Product Description

Voilá! Learning French just got a whole lot easier.

Interested in learning or refreshing your French but feel your language skills are less than extraordinaire? No need to worry! With French Demystified you'll quickly build up your repertoire and be able to understand the language and communicate effectively.

Beginning with familiar French cognates and a review of basic French pronunciation, this book covers key grammar fundamentals such as common verb tenses, nouns, pronouns, and gender. You'll build your French vocabulary with essential words and phrases and quickly master this challenging yet lyrical language. Test yourself at the end of every chapter for reinforcement that you're fast on your way to speaking, writing, and understanding French.

This fast and easy guide features:

• Clear and straightforward explanations of French grammar fundamentals
• Numerous examples that place new words in practical context
• Helpful writing and speaking exercises that bring the French language to life
• Coverage of everyday topics as well as conversational expressions
• Quizzes at the end of each chapter to reinforce new material

Simple enough for a beginner but challenging enough for a more advanced student, French Demystified is your shortcut to mastering this engaging language.

Customer Reviews (11)

Great buy
I borrowed this book from the library but found it to be so helpful that I wanted my own copy.Yes, I was a French Major in school but that was a long time ago.So the book is great for reviewing and relearning.

I like it.
I'm a French tutor and I was looking for a good book to use with my students, something that looks organized and structured, and contains a decent amount of grammar & vocabulary to teach my students. Well I think I found the right book. I sometimes wish it contained a little bit more vocabulary, since it seems to be mainly grammar, but that's fine, there's enough new vocabulary in the exercises.
Also, for those who do not have a tutor and are confused about the pronunciation. This book may not have a CD but I feel it explains it very well & detailed how to pronounce the different letters and characters.
I would buy it again, and def. recommend it!

Ironic book title- completely mystifying!
I bought this book assuming I could use it to *learn* French. After all, the subtitle is 'a self-teaching guide.' Alas, this book seems to be written as a refresher for people who already know a significant amount of French, as well as a linguist's knowledge of grammar terms.

Before we get to the alphabet and pronunciation, we find (on page 5!) a section on false cognates, to help me avoid misusing words that I have not yet learned like actuellment, regarder and travailler.

The entire book is like this. Chapter two starts with the gender of nouns, but the examples seem to be randomly chosen from the dictionary: landscape, government and coat for masculine; turtle, oil and pumpkin for feminine. Then we jump to asking questions on the next page, and I am hit with 'What is the profession of Julie's Uncle?', when none of those words have previously been introduced! Why not 'Is the government's turtle holding a pumpkin?' Meanwhile, basic things like prepositions do not show up until Chapter 14.

Conjugating the basic verb 'to be' does not show up until chapter 4, a dozen pages after I've been exposed to sentences like 'Vous protogez les interets de Remi?' (Are you protecting Remi's interests?)

Given that the product desciption states 'Simple enough for a beginner', I feel zero stars is justified.

Your French WILL improve with this book.
I picked up this book along with another by the same author (Practice Makes Perfect - Complete French Grammar).Both are clear and very well-organized.French Demystified is comprehensive (grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, common pitfalls, etc.) but not overwhelming because the examples and exercises (oral and written) are to-the-point and never unnecessarily repetitious.
I'm not a beginning student and I wasn't looking forward to reviewing grammar and other basics -but I was not a bit bored.I remembered what I used to know and then learned quite a bit more. Highly recommended.

Great for those learning on their own
While I can't imagine that a true beginner would get anything out of this book, it's terrific for the adult learner who has some knowledge of French.It is a very quick overview of French grammar, vocabulary, etc., which serves as a reminder of the forgotten or skipped over/never learned. One can use it to identify areas that need more work, turning to other resources such as Annie Heminway's excellent workbooks.The words and phrases are current and truly useful for communicating with French speakers.A guide to pronunciation alongside new vocabulary words would have made this even better. ... Read more

Product Description

GET D!RTY

Next time you're traveling or just chattin' in French with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including:

• Cool slang
• Funny insults
• Explicit sex terms
• Raw swear words

Dirty French teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of France:

♦ What's up?Ça va?

♦He's totally hot.Il est un gravure de mode.

♦That brie smells funky.Ce brie sent putain de drôle.

♦I'm gonna get ripped!Je vais me fracasser!

♦I gotta piss.Je dois pisser.

♦The ref is fucking asshole.L'arbitre est un gros enaelé!

♦Wanna try doggy-style?Veux-tu faire l'amour en levrette?

About the Authors

Adrien Clautrier is a self-employed mechanic born and raised in Marseille, France. Henry Rowe left Berkeley to play soccer in France. He never made it out of the amateur ranks, but stayed for the used bookstores and St-Émilion wine cellars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very Useful
As I am in the health care profession and it is not considered acceptable to cuss, this book is perfect. I can now cuss at will and no one will be the wiser.

Scandalously Fun Material - Shabby Binding
This slim compilation of raw vernacular lives up (?) to its title. So, that being said, there is a lot to recommend this book. It's a fun and useful read on its predictable subject matter. There are also bits on pop culture - the media, sports, French personality stereotypes, food, eating places, and even a few drinking songs that vary the book's uh-h primary thrust. Sadly, the publishers have undercut the authors' best efforts with a shoddy glued binding that - in my copy - began to break apart at page 30, rapidly disintegrated, and is now being held together by a rubber band.

Hysterical
This book takes your French learning to another level.This is the stuff you don't learn in your French class.If there's something naughty or just downright dirty, then this is the book for you.

I enjoyed reading this book because I found the English translations of the French to be funny, mainly because we would not put it that way, and partially because I would probably never say those things.

