Rosetta Stone is decent software. I wouldn't spend money to learn a language for a trip to France, but the software is decent.

I can't imagine it could ever be worth it just for a tourist who is going to be in France for a short time, given it costs hundreds of dollars, as far as I know. If you plan to be in France for a long time and really want to get more out of it, I think you should take a real language class such as at a community college and study for a year. You won't be able to really communicate if you don't study a language seriously for a long time. And you won't be able to really communicate in one year no matter what, but I guess that depends what you mean by that term (to me, it means actually having a conversation). If you are going to major cities, the people you encounter, especially in hotels and restaurants, will know English most likely.

So I'd suggest either taking a class if you really want to learn French. If this is just something to do as a one-off for that vacation, just buy a phrasebook or get whatever you can get free at your library (my libary has Pimsleur but no Rosetta Stone).

If you know Spanish, French cannot be totally foreign, as a lot of the language has similarities in grammatical structurew and words.

It has taken me years to learn enough Spanish and German to be able to function in those countries. I doubt that a year on Rosetta Stone will be enough to really help, but hey--it couldn't hurt.

I agree with others about not investing in Rosetta Stone in that I have been trying to learn French off and on since I was in high school many years ago and am still not fluent but I can get along with my French over there. Our local library has the Pimsleur cds that one can borrow, and I would look into something like that. I really like Pimsleur.

I agree with grandmere. We took a trip to France for seven weeks about 3 years ago and I wanted to brush up on my "travelers" French. I'd only had French 2 years in high school. So I got the Pimsleur CDs at my local library and it helped a lot.

Hi IN,

How fluent do you feel you need to be?

Will you be carrying on conversations about the local soccer team or asking where the toilet is?

Dropping $200+ and the time investment needed seems a bit much.

There are other techniques for learning as much as you need to of another language for travel. Check out deconstructing language on www.fourhourblog.com for some tips that could be useful.

I've traveled to various countries with no knowledge of the language and never had a problem communicating nor suffered resentment from others due to my ignorance.

Even a year of assiduous study with Rosetta Stone or anything else isn't going to get you close to fluency, but you can certainly make strides and feel more confident. I probably wouldn't invest in something that expensive when there are no-cost online alternatives, though, like BBC.

Ok, you've convinced me that there are cheaper alternatives to learn basic "travel" communication in France! Just want to work on basic skills. Will use basic travel cd from barnes and nobles rather than $159 Rosetta Stone. Thanks

@italynovice, I invested in Rosetta Stone for my previous trip to France, but I have always wanted to learn french and never had an opportunity to take formal classes other than a year of basic French in college.

Ira. I always try to learn how to say where is the toilet in every country that I visit.
It is one of THE important phrases!

Sher, the trouble with asking for the toilet in the native language can be problematic: the natives will ANSWER you in the native language, often at a very rapid speed and you may not catch what they are saying or any colloquial phrases they may use.

Was it interesting in terms of teaching style?

Sher, the trouble with asking for the toilet in the native language can be problematic: the natives will ANSWER you in the native language, often at a very rapid speed and you may not catch what they are saying or any colloquial phrases they may use.

Ding! Short of a real, dedicated effort to develop some fluency, I fail to see much need to learn anything more than "excuse me", "thank you", and "do you speak English".

Sometimes they take pity on you and point for directions.
I find them to try to be helpful even if your language skills are terrible, which mine are I am afraid.

In my opinion is not the type of software that will help but whether or not you will be able to use the language. As with most new things learning comes by doing.
I took an immersion class in French one year that was really intense. classmates and I dedicated to calling each other and conversing in french. for a while I was actually getting pretty decent but now since I have not used the language in years, I've lost whatever I may have picked up.

Like grandmere, I use the Pimsleur cds from the library. Free is good. For a tourist, they are good enough and I like how when a new word is introduced, the pronunciation is broken down. I also like how the lessons are short enough at about 1/2 hour each to fit into my commute.

If you enter Rosetta Stone vs. Pimsleur into search engines, you will find several discourses of people what area each is good at. I am in Pimsleur camp for the same reason many noted that it gives good sense of how to construct phrases and far more convenient than the Rosetta Stone, because you don't need a computer. As other mentioned, I used library's Pimsleur collection to minimize the expenses.

