à couper le souffle (ah koo-peh luh soo-fl(uh)) breathtaking (lit. ‘to’ cut the breath). Example: “C’est une vue à couper le souffle.” (It’s a breathtaking view.)
avoir l’air (ah vwahr layr) to look, to seem, to feel (lit. to have the air). Example: “Ce café a l’air sympa. Le propriétaire aussi.” (This café looks nice. The owner too.)
faire la queue (fayr lah kuh) wait/get in line (lit. to do the tail). Example: “Si on va à ce restaurant, il faudra faire la queue, c’est sûr.” (If we go to this restaurant, we’ll have to wait in line, that’s for sure.)
gagner du temps (gah-nyeh dew tah(n)) to save time (lit. to win some time). Example: “Pour gagner du temps, prenons la voiture.” (To save time, let’s take the car.)
jeter un coup d’oeil sur (zhuh-teh uh(n) koo duh-y(uh) sewr) to have a look at/around (lit. to throw a hit of eye). Example: “Pourriez-vous jeter un coup d’oeil sur ce document ?” Could you have a look at this document?)
mettre à jour (may-tr ah zhoor) to update, to bring up to date.. Example:”Veuillez mettre à jour votre logiciel.” (Please update your software.)
perdre son temps (payr-dr(uh) soh(n) tah(n)) to waste one’s time (lit. to lose one’s time). Example: “Il perd son temps avec elle; elle n’est pas intéressée.” (He’s wasting his time with her; she’s not interested.)
rendre (un) service (rah(n)-dr(uh) (uh(n)) sayr-vee-ss) to do a favor (lit. to give back service). Example: “Tu peux me rendre un service/Tu peux me rendre service et m’emmener ?” (Can you do me a favor/Can you do me a favor and take me?)
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It is
good to have “French on the go” but the exercises and games – specifically sentence
builders – are really easy to do and then there are only a few (6 per unit or something like that). The app is only for
review, maybe... if that.
I hoped
the app to be more multifaceted with access to different forums, and like the
web page, where one can interact with others with the same language goals on the phone. (If you’re thinking “why
doesn’t he just go to the web page on his phone”? then I would ask you, why
make an app in the first place?!)
I am
learning a lot, and I like the way the course is build – so far. I have not
seen the value this course has to offer in relation to its price, but I’ll
reserve my true review once I have finished the entire thing.
I have faith
that the developers would see this as an opportunity to improve and maybe to
add more complexity to the phone application; I would personally very much like
to see a significant increase in the amount of sentences you can build. That is
my favorite aspect of the app; where you click and drag to create the
sentences, as well as the “fill in” exercises.
I hope
this helps a future buyer when considering options, and thank you for taking
the time to read my comments.
Dan
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(The beautiful things one discovers the earliest are also those one tires of the fastest.)
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