Especially recommended to the attention of travelers to France for either business or pleasure
There are few things more satisfying in the heat of the moment that being able to cuss somebody or something out in another language. The problem is that they just don't teach you those kinds of words or expressions in a highschool or college foreign language class. That's where "Dirty French: Everyday Slang From 'What's Up?' to 'F*%# Off!' comes in handy. Co-authored by Adrien Clautrier (a self-employed mechanic born and raised in Marseille, France) and Henry Rowe (a current resident of Paris) who bring their own particular expertise in the subject, "Dirty French" is a slim paperback instruction book that is packed from cover to cover with choice expressions that will serve to punctuate conversation in French like someone native born. "Dirty French" is especially recommended to the attention of travelers to France for either business or pleasure. There will be ample occasions that warrant what "Dirty French" has to teach you!

A hilarious guide to learning French.
Dirty French, Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" was hilarious. The opening paragraph warns that this isn't a beginner's grammar book but a book designed to take your French to the next level. I've only had 1 year of French and this was over 18 years ago so that had me worried. Yes, my accent was very rusty, but I got through it and even if you don't know any French at all you'd still find the sayings and musings in between delightfully funny.

This book includes phrases for every situation, including expressions for describing art that make one sound smart and cool. Use sweet words to entice a local beauty into a walk along the Seine, and less-then-philosophical rebuffs for those overly zealous, espresso-fueled cafe "poets." There are enough insults and swear words to offend every person in France without even speaking to them in English, which they really dislike.

Some of my favorites are below. I will censor to keep it clean but the book doesn't and that makes it half the fun!!

* Whoops! You're not my boyfriend. - Zut! T'es pas mon mec.
* Don't S&#@ your pants! - Te chie pas!
* Did your girlfriend just fart? - C'est ta copine qu'a pet?
* My French boyfriend is a horndog. - Mon copain francais est un queuetard.

There are 9 chapters in the book so stick French after each of these words and you'll get an idea of the awesome amount of swear words and dirty phrases you can learn: Howdy, Friendly, Party, Body, Horny, Angry, Poppy, Sporty and Hungry. (hey, that sounds like a new Snow White movie. LOL)

Oh and you can even learn to send Dirty French texts such as... "VTFF"
To find out what that means, I guess you'll have to buy the book.
... Read more

Product Description
Created for the serious language-learner, our Ultimate French Advanced course has been revised and updated. It teaches a sophisticated level of conversation and grammar and is equivalent to two years of college study. Free additional exercises are now available online!

Perfect for the businessperson and anyone traveling or living abroad, Ultimate French Advanced coursebook features 20 lessons with lively, up-to-date dialogues, vocabulary, exercises, culture notes, and detailed explanations of grammar and usage.

KEY FEATURES:
• Ideal for anyone planning to live or conduct business abroad
• Includes extensive business vocabulary and details of
business etiquette
• Free extra practice online with more than 100 additional practice sections
• Updated with new vocabulary and information about culture and everyday life; and now include references to the euro ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Best self-guided language course in the market
For years, I have been studying several foreign languages, at different levels.In the process of doing so, I have utilized a variety of methods and tools for self-practice purposes, books on tape, CD courses, magazines, etc.

The "Living Language" series of Ultimate French courses has been, hands down, the best I have found.It is different from others in that each lesson provides a wealth of new vocabulary.The focus is a conversational one, rather than the "stiff", grammatically-centered and more traditional systems of foreign language instruction.

Each dynamic unit is comprised of an extensive thematic lesson/dialogue (relevant to today's world), followed by an explanation of the vocabulary, as well as, new phrases, verbs and grammattical structures.

The two sets of CDs mirror the manual's dialogues.One set is exclusively in French (with pauses for repetition).The other set, contains the English explanations.So, depending on your level of comfort with the language, you may choose which one to stick with.

I highly recommend this package for anyone interested in learning French (note: there is a beginner one, as well) or, if you simply want to utilize it as a "brush up" tool, like I now do.

Very disappointing.
I loved the first book (which is why I was surprised that all the Pimsleur lovers trashed it, but oh well). The first level has so much grammar and verb conjugations that it really makes you learn the language rather than just picking up a few phrases for survival travel. If you want to get a great start into French fluency, the Ultimate Beginner is definitely the way to go. That being said, The Advanced was extremely disappointing. There was little in the way of formal grammar (I guess they expect you to pick it up in the quick dialogues). Like most of the other reviewers, I found the dialogues to be not applicable in the real world (unlike the first level, which really does take you through some real life situations). It gives a though review of the first level grammar, but it really helps to be walked through it as they had done in the first level. You really are not introduced to new verbs the way a student on his own should be (like, once again, they had done in the first level). Sound quality is poor, but manageable. To further your French past the first level, I would reccomend the Living Language Verb Builder and the Vocabulary books. I work as a French teacher by the way, so I hope this helps.

Not very fun.
As are most living language materials, this course is boring.
I love French, I love learning it, but this course is about as exciting as reading a technical manual.
A lot of courses out there are fun to learn, make you laugh, and you find yourself WANTING to understand so you can enjoy the humor or out-of-context situations. (Like the book French Now!)
Plenty of useful info in this course, even more useful if you need something to put you to sleep.

'Advanced'?
I finished the Beginner-Intermediate Ultimate French and picked up a copy of Advanced. The only things advanced about this book were the dialogues--I was surprised and disappointed to find that a lot of the grammar in this book had already been covered in the beginner-intermediate version. Don't bother with this book. Chances are, if you're at an advanced level, it doesn't have much to teach you.

