"Hide This French CD" is a combination CD and booklet giving travelers a crash course in conversational French. It's best for beginning or intermediate speakers and most crucial things (counting, etc.) are covered as well as a single CD and booklet could hope for. Make no mistake, this is not a comprehensive French course but is valuable for someone going to France for the first time. The target audience is definitely young, hip people and caters to that demographic relentlessly: note the upbeat musical chapter breaks and dialogue selections. Social settings are emphasized, e.g. "Où est le casino?" (Where's the casino?) and "Vous êtes mannequin?" (Are you a model?) Some of the dialogue is extremely specialized though presumably germane to the target audience, note for instance "Je suis pompette" (I'm tipsy,) or "Où est la manette?" (Where's the joystick?) Really.
The material is actually well presented and is easy to recall especially if you have had exposure to French in the past, though prior knowledge is not necessary. I gave it four stars instead of five for two primary reasons: first, the conversational material could have been more universally applicable (though understanding French cursing is a side note not seen in many phrasebooks or audio lessons,) and secondly, some of the voice actors on the CD are highly irritating. On balance this is a useful and brief French course, and is well worth the price.
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