Whether it "worth" depends on a context. If you define "worth" to mean this trip only, your return from your study would be limited. If you use this as a springboard to further your study in French or other languages, this gives you an incentive to go over the initial hurdle and you get more leverage towards your life long learning process.

One does not require fluency to benefit from speaking the language, and therefore I feel it is irrelevant for casual visitors. I had a priceless experience in a town in French Alps. I wanted to pickup some sandwiches in town to for the train trip. As I walked to the sandwich counter, a hurried American man walked up to the counter ahead of me and blurted out "Do you have water?" in English. The vendor, who probably understood what he was after but understandably put off by his abrupt behavior, answered "Combien de bouteilles?" The American got exasperated and said "Do you have small water?" To which the vendor repeated his question in French.
- "Three bottles, how much?",
= "Quatre-cinquante"
- grumble, grumble, trying to guess how much, hands him 5€
As the American left the counter, the vendor stared at the man with disgust and turned around with smile when I walked up and said "Bonjour monsieur."

As the American left the counter, the vendor stared at the man with disgust and turned around with smile when I walked up and said "Bonjour monsieur."

I'd suggest the vendor find a profession that doesn't involve customer service.

I mean, you didn't recount that story as a reason to learn a language, did you? To prevent getting the stink eye from some snippy shopkeeper? Most people, most places, generally seek to help people out. Given the plethora of opportunities to deal with such people, it seems much easier to simply move on to the next vendor.

I have found, and I am certain that others have as well, that making an attempt at the host language opens doors and is appreciated even if poorly done. It seems that we are treated better in restaurants and stores when we make the effort. Being able to read signs will be a big plus, even if one does not try to speak the language.

There are innumerable reasons to learn a language, including not wanting to offend people or appear to be boorish. Any effort is almost universally appreciated.

Hi Sher,

>It is one of THE important phrases!<

My Lady Wife says that it is the MOST important phrase.

Sure the effort is appreciated. The question is whether one can actually and reasonably put forth that effort. But for those that seek to, I assume you have basic knowledge of Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Swedish, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, Thai, Korean, and more?

Learning the language makes sense for those that repeatedly travel to the same destination. It is impractical for those that travel across numerous countries, and silly for those that travel infrequently.

<<Learning the language makes sense for those that repeatedly travel to the same destination. It is impractical for those that travel across numerous countries, and silly for those that travel infrequently.>>

It also makes sense if you just happen to enjoy learning other languages and are good at it. You don't even have to leave the house, ever, to reap the benefits of learning another language.

I agree with StCirq. I think it is a matter of personal preference. I always feel better when I can exchange at least a few words like hello and thank you in the local language. I probably would not invest in a Rosetta Stone for every country I travel but I also always wanted to speak French for no real reason, same with Italian. I bought Rosetta Stone in French to support my fledgling knowledge of French from college. I find that immersion is the best way to learn and when I am surrounded by the language I pick it up really fast.

so to answer your question, italynovice, Rosetta Stone works for me, but it may be a matter of individual learning style. It gives me a style that is as close to immersion as I can get without signing up for a class that meets at least once weekly.

Had the OP asked for advice on learning a language for personal enrichment, then the advice might be different. Instead, the OP asked about learning French in relation to a planned holiday.

Again, for those that travel broadly, learning even basics of the various languages is impractical.

My husband did Rosetta Stone for German and then tried Fluenz for French. I think Fluenz is slightly cheaper and he is enjoying it a bit more that Rosetta Stone.

<<for those that travel broadly, learning even basics of the various languages is impractical.>>

I can't disagree more with the above statement. Not only is it practical, it is useful. Learning some basics and courtesies is not difficult and this is from a person who always had trouble learning a language in an academic setting - it turns out that is not the setting that fits my way of learning. I can read both Cyrillic and Hebrew alphabets and can be courteous and have some basic vocabulary in Russian, Hebrew, French, Italian, Portuguese, German,leave the Spanish to DW and have used more than one language on a single trip. Who would have thought that Hebrew would have come in very handy in Belgium and Germany? It is no trouble at all and I consider it a basic part of travel. Sure I forget it in between uses but brushing up before a trip is part of the planning.

