basingstoke2

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.

StCirq

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.

ira

Hi Sher,

>It is one of THE important phrases!<

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

travelgourmet

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.

StCirq

<<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.

Tentek

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.

travelgourmet

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.

annie2011

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.

basingstoke2

<<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.

travelgourmet

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.

basingstoke2

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.

nytraveler

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.

330east

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.)

ellenem

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/...-break-french/

italynovice

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.

jomagpie

$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/

Christina

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.

sundriedpachino

Can one ever learn too much?

basingstoke2

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.

travelgourmet

<i>Can one ever learn too much?</i>

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.