Useful but mixed
This is certainly a useful combination of text and audio but I don't think the authors got it quite right. The text isa little on the light side wrt grammar and the audio examples of "useful phrases" are very definitely odd.I work as a surgeon and I can't remember the last time I used the phrase "the doctors are talking about a liver transplant and possibly a bypass"! I guess the idea is to use examples of grammar rather than anything one might use in practice, but the utility of the work could havebeen improved with a little more care.
The grammar component was a useful summary but I would still recommend "En Bonne Forme" for early advanced studies. ... Read more

Product Description
Imagine a former French major getting vocabulary tips from her young children! That was the experience of Kristin Espinasse, an American who fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to his country to marry him and start a family. When her children began speaking the language, she found herself falling in love with it all over again. To relate the stories of her sometimes bumpy, often comic, and always poignant assimilation, she created a blog called "French Word a Day," drawing more admirers than she ever could have imagined.

With an approach that is as charming as it is practical, Espinasse shares her story through the everyday French words and phrases that never seem to make it to American classrooms. "Comptoir" ("counter") is a piece about the intricacies of grocery shopping in France, and "Linge" ("laundry") swoons over the wonderful scent the laundry has after being hung out in the French countryside while "Toquade" ("crush") tells of Espinasse's young son, who begins piling gel onto his hair before school each morning when he becomes smitten with a girl in class.

Steeped in French culture but experienced through American eyes, Words in a French Life will delight armchair travelers, Francophiles, and mothers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

I wanna speak it!
Kristin has a website and sends emails out as well.She brings the essence of France to us in a way that has caused me to fall even more deeply in love with this country.Yes, I am biased.I took French in high school, and have been totally enamored since I was 15.Now, if only I could speak it...!The book is so charming, and draws you in!If it would not so drastically alter her life, she should be appointed Ambassador to France!

Charming and Fun Way to Experience French and France
Whether you know a little French, a lot, or none at all, you will love these descriptions, musings and tiny lessons about everyday living in the south of France. Written by an American woman who has fallen in love with that country (as well as with a Frenchman tres charmant), this book is fun way to learn some French and experience the culture, whether you skip through it or curl up with it, preferably with a coffee and croissant in hand.

Lovers of French
I love this book. Those who have had a little French are greatly helped as the author inserts periodic French vocabulary within an English context. You are encouraged to use prediction of what the French word means by context. There is a translation of most of the words at the end of the chapter. The sheer joy of the simple things in the South of France are communicated in such a manner that you feel you are there. I lived in the South of France for 2 1/2 months and it certainly brought back memories. I came away loving the French, this woman and her family.It is an extremely pleasurable light read.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK - Not enough stars!!!
I enjoy reading this and with the great stories... I remember so many french words. Make sure you subscribe to Kristin Espinasse's French-Word-A-Day.It is like getting a page of this book each day.AWESOME!!! Makes you want to travel for sure.

An Engaging Read
A follower of Kristin's blog, I bought her book as soon as it came out, so I can't imagine why it took me this long to review it!

Espinasse writes with (frequently self-deprecating) wit, painting vignettes of her everyday life that charm, entertain, and teach you a few words of French as well.

To the people who miss the photographs, my guess, as someone in the business, is that they were shot with an amateur camera or shot at deliberately lower resolution for the Web (small files open faster) and so were not high enough quality -- as in resolution -- for professional printing. Something that looks gorgeous at 92 ppi or thereabouts on a computer screen can't be printed on a professional press.

But Espinasse has the words to give colorful images of her environment and life, so don't pass the book up just because the pictures aren't there. All the more reason to visit her blog to see the photographs! ... Read more

Product Description
From Provence to Paris, now you can join the conversation with Instant Immersion· French for Travelers, the dynamic audio language learning system on 8 compact discs. Providing effective, progressive instruction in all the basics of structure, syntax and grammar, Instant Immersion· French for Travelers emphasizes the building blocks of proper speech and conversational skill-building, all set to a lively lesson plan of practical French vocabulary. Not a phrase book, not a translation guide, Instant Immersion· French for Travelers is the speedy, sophisticated route to proper French, for all non-native speakers on the go. Follow the audio lesson plan at your own pace!CD 1: Alphabet; SoundsCD 2: Greetings; Days of the week; WeatherCD 3: Numbers; Time/hours; Telephone numbers; Corresponding verbsCD 4: Questions; Verb endings; Conjugations; PrepositionsCD 5: Shopping terms; Methods of paymentCD 6: Expressing a goal; Intent; Corresponding verbsCD 7: Quantity; Discussing opinions; PrepositionsCD 8: Course review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

can't give a review because I did not receive what I ordered. However, the supplier was gracious enough to refund my money.
+JMJ Distributor sent wrong item so can't give a review. However, distributor was gracious enough to refund the cost.

Good supplement
Most of the self teaching material out there is books.
This one has no book, as said by another reviewer.
This is a good way to supplement your beginning French reading material with something that has audio.

As with learning any language or skill, there is no "one product" that does it all.

If you need a beginner level audio program to go with your beginning French reading material, this is a good selection.
An easy way to get your French off the ground.
This is for beginners, it is not for those who already have a solid grasp on French.

Ok, but not as good as others I've used
Bought this to brush up on my French, which I haven't used for 15 yrs before a trip this fall.Is very good on pronunciations, but can be confusing.Goes through the French saying before translating in English.It seems backwards to me, but otherwise is a good product.

this fills a gap
I liked this package for what it is. Good practice in comprehension. The first CD really does a good job of teaching pronunciation. It goes through vowels, consonants, and combinations. Lots of examples are given. Then, the course goes through all basic vocabulary: numbers, days of the week, weather... You get to listen to conversations and then answer questions about what you understood. I think there is much gained when you are unable to cheat by reading a conversation on a page. This package works especially well for people already familiar with French and those who have a french text lacking an audio component.

