A Steep Learning Curve for the Dedicated Linguist - I'm Hooked, But Not for Beginners

I've gotta say, the Popova and Kazakova textbook is a game-changer for many linguistics students.

This was my first textbook for learning French, and I used it to start from scratch. Fast forward to today, and I've been teaching French for over 10 years now, so I've got a unique perspective on this textbook as both a student and a teacher.

Finding a good, comprehensive textbook for learning French can be a real challenge. Many textbooks out there tend to gloss over grammar, which is essential for beginners, and often lack the kind of exercises that help you really get a handle on the language. On the other hand, they often do a great job with conversational practice, which is awesome. But to get to the point where you can have a real conversation in French, you need a solid foundation.

As someone who's passionate about language learning, I'm a big fan of using textbooks from the countries where the language is spoken. For example, I learn Spanish using Spanish textbooks, and I supplement them with Russian-authored textbooks to get a more well-rounded education.

That being said, there are definitely some Russian textbooks that are worth using, especially when you're just starting out.

The Popova and Kazakova textbook, through the eyes of a language enthusiast

As someone who's always been passionate about learning new languages, I can say that this textbook is one that I really enjoy.

The good things about this textbook:

Phonetics made easy. Thanks to Popova and Kazakova, I quickly and easily grasped French phonetics, reading rules, and can still write any transcription with my eyes closed. Yeah, universities do have separate phonetics classes, but Popova gave me a solid foundation. Understanding sounds, the essence of reading certain letter combinations – that's Popova's territory. Plus, the material is introduced gradually. The first 16 lessons of the introductory course focus on sounds and transcriptions. For students, that's exactly the information they need. But not for regular people who just want to chat in French about everyday topics. A step-by-step approach. That's another crucial aspect for the first stage of language learning. The information is given in a very measured and logical way. You don't get handed entire lists of verb conjugations for all groups in all tenses. First, you're given the conjugation of 1st group verbs in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person singular, then the plural. There are mini-grammar blocks. That's convenient, and the material sticks in your head without a problem – it accumulates gradually. A ton of exercises, especially translation exercises. I went through an enormous number of 96-page notebooks on the first course, when we'd get 40-50 translation exercises for the next day, plus other exercises. Actually, that's also useful and necessary for linguistics students.

I found it interesting as a student, and I learned a lot. But this textbook isn't fun – it's all about work.

There are no interesting dialogues, drawings, or diagrams – everything's very serious. If there are questions, they're not in a list, but rather in a block. If there's text, it's from French classics, not periodicals.

That leads to the downsides:

This textbook feels outdated. I love how modern and authentic textbooks include contemporary topics like the internet, ecology, and more, along with dialogues, modern expressions, and discussion topics. That's what I call living language. But this textbook is a far cry from that. We don't speak like Victor Hugo anymore. I'll give the authors credit for one thing, though: the basic vocabulary is still taught and reinforced. So, you'll learn plenty of everyday words that aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Too much outdated information. Take inversion in questions, for example. You won't hear those in casual conversations anytime soon. The Popov textbook includes all the inversion rules without explaining how they're used in modern French. It's like they're stuck in the past. Lack of conversational practice. Answering questions based on a text just isn't very conversational. I always gave my students extra topics to discuss, like cities, society, and more. It's not exactly thrilling to talk about Pierre Roulen not showing up to work. Unengaging texts. Mostly just excerpts from literary works. Zzz... Too much repetition. One lesson is just like the next. It's monotonous and won't hold everyone's interest.

A teacher's take on the Popov and Kazakova textbook

I never use this textbook as the main course material. I might borrow some reading exercises, some writing tasks, but that's about it. This textbook will put even casual language learners to sleep. It's not designed for people who just want to communicate in French.

It won't give you the kind of information you need to talk about everyday topics. And that's exactly what a thematic approach is all about – making language learning more convenient for people who just want to travel, for instance. Why would someone who's learning French for travel purposes need to learn all that extra vocabulary and phonetics?

That being said, the first 16 lessons in the adapted format might be suitable for beginners with a teacher.

I wouldn't recommend this textbook for self-study. It's too complex for beginners and includes too much unnecessary information that's only relevant to language majors.

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it, but only for intermediate learners who are looking for a challenging textbook that will push them to improve their language skills.