of key phrases that I would commonly use in everyday speech. Plus, the tales help with the ability to recall certain words/phrase - I can easily remember which narrative a word/phrase came from, and that helps a ton. I wish I'd had this book of stories when I was first learning French: I feel like I would've retained more of it. Grab this for yourself if you're just starting out on the road to learning French, or if you've learned some French but need a refresher. This is a great tool, and a great set of stories. Highly recommended.

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37 people found this helpful

Fascinating Book

What made the experience of listening to French Short Stories for Beginners the most enjoyable?

Being a Filipino who's willing to learn different languages like French, this book really help me a lot. Aside from having an affordable price, it lessens the hassle most especially for those people who are having a hectic schedule. Through this, I can learn French all by myself. I will know the correct pronunciations of the words just by hearing it. And what amaze me most is that it has a PDF copy. While listening to it, I can understand the French words spoken, clearly and accurately. I can follow it words by words. I can learn French, anytime and anywhere. I can play it for a multiple times. No need to attend such classes and pay high amount. This book is really recommendable. Thumbs up and Five stars for this.

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29 people found this helpful

An interesting way for learning!

As a person who is trying to learn french (self-teaching), I found the short story approach very interesting, since it allowed me to get a context for the new words, and the vocabulary recap was really hepful. I also enjoyed listening to both female and male voices as well.

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27 people found this helpful

Fun way to learn French!

Any additional comments?

I have only been learning French for a few months and when I heard about this book I was excited to give it a try! To start off, I really enjoyed listening to the content it provided. The book contains an introduction that explains how everything is set up and what exactly to expect while listening. After the introduction the stories begin. There are 15 short stories and they were all fun to listen to. It really helped me being able to hear the words out loud in French, plus the explanations of certain words and phrases in English after certain sections was an awesome bonus! I have found that the book has been really helpful. It is perfect for French learners who enjoy being immersed in the language.

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18 people found this helpful

This book is awesome

I love this book every single minute that I've read it. Although I am not an expert speaking french I have some knowledge about this language but my vocabulary is not the best . And the last aspect was not a obstacle when I was listening the book. The histories are funny and interesting also the people of the book speak clearly and SHORT. It means that is not a tedious book. Defintely I will recomend this book for the people that is not and expert speaking french and want to improve their listening skills .

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16 people found this helpful

French learning made Fun!!

What did you love best about French Short Stories for Beginners?

RE-Learning French in a fun and exciting way!!

Have you listened to any of Frederic Bibard and Mariem Nouni ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

French learning for Millenials

Any additional comments?

I had 3 years of French over 10 years ago back in high school. With Canada so close to where I live, French speaking families visit and tour our area quite frequently. I work in the hospitality industry, so knowing how to speak a customers native language is a huge bonus when working for tips.
Brushing up on the correct conjugations and pronunciations of a language that I have not spoken in over a decade was almost second nature with this book. The stories and the pace of the narration is perfect for a novice like me to pick up the basics again. I can now help my French Canadian gusts read the menu, describe entrees, and place orders, all thanks to this book. I am also able to brush up on my French reading with the written PDF version. This book could help me make more money!!!
Thanks Frederic Bilbard and Mariem Nouni!!!

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14 people found this helpful

Excellent way to learn French

Would you listen to French Short Stories for Beginners again? Why?

I'm very pleased to find this version to learn French at home. This audiobook is an excelent version for self learners like me that need to practice listening and speaking French at the convenience of their home. I personally like to study at home because my schedule don't allow me to attend to classes . I also like the fact that I can donwload it on my smartphone and practice anywhere. Repetion for me is the key for memorizing any language and this course allows you to repeat as much as needed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The story overall is very interesting.

What about Frederic Bibard and Mariem Nouni ’s performance did you like?

Yes very well done.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Frenh Story

Any additional comments?

no

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12 people found this helpful