There is no book.Great as a refresher.
I am writing this review as someone who could already get by in French and has been fluent in Italian for many years.As I listen to these 8 CD's, I am surprising myself at how much French I've picked up and retained through the years (like "Le cheval est mort.")So it's a great refresher course.

I'm not sure how much I would get out of these CD's if I didn't already have some knowledge of French.Notice that I didn't say "book", because... there is no book.

With these CD's, you may become conversant, but you won't be able to read anything in French or be able to pronounce it.But if ALL you want to do is speak & understand when spoken to, not being weighed down by trying to spell things in your head may be a good thing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Excellent, easy and cheap
I own three of these Spanish, Italian and French.The are small light weight, easy to carry, Very good price, and were very well worth the purchase.I carried them with me all through my trip.

Easy French Phrase Book
This will be very helpful in my teaching of French. Product was in excellent shape.

A handy-dandy refresher course
For those whose French has become a little rusty, this is a great way to brush up on what you knew and to learn a few more phrases.

French Phrases on the Run
This is a handy little book of useful phrases for anyone wanting to brush up on their high school of college level French courses.A must for travellers to French speaking Canada or France.

French Phrase Book
Excellent traveler's tool: concise, lightweight, easy to fit in handbag or coat pocket.All of the basic subjects covered.Pronunciation guides easy to use.Helpful index.Bare-bones approach to help non-French-speakers communicate while traveling within French-speaking populations. ... Read more

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of French structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak French can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational French includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic French plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational French are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive French Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Learn to speak and understand French very quickly
I have found this product to be very helpful indeed.

This product will help you to speak French and also to have a better understanding of what questions might be asked of you while visiting this country.

We are learning how to speak a little more French that we have been able to in the past while in France and to be able to understand the meaning of the different pronounciations of words is amazing.

What I thought I was saying in the past was not exactly correct but hopefully before my next visit to France I will be more adept at the language with the help of Pemsleur!

Good
This is a good program, like all the Pimsleur products.However, I don't think it is as good as either Spanish or Italian. It is more limited in the way French is expressed in conversation.

This product is designed to get you to respond automatically in conversational situations it covers.It is not designed to give you much of a vocabulary or grammar, so a rating should not be penalized for not including them.Many other products give you what Pimsleur lacks, and are readily available on Amazon.I suggest Living Language products for vocabulary, situations, good pronunciation.

Just painful.
I got this after reading glowing reviews, but really just can't stand it.I had listened to an old series of cassette tapes I really liked and hoped this would be as good - it isn't.What you get here (and in all the other methods I've tried recently) is lessons in how to TRANSLATE from English - which is not at all what I want to do.I want to SPEAK FRENCH.Switching back and forth between English and French and English and French makes my head hurt.I think maybe Rosetta Stone is a full immersion course, but I can't afford it.

Great Product!Makes it easy to learn a new language!
I bought this course for my wife to help her review her French.She seems very happy with it.I used the Spanish counterpart of this product from Pimsleur, and it was very quick and easy.I found that I could speak Spanish without even thinking about what I was saying in English.This is definitely the best language instruction method I have ever tried -- and I have tried a few, including a year of Spanish in college.

On caveat, the Pimsleur conversational course is designed to teach you how to speak and understand the spoken language.It is not particularly helpful for teaching you how to read and write the language.But if you want to learn to speak the language, this is your ticket.

The vendor that I used, Language Secrets, has great prices and they ship quickly.I highly recommend them!

Conversational French CD's
Pimsleur language programs are really good, and Conversational French is no different.This is an easy way (with repeated listenings) to learn a bit of another language.It won't make you fluent, but it will give you a familiarity with a language, its vocabulary and pronunciation, that will give you some confidence in using it. ... Read more

Product Description
Immerse yourself in great poetic tradition—works by Villon, Ronsard, Voltaire, Lamartine, Hugo, Malllarmé, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Apollinaire, Saint-John Perse, Eluard and many more. Full texts in French with literal English translation on facing pages. Critical, biographical information on each poet. Introduction. 31 black-and-white illustrations.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Fine little introduction to French poetry
This book is pretty darn erudite, and has a nice selection given the brevity of the volume. The artless, straightforward translations are totally useful.

French Poetry
An excellent tool for French-English speakers or English-French speakers who are interested in French poetry.The book gives a great overview of some of France's brightest minds in poetry from Voltaire to Baudelaire.A great tool to have in any French classroom or Francophile home as well. Enjoi.

Good, but could have been more thorough
Maybe this book's purpose is do be as concise as possible and give people a taste of French poetry.However, I thought that it could have delved a little further into certain writers and perhaps, created a fuller picture.However, from someone who bought the book a year and a half ago, it is wonderful to learn more about world literature and has certainly helped me do juist that.

A survey of French poetry and a fun way to hone Frenchskills
This is a thin volume, but in it is a wonderful little collection of mini-bios and examples of the works of excellent French poets. As the title implies, the poems are in French on the left pages, and in English on the opposite sides.

Honestly, even if you aren't enthralled by poetry, this is a practical way to familiarize yourself with some colloquial (albeit sometimes antiquated) French language.

This is a cheap item ($7.00), and worthy of collection. The intro even has a brief lesson in metrical arrangement patterns.

I think this book serves well to illustrate how beautiful the French langague can be, especially when artfully manipulated by such historical talents as Victor Hugo and Voltaire.

4.1 stars.