Six languages? That is about a month of travel for many. I counted once and I'd have to have learned pleasantries in something like 20 languages to have gotten me through the year. The wife was at something like 7 in a two-week period last year and has easily eclipsed my 20 in a year, since she travels more for work.

Again. Impractical. Heck, I give it no more than 20 years until technology makes knowing the language moot, even for in-depth conversations.

I learn them when I need them. If I need more, I'll learn more. So could you if you wanted to. A year is a long time.

If you've already studied Spanish then a lot of French will be familiar. the grammar is very similar, many of the same verbs irregular etc. The major difference is that, for Americans, pronouning French correctly is very difficult since there are a couple of sounds that we simply don;t have. (I studied Spanish and French and found understanding basic italian very easy - althouhg I never studied a word of it.)

If you are looking at simple written signs, menus etc the Spanish should be a big help. With spoken French it will be useless. But I would do a class in conversational French at a local high school or junior college - so someone can be correcting your pronunciation as you go and you have the chance to converse with others.

Well, for one trip to France I took a semester of French at the community college. For last Sept trip we bought R/Stone. The community college won out. (I do believe if you have several years you can learn a lot w/ R/Stone. You have to work at it continuously. There's no teacher to expedite things. They do have some sort of call-in service but I just found it aggravating.) (I've been a Spanish teacher for like 55 years.)

Perhaps before investing in an expensive program, you should try a free well-knwon program that follows a simple course of study. See f it offers enough before making a bigger investment.

http://radiolingua.com/shows/french/coffee-break-french/

Comments very interesting and helpful. I have traveled to Italy yearly for the past three years and found my attempts at speaking Italian to be well received. Transactions involving money, reading signs, and basic comprehension made traveling easier. Traveling way off the beaten path, one does encounter people with no knowledge of the English language. Even basic communication abilities in Italian opened some doors and made for interesting memories. That being said, I will start with pimsleur. I will also check with my local community college. That is a great idea to work on pronunciation and get feedback.

$159 for the complete Rosetta Stone software?!? Canadians are getting ripped off, it cost $499 on their Canadian website. $159 is a steal!

I use the BBC languages site to brush up: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/

YOu don't have to really study a long time to learn pleasantries in a language, you can do that on the airplane. That's what I do when going to a country where I don't know the language and I will only be there a short time on vacation and have no long-term need for the language.

I think it varies what people consider learning a language or communicating or learning "the basics". I don't consider learning a few phrases to be the basics. I would consider understanding grammar, conjuguation (at least in the present tense), personal pronouns, articles, how to construct a sentence, etc. to be learning "the basics". And you can't learn that for every country if you are only there a few days.

Rosetta Stone costs $179 on its website, but that is only for the beginning segments, not the entire set. And it does cost US$499 for the entire set (levels 1-5). I don't think the price differs in Canada, they refer you to the same website.

I had a friend who liked the Instant Immersion CDs, you can buy them on Amazon for only around $20, I think.

Can one ever learn too much?

For anyone using the Pimsleur method. This method focuses on everyday conversation in the earlier lessons and doesn't really get to travel items until later other than asking directions. When I use Pimsleur, which is my main source, I supplement it with some other dedicated short travel phrase method.

Can one ever learn too much?

Assuming unlimited time? Perhaps not.

In the real world, however, people do not have unlimited time. This results in a need to prioritize. Personally, I don't think learning/memorizing how to ask where the toilet is in 20 languages is a particularly useful (or intellectually stimulating) use of time.

I have used "before you know it" (byki.com)-- I think usually there is some free material, and then more available cheaply (say, $10-20). I like to try to learn a little wherever we are going and usually find it pays off-- whether through greater friendliness and helpfulness from others, or less helplessness.

FYI, for France you might consider getting a glossary or app that covers food items as you could have years of French and still be at sea with many menus (escargo was a great app for us).

wow! @ travelgourmet - I disagree that learning basic language to travel is ? impractical? I live overseas and people in every country I have been to are nicer, and sometimes giddily delighted when I manage a few words in their language. Please, Thank You, Yes, No, Left, Right, How Are You, Good Morning, Un Choclat Croissant Sil Vous Plait, are absolutely essential in my humble opinion. I can totally relate to Greg's story of the rude man who wanted water. And why should the seller of water change careers? Because he doesn't feel like being subservient to please a few rude customers? You're having a laugh!

