Last fall, my wife and I journeyed to France. It was amazing. However, it could have been even better if we knew how to speak French. One evening, we were lost and I asked a shop owner if he spoke English. He blatantly ignored me and continued with his work. Another night, we ordered a chocolate croissant for dessert. The waiter snarled, “That’s Pain Au Chocolat”. He would only serve us if we ordered in French. Initially I thought, “It’s true. French people are rude.” But on second thought, I can’t really blame him. If the roles were reversed, I would want to be spoken to in English as well. At the beginning of the year, I made a resolution to learn a European language. Mango Languages is the solution to my resolution.

Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone

I have used Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone before, but they seem outdated. Pimsleur repeated commonly used phrases which I repeated over and over. I became a pretty good Spanish parrot. Rosetta Stone used flash cards which helped with vocabulary, but I felt I still couldn’t speak fluently.

Beautiful Interface and Comfortable Pace

After a simple download and install process of Mango Passport, the first thing that stands out is the clean and sleek interface. I mentally jetted to Paris by the exquisite French scenic pictures. I was more engaged as I tackled my French lessons. I found the pace very comfortable. Vocabulary and phrases from the previous lesson were repeated often. It was enough to engrain the material, but not too much to be boring. We then moved on to new words and phrases while also testing our critical thinking by making us formulate new phrases.

Personable Teacher and Cultural Notes

Other language programs are not fun and robotic. My French teacher was friendly and seemed to care. Peppered throughout the lessons are little anecdotes about the language and the people you are studying. The immersion helped me pick up the language faster.

Color Coding (The Secret Sauce)

The huge breakthrough is using colors while going over common phrases. Using visual cues along with the audio track doubles the impact. For example, the subject is red, the verb is blue, and the object is green. The translation would use the corresponding colors. This technique is revolutionary as your vocabulary and grammar improves at the same time.

Final Thoughts

I have always been fascinated with languages. Similar to music, language opens doors, connects people, and enhances travel. Having tried several language learning systems, Mango Languages is the new King of the Hill. Louis XIV and Napoleon would be proud. Learn more at Mango Languages. Tune in next week for an exciting Mango Languages and Buck Inspire giveaway. Merci Beaucoup and Au Revoir!