Great Poetry but difficult when read in french
Dual language books, like this, are great ways to improve on language skills. I found this book to be a great way to improve my french comprehension.Poetry is difficult to read in foreign languages, even withdictionaries, because the images are often abstract and very hard tounderstand with using only the actual definitions of words. So with thisbook, having the english translation next to it was a great way to help myfrench, help my understanding of larger images, and enjoy the poetryitself. The poetry is beautiful. I really recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a dual-language book with the French text on the left side, and the English text on the right side of each spread. The texts are precisely synchronized. A great book for learning both languages while reading a French classic masterpiece. Translated by Eleanor Marx, Karl Marx's daughter. ... Read more

Product Description
SPEAK FRENCH WITH CONFIDENCE IN JUST 6 WEEKS!

The Living Language® French Complete Course teaches the basics of French language and usage. It uses a highly effective speed-learning method developed by U.S. government experts to teach languages to overseas-bound service personnel and diplomats.

THREE 60-MINUTE COMPACT DISCS WITH 40 LESSONS
•Begin with simple words and progress to complex phrases and sentences.
•Just listen and repeat after the native speakers on the recordings to learn naturally, the way you learned English.

FRENCH COURSEBOOK
•40 lessons from the recordings with translations, additional vocabulary, detailed explanations, quizzes, and reviews.
•Verb charts, a comprehensive grammar summary, and a section on letter writing are also included.

FRENCH–ENGLISH / ENGLISH–FRENCH DICTIONARY
•More than 20,000 words, idioms, and expressions.
•Examples show how words are used in everyday conversation.
•1,000 frequently used words are highlighted for easy reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

This is a good way to learn a language.
I haven't tried to learn a language since I was in high school in 1965.I looked a several courses and found this one in our local library.After one week, I understood pronunciation, some verb conjugation and some common expressions.I probably learned around 500 words.What I liked about this course is that it combined audio CD's where I could hear the words being said correctly with a course book that explained the pronunciation in writing so I could see the correct spelling.A week after starting this course, I decided to purchase the program so I would have it for future reference.

Cheap, but ineffective
I've had this set for a few years, where it has sat on my shelf gathering dust. I was starting with zero knowledge of French when I first tried to use this set. It starts describing all the various pronunciation rules, using lists of example words. The Audio CDs contain only the French words (no translations), and so are useless without you following along in the book (unless you're only interested in listening to someone repeat French words).

This pattern is seemingly repeated for all the lessons: lists of words and phrases that you're supposed to memorize, but lacking much in terms of context or conversation that might help your brain retain them. I'm a little perplexed by the other high ratings. Maybe it's just me, but I can't think of how anyone would find this format useful to learn, whether they were a newbie or just reviewing.

To give you an indication of how much material this "course" offers, Lesson 40 (the last one) is on conjugating regular and some common irregular verbs (in which you'll probably be looking up 'pluperfect' in an English dictionary). Aside from a ton of conjugation rules you're expected to memorize all at once, there are two sample conversations given- 'Discussing Vacation Plans' (12 lines), and 'At the Pharmacy' (13 lines).

I feel like I've learned more French just from the free content you can find online, including sample tracks of Michel Thomas and Pimsleur offerings, Learn French by Podcast, etc.

You do get a French-English dictionary, so that might of worth, but at 259 pages, it's not very comprehensive.

If you're looking for review material, or something to supplement a class, I would recommend something like Learn French by Podcast (the audio is completely free, you can buy pdf guides for the lessons à la carte).

If you're looking to learn from scratch, I would keep looking. Michel Thomas or Pimsleur may work for you (you can read more about them on their own product pages, and download sample lessons from their respective websites), or try some software. I just started with Fluenz, so we'll see how that goes, but it's already light years beyond where this Living Language set took me.

OK for beginners, great for a review
I'm about 1/3 done with this book & CD set.I've been taking French for years and I minored in it college. I used to be good, but 3, 4 years of never speaking or reading it really set me back and I forgot a lot!

I took this set out of my library and liked it so much I went and bought it. $25 is a GREAT price!So far it's giving me exactly what i wanted- a light review on vocab, pronunciation, and grammar.How i've been workign through it is I read the lesson- then I listen to the CD and speak along. If i don't remember what something meant I pause it and look at the book again. I've found this is pretty effective.

I've been mentally going through the short quizes at the end of the lesson and boy are they lacking. it is ESSENTIAL that you write french to learn it! These lessons are really not enough of a practical application at all, so don't think you can get away with just doing the 10 or so question quiz(multiple choice and phrases straight out of the lesson, for added easiness!). What i was doing that was taking a bit more out of the quiz was translating the phrase, then looking for the correct answer,if needed.

I've been going through this with my fiance, who started off not knowing any french.He's up to lesson 9 and has been doing really well- so i think that this is a good program to INTRODUCE someone to French. Don't think that if your'e a begginer you're going to be fluent as soon as you finish the book. use it as one of your learning tools.

hope this helped anyone trying to decide.

It's possible to sound almost like a native!
Although I had Spanish in HS, I perfected my accent and grammar through daily usage abroad.When I started learning French, I had a spanish accent.HOWEVER, after diligently studying, listening, and imitating the cds (or cassettes) of this program, non-natives said my accent was great!But I have fooled native speakers as well...they really thought that I was from some francophone country!Grammatically, I thought this book was just right for "serious" beginners.Also, the little phrases found in the lessons are some of the phrases we use daily in English!The price is great for the info it contains...I have recommended it to a few of my "self-starter" friends and students.They've made excellent progress in pronunciation and forming simple, grammatically correct sentences!

