All the language lovers who learn new languages on their own might have come across language learning tools like Rosetta Stone.
So, if you want to sharpen your French skills at a basic level or start French from scratch with Rosetta Stone then you might want to stick around for a while to know more about it.
What does Rosetta Stone offer?
Rosetta Stone provides us with a choice of over 25 languages with an unlimited subscription for a lifetime with its revised pricing structure.
It was created by people who loved immersive learning. Its lessons are structured and designed based on your language level and reason for learning it. Hence you can focus on the aspects you want to work on and add them to your plan.
This language learning tool emphasizes vocabulary and grammar with captivating images and high-quality audio. There are over 12 to 20 units under each language. These units are sectioned into five levels.
Each module or unit is broken down into lessons based on pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar activities.
Moreover, you can customize your French vocabulary around multiple options like basic and beyond, travel, family, and work. Prepare yourself to engage in multiple activities and exercises to familiarize yourself with each new word.
Rosetta Stone calls their approach a dynamic immersion and aims to teach French in a natural way.
Notable features of Rosetta Stone
Whenever we have the urge to try something new, we begin our quest with a long list of pros and cons to find out what’s in store for us. Therefore, let’s commence with the best features that Rosetta Stone offers.
1. Live tutoring sessions with native speakers
Rosetta Stone provides an optional tutoring session with native speakers. In this session, you can practice all the words and phrases you learned so far with a French instructor.
The instructor follows a strict lesson plan and communicates with you only in your target language and does not switch to English or any other language.
The classes can be a one-to-one session or with a small group via video conference. You can access this feature once you reach a certain milestone in your lesson plan.
The lessons add a great value as it gives you the exposure to converse with someone in person and there are plenty of available slots to match your timeline and schedule.
2. Contents in your target language
An appreciatable aspect of Rosetta Stone is the fact that you will never find any instructions or descriptions in English except for the menus, settings, and title screens.
It provides all your content in French. You can write or speak in French and allow the app to identify whether it is right or wrong.
3. Engaging stories
Each unit comes with a set of stories that can be downloaded to enjoy offline services. You can either choose to read or listen to the stories in the form of a mini-podcast narrated by a native French speaker or you can read the whole story and record it in your voice.
The stories revolve around the skill set pertaining to the level you’re at. It is an effective way to understand the usage of your words and phrases through cultural and historical stories.
4. Phrasebook
Similar to the multiple options Rosetta Stone offers to build your French vocabulary, it also provides topics that revolve around shopping, greetings, safety measures, etc to build your French phrases through Phrasebook.
Phrasebook is used to extend your learning beyond vocabulary. You learn several phrases around the topics of your choice in a short amount of time through flashcards which are followed by their pronunciation.
5. TruAccent
TruAccent is a speech recognition engine embedded in every lesson. It helps you to work on your French pronunciation and provides feedback after each try.
The program enhances your French and offers multiple attempts till you convey the message with a pronunciation that is close to native speakers.
With TruAccent you can improve your quality of speech and analyze your spoken French as you move to each level.
6. Seek and speak
Seek and speak is a fun way to learn new words from almost anywhere using your device camera. It comes with a set of challenges that connects with your surrounding environment.
Based on your requirement for that particular challenge, you will be asked to capture images of many items. Once the challenge is completed you will learn questions and statements revolving around the items that you captured.
This feature is currently available only in IOS apps for selective languages including French. However, we hope that it will be implemented in all the devices in the near future.
Drawbacks of Rosetta Stone
There isn’t an app that is entirely perfect. In the same way, there are few drawbacks to this tool that might be a hindrance to your language learning journey.
1. Repetitive and predictable content
Repetition is significant to acquaint with the French sounds and pronunciation. However, with Rosetta Stone, there is a huge amount of repetitive content that leads to a lack of motivation at times.
2. No explanations
Rosetta Stone is a great platform to learn verbs, plurals, gender, nouns, and conjugations at the beginner level but it does not provide clear explanations to complex grammar concepts.
3. Inability to keep up with the cultural context
As discussed earlier, this platform does not provide any translations or explanations in English. It focuses on learning only in your target language.
In that case, we become more dependant on the images and videos provided. Therefore it would be beneficial to provide more cultural references to images or videos to understand the language better.
Create a basic foundation in French
Rosetta Stone is an effective tool for people who want to learn French at the beginner level. It is a useful platform for people who are looking for a solid foundation in French. If you are successful in completing all five modules, you are expected to attain a low intermediate level.