I live overseas and people in every country I have been to are nicer, and sometimes giddily delighted when I manage a few words in their language.

I live overseas, too. I don't have any complaints about how nice the people are, even when I speak in English.

And why should the seller of water change careers? Because he doesn't feel like being subservient to please a few rude customers?

Why should he change careers? Because he doesn't seem to enjoy his current one. Getting snippy because a potential customer doesn't speak your language? That isn't about not wanting to be subservient, but rather about being a grump. FWIW, I take the same dim view of American service personnel that complain when foreign tourists don't speak English.

You're having a laugh!

I freely admit that I chuckle at the idea that "learning" a language for a vacation is of much value.

"Can one ever learn too much?"

I must have, I keep forgetting the day to day stuff I need to remember. Since the reason can't be old age it must be that the tank is full!

I used to try and learn the basics of the local language but whoa ... was I a slow learner. So now the one phrase I perfect in the local language is "Do you speak English or French?"

We (the family) also learn to count to ten and order drinks with no ice. But under pressure I think we screw those up too.

In a French bakery in Versailles on our first trip to France I tried to ask for a pastry in the local language. The nervous clerk thought I was speaking English, so she answered me in what she thought was English, but I thought was French. The other clerk came to our rescue and she said to the first clerk, "You need to practice your English".
Of course we all had a good laugh and I got my pastry.

The point is that we all need to make some effort, after all we live in a social world and not everyone yet speaks "american".

Ziggypop good point!

I've been very happy using a language website/social network called Livemocha. (I found out about it via Groupon). The cost is very reasonable, especially for short term access. You do lessons, and part of each lesson is a writing assignment, and a speaking assignment. You are reviewed either by an expert (you get so many expert reviews depending on the plan you've chosen)or you get reviews from native speakers.

To get more 'points' for expert reviews, I've reviewed things for people taking English classes.

I used it to brush up on my German last year when we went to Switzerland and Germany, and I've used it recently to brush up on my French.

Their videos are very good - I particularly like the fact that the actors are speaking at a real pace, what you'll hear when you're there. You can look at English transcripts or French transcripts.

I never bought Rosetta Stone because of the cost. I used to use the free lessons on the BBC site (don't know if they're still there), but Livemocha has been my favorite alternative of late.

Alice

well it's gotten harder to remember words as I've gotten older for sure Zig, but learning a few phrases is a bit less arrogant than expecting someone in every country in the world will speak some version of English for you. Of course, in the end, that may be what we rely upon, but it shows a slight appreciation for the culture you plan to visit or live with if you learn a few things with the best pronunciation you can muster. If you can't be bothered, that is rather contemptuous.
Locals pick up on that right away, as did the water seller.

+1 for Live Mocha (also introduced to it via Groupon). I know there are other language sites out there which give feedback on pronunciation - that's the best feature of LM, imo.

I'm with most everyone else in learning a few words/phrases, no matter where I go, no matter for how long. I love languages so I enjoy doing that and consider it part of the planning, which I also love to do.

Somewhat OT, but related. Everyone loves hearing their native language, particularly when it's not expected. A few weeks ago in NYC, I met a friend's new boyfriend for the first time. When it was time to toast, I looked him in the eye and said "Cheers" in Polish (he was born and raised in Poland), which is one of few words I picked up from my father. OMG, his eyes lit up, his whole face lit up. Just that one word made him so happy. Not the same as what we're talking about, I know...

I remember 5 years ago, when we were in Nice, I went into a Mephisto store (they're SO much cheaper there), and if that saleswoman knew any English, she wasn't letting on. I pointed to the pair of sandals I wanted, told her I wanted the green color, size 36. They fit, I payed, said thank you and goodbye. I don't know if I was happier that I snagged the shoes I wanted or that I managed the whole affair in French!

Alice

I guess the serving guy was more put out by the tourist's grumpy attitude than by the language he was speaking.

YankyGal, I love toasting with people from other countries in their native language. It always adds a level of conviviality.

the effort will definitely be appreiciated but it was very frustrating when the person i was talking to would switch over to English. I spent over 9 months learning rudimentary French