Useful addition to your studies
This course is quite cheap and at first seemingly very straightforward and bland, but don't be fooled, as you progress in your French studies - be that through a language school or simply self tuition - you will come to realise that this little package is in fact a highly valuable resource that you can re-visit time and time again. ... Read more

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Experience the language learning method millions around the world have come to trust

Unlike most language learning systems, the Michel Thomas Method enables you to naturally and intuitively develop the building blocks for language comprehension. You learn at your own speed--listening, speaking, and thinking through the language. Guided by language teacher extraordinaire Michel Thomas, each CD takes you through an interactive lesson with two other learners. By the end of the program, you will have the ability to put together words and phrases together naturally and make your own sentences. You will have basic vocabulary, conversation skills, and the confidence to speak in French.

Customer Reviews (57)

You won't be disappointed.
I have tried Berlitz & Pimsleur, Pimsleur being far superior to Berlitz, but I have to say that this is by far the best teaching tool out there.I read all of the reviews prior to purchasing and was a little hesitant because some said that the instructor had a thick accent and the students were distracting.Others thought that the last two Cd's were identical to the first 8 without the students.First let me say that while the instructor does have a bit of an accent, he is very easy to understand and his teaching technique is superb.Secondly, I found that the students made the learning easier.It really feels like you are sitting in a room with a French tutor and two other people.It was very good and helped in the learning process.Lastly, you can not just skip to the last 2 CDs.They are a review and a chance to practice what you learned, but they are not instructional in nature.I just finished the entire series and am ready for the next level, which I am about to purchase when I finish this review.You should also know that you can get then lessons on your iPhone and iPad and I think that Itunes sells them as well.I bought the cd set and then downloaded them into my iTunes so that I could listen to them in my car and on my iPhone.The cost is about the same.Buy this if you really want to learn French quickly.

Highly recommend Michel's cd's!
I am so glad I chose these cd's to start learning French before my trip abroad. Because of Michel's teaching style, I've learned and retained a lot of the French language in a short amount of time. I find I am looking forward each day to my lessons with him. And after my trip to France, I will continue to learn French with his advanced cd's. I highly recommend his cd's. Michel Thomas Method French For Beginners, 10-CD Program (Michel Thomas Speak...)

Just what we wanted ....
Having good results with the Italian version of this teaching method, we were very pleased to find it in French, too. Very clear, slow enough to understand and to repeat, we are enjoying listening as well as learning. We would recommend Michel Thomas method to everyone. The CD's arrived very quickly, in excellent condition and so easy to do by Ebay. Au revoir and Merci!

I am living proof that this method works
I have been living in Luxembourg, where the main language is French, for the past five years. Two years ago I bought Michel Thomas's French course, because I was tired of not being able to communicate while taking care of daily tasks. Within a few days I was having a go at the language. No books, no writing, just listening to the course on my half hour commute to work and back.

After completing the course I immediately bought the advanced course which I also strongly recommend. I now converse daily in French and have no problems taking care of day to day task in French.

The measure of language learning is if you can be understood. This is what you will achieve with this course. There has been a lot of criticism from people regarding the lack of vocabulary in this course. This is not a problem. The most important thing is that you understand how sentences are formed and how to use the verbs. Vocabulary will come all by itself (just start reading Tintin commics after you've completed this course like I did.)

Do I make mistakes? All the time. Am I useless at French prepositions? Absolutely. Am I understood by the natives. Perfectly. Tell me. What more can you ask for from a language course?

You learn to speak French and have a learning curve that is very steep indeed. This will get you there, all my English colleagues are still in awe of me. In my mid thirties and I have learnt to speak a new language, you can do it too, it's a fabulous journey. Good luck

Fantastic!
These CDs are fantastic.Michel Thomas' method of teaching is so unique - no remembering or writing - brilliant! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent French translation
This is a great picture book with fantastic illustrations of weird creatures (such as the crapeaurhino and the serpenquipic).The French translation is quite clever, and in some ways I like it better than the original English (which is presented along with the French).The font is playful but still quite easy to read.

Great book for litte kids who like to read about monsters
I would have liked more text for my son, but the ideas and the pictures are quite nice. He really likes this book. ... Read more

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Easy-to-carry, easy-to-use and fun! A simple, straightforward four-week course in French! You'll be fluent in no time! No bulky books! Carry everywhere, learn anywhere... in the car, on the bus, even at the beach! In four 240 pp. wire-O bound books of eight sections apiece, you get a comprehensive overview of French grammar, plus nearly 70 pages of vocabulary. The thirty-one colorful, illustrated lessons, a comprehensive review, and detailed glossaries provide all the basic tools to learn French. Each page features French on one side and English on the reverse, with an illustration providing the visual clues and memory hooks to increase speed of comprehension, plus extra grammar tips, helpful hints, and cultural insights to enrich your learning experience. An audio CD provides native pronunciation of all material presented plus Mastery Exercises for comprehensive review. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Love this series!
I love the speak in a week series -- I've been so happy with their design/layout that I've purchased French, Italian, and recently the Spanish series - overall the series is pretty straight-forward; the cartoons are helpful, but if you need to just listen in the car or while traveling the audio makes complete sense on its own.I think this is for the absolute beginner - I find the beginning tapes are just a little slow for me - speaking wise...but if you are learning this can be great as it gives you a second or two to try to remember the translations.Also for someone looking to brush- up this is great, I've studied French as a youngster and used it to brush up my Francais in my adult life - works great for this as well.
The series looks exactly the same in each language, and I like the first lessons they teach you, they actually seem to make sense that they would be the first things you learn.For example: things that they go over-- salutations, hello, how are you, i am fine, what is the phone number, where is the...?(ex where is the hotel, where is the beach, etc)i need...(i need a glass of water, i need three tickets, etc)do you like...(do you like the party, do you like the museum, etc)i like...i need... -- overall things that i think are actually important to learn when learning a new language.
Would absolutely recommend this to anyone as a great introduction to a new language.

Speak French In A week
I find this program to be very helpful in my continuing French practices. I use it on my iPod while exercising at my athletic club and while sleeping at night.

Quick way to Learn
We are using this book set to learn French in a college setting with a class that is for retired people.I love it!!Quick and easy to learn and the pictures make it easy to remember.

I would use this even without the additional instructional support.Most likely, when I get ready to learn Spanish, I will use that version of this series.

A good learning material
This is a very good set of CDs and booklets. It's very portable and colorful. Complete beginners should choose this one, which can bring them towards intermediate level quickly. There are a few typing errors that are confusing but negligible. It would be good if they have more advanced programs.

Excellent accent
This collection is a nice review for me to get the accent back in my ear.The speaker sounds like a native and many times when the book misspells something, he of course speaks it correctly.For example, Pg. 59, the article of the word is incorrectly spelled as "la parc" but he pronounces it correctly as "le parc".So this makes me think he is a native speaker.I highly recommend these French CDs as a refresher course or as a way to learn French for the first time.

Stay away from the Italian version.Way too many mistakes by the speaker who is obviously NOT from Italy! ... Read more

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Oh, la vache! Le voleur s'est fait épingler par le flic!

(translation:) Wow! That thief got nabbed by the cop!

(literal:) Oh, the cow! That thief got stapled by the cop!

Sacré bleu! Even after years of trying to learn French, you still have trouble conversing with a native speaker. Why? Because everyday French is filled with slang and colloquialisms. Street French 1 is the first in a series of slang/idiom books that teach you how to speak and understand the real language used daily on the street, in homes, offices, stores, and among family and friends.

Entertaining dialogues, word games and drills, crossword puzzles, word searches, and "inside" tips will have you sounding like a native in no time at all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Street French
While I bought the book knowing it was used, I anticipated it being clean and with a minimum number of markings.Unfortunately, quite a few of the exercises had actually been worked in pink pen throughout the book. Other than that, the transaction and shipping went smoothly, and I was satisfied with the purchase.

Very Well Written
This book is a very well considered review of colloquial French as it is spoken. It's broken down into easy to digest lessons with insightful advice for those who want to speak and understand French as it is commonly spoken.

The French you won't learn at University
This book and this author's book 3 (Naughty French) are 2 of the funniest books I have ever owned.I studied French at University for 7 years and believe me the French in these books is not what I learned.I cannot tell you how refreshing these two books were to me after having studied French formally at the University.These books teach you how people in the street talk, how the people engage informally with each other in every day interactions.I can remember when I first went to France and could barely survive for the first 2 weeks I was there because I could understand next to nothing---because the natives were all speaking in slang.I wondered if I had really been taught French or Greek---but after 2 weeks I began to figure out that the French I had been taught was proper French and the natives could all understand me---but they had their own lingo of slang just like we have here.Slowly, but surely I began to pick up the slang expressions from them, but having been exposed to these 2 books would have made my transition period infinitely easier and smoother.I strongly recommend this book and his other books to anyone planning on going to France and to those who want to have a good laugh---this book is extremely funny as well as useful.I wish I had known about this book a long time ago.I think a book like this should be used in French classes in conjunction with a formal French language grammar because this book to me is just as important as the formal grammar boook---you need to know how the people actually talk in every day circumstances---not just formal conversations.

Street French -- put to the test!
I bought this book before I trotted off to Paris a couple years ago. I'd taken French in high school and college, and I bought this book to refresh my French a bit. I'm so glad I did! This book teaches you the way that the French really speak, dropping letters and words just the way we do when we speak English. None of my French teachers prepared me for Paris. I would've thought I'd learned the wrong language.

This book will help you take the French that you were taught and turn it into the language that the French actually speak. I'd recommend that most people have had at least a year of high school French to make the most use of this book. If you haven't had any French, or at least a Romance language, and you're going to France in a hurry, you might want to get a phrase book and memorize it. This isn't the right book for an emergency.

TK Kenyon
Author of Rabid: A Novel and Callous: A Novel

Great for Slang, Great for Study
This is a really good book, I must say.It's not the book that I originally wanted to like, thinking that it was just going to teach me basic vocabulary, but it goes much deeper than that.Mr. Burke teaches you many important things such as the contractions that the French commonly use and also the way Fench ask questions, etc.These ideas are what seperate this book from just a basic slang vocabulary book.

Mr. Burke will teach you how to sound like a native French speaker.The contractions section is a great example of how this works.He teaches you that instead of saying something like 'Je ne peux pas' (the English equivalent of "I am not able to") you should say something more along the lines of 'Je'n peux'pa' (sounds more like "I can't.")These are the essentials that will keep you from sounding just like a French student (and speaking Scholarly French) to sounding like a native speaker who has lived in France for years (something much better).

If you are interested in learning French beyond what a typical academic setting can bring to you, this is definitely a book and a series I recommend.For anyone who wishes to go to France and speak a more natural and believable French, this is the book for you.I would recommend this to anyone and would even be willin to buy it as a gift for any one of my friends. ... Read more

Product Description
This combined book of key words and expressions gives you the absolutely essential words you'll need to know to navigate everyday French conversation. For example, it would be difficult to get through a single day in France without hearing each of the words truc, bise and Pardon! at least once. Well, these words are all here in this book, and lots more, like défense de, foutu, fichu, drôle de, en liquide, and et alors? The use of each is discussed and illustrated with examples. After reading this book, you'll not only recognize these key words if you hear or read them, but you'll also be able to use them correctly yourself. This book will be a pleasure for you. It's one of those rare finds, a book that is both very useful and fun to read!

About the Author
Saul H. Rosenthal has published the following French and English learning books:

• The Rules for the Gender of French Nouns, (3rd revised edition)
• Speaking Better French, Faux Amis
• Speaking Better French, more Faux Amis
• Speaking Better French, still more Faux Amis
• French Faux Amis: The Combined Book
• Speaking Better French, The Key Words and Expressions
• Speaking Better French, More Key Words and Expressions
• French Key Words and Expressions
• All the French You Use Without Knowing It
• More French You Use Without Knowing It

Customer Reviews (9)

A must
This book has a lot of essentials to understand and speak French.The best I've ever seen.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Okay.I'm going to give you the good news and the bad news about this book very briefly.Then, I will go into some details for those of you who are interested.

The good news is that this book is indeed useful for those attempting to master French beyond the second-year level.The words and expressions discussed occur frequently for the most part, and I believe that most of the comments about the words are correct.The majority of the examples are authentic and practical.All in all, this is a good book for anyone wishing to polish his or her already functional French.

The bad news is that this book is amateurish and sloppy.It is replete with careless errors both in English and in French.I will give a list below, but they are legion.When I first saw this book advertised in the French Review, I thought it might have been written by a retired French professor eager to provide future generations of students with some helpful hints.Nothing could be further from the truth.No French professor would have written such a poorly edited book.

Saul H. Rosenthal never explains his credentials in French.He mentions a daughter who is presumably a native speaker of French, but he doesn't talk about either a wife or his own educational background.I get the impression he is an American who has lived quite a bit of time in France, long enough to have picked up the lingo but not long enough to have mastered it.The book appears to be self-published and certainly self-edited.It is sad he did not seek out some serious help in preparing this book for publication.

Now, let me offer some details.I will put the page numbers in parentheses.Mr. Rosenthal is "apostrophe-challenged."Consider some of these mistakes."It's literal translation" (23), "ones fingers" (48), "Dont I know" (50), "it's very nature" (70), "the speakers words" (96), "on ones guard" (115), "here are some examples of it's use" (213), "to attract someones attention" (256).The errors in punctuation are simply too numerous to mention.

What about the French, you say?Well, for those of you who know French well, take these examples."Le nuit" (9), "huit heure" (17), "la réponse est arrivé" (17), "Il faut lui demandé" (36), "tu te soûle" (53), "je fait" (63), "t'en fait pas" (84), "les premiers trois axiomes" (113), "j'ai travaillais" (146), "de ce qu'elle à dit" (153), en vacance (157), "quel beau gateau" (168), "quelle mauvaise caractère" (169), "j'ai souvent eu besoin attendre plusieurs heures" (213), "je me fait beaucoup de soucis" (219).There are certain other infelicities.For example, the sentence "Fais attention à toi quand tu vas skier" (88) is translated as "Be careful of yourself when you go skiing."There are others as well.

Finally, I would question some of his comments about register.On page 224, for example, "zut!" should not be translated by "damn" or "hell" because it is not profanity in French."Shoot," "darn," or "rats" are more accurate examples of the register.Likewise, on pages 64 and 241, "je m'en fiche" and "je m'en fous" are not in the same register."Je m'en fiche" is more like "I don't give a hoot."

Occasionally, I might quibble with some of his renderings into English.For example, on page 252, "Je suis malade depuis huit jours" would be better translated "I have been sick for a week" than his "I have been sick for eight days."

Well, there you have it, the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly.I leave it to you to judge whether or not this is a worthy book to add to your library or to give to friends.

A "must have" for anyone serious about learning french
Sure, you can learn grammar and verb tenses until your brain rots, but is that enough to get by in every day conversational French?If you're not lucky enough to be living in a French speaking country (forcing you on your survival instincts to learn French), you're probably like the rest of us, bumping along trying to keep your plus-que-parfait straight from your l'imparfait.But, just like in English, there are just certain phrases and word combinations that are used over and over and if you can remember those, this is going to go a long way in becoming fluent in French.I am very impressed with this book, although it's a study course in and of itself!Best learned a little bit everyday.Not a quick read, but a great reference.Something to pick up after your brain has rotted from those verb tenses to learn a new phrase or two.Plenty of examples of how the expressions are used in real life situations.Invaluable.

Make Your French Flow
Mr. Rosenthal's previous three key word volumes have now been gathered together into one enormously useful volume.The beauty of these books for me is that they are both useful for my students as a reference and enjoyable for me as a book to read through.The breadth of expressions covered is impressive, the explanations are concise, the examples are clear, and register differences are always taken into consideration. This book is a must-have for the serious French student.

educational & entertaining
An amusing, detailed, and intelligently-compiled book.It has that rare I-can't-stop-reading-this quality not normally associated with learning a language.A solid choice for anyone planning a trip to France.Rosenthal's collection of expressions will fit virtually any proficiency level.A great refresher for native speakers as well. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent!
I highly recommend this book.For those of you that can read French, you are in for a treat!Many of these poems and stories I read over 10 years ago, but they are still fresh and poignant in my mind.My favorite is Guy de Maupaussant. This is definitely worth the investment. French poetry and stories are special in the sense that the writers have examined themselves on a philosophical level.It almost seems as if each writer is trying to teach you something worthwhile.If you can read German, there is another book like this one by the same company that is also dual language.Relax and enjoy a sample of the French literary world. Note: the translations are not exact.It is highly recommended that you read it in the original language. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: French language; Foreign Language Study / French; Foreign Language Study / Romance Languages; ... Read more

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