We are planning a trip to France next year. I am not a linquist. Took French in high school. I want to be just at "nice tourist" and be able to say a few things and be able to read signs, menus etc. I am a visual person, yet I was wondering about language CD's ... while traveling to work. Any recomendations ?

boringly, i'm going to recommend Michel Thomas again - truly the best I've found in years of getting language tapes out to learn some of the language before I travel.

I think he does a refresher course in French and german that you might like. Try your local library first - they'll probably have others too.

good luck - no time spent learning the language of place you're visiting is ever wasted, IMO.

I used Michel Thomas, too...the 8-CD version. My library ordered a set for me and, thankfully, no one else requested it for several months. I used various French-for-travelers books to pick up more relevant words/phrases.

There are several websites. Just search on "English to French translation". As I was doing my trip research I constantly came across words I thought I might need. I kept a dictionary and those websites at hand. I would look up that word and paste it into a document to review frequently.

Do you travel to work by car ? If so, fine. Many years ago, when living in London & commuting by train, I bought a Linguaphone set - not realising it required repeating phrases out loud !

If not (or better anyway if you can find the time), do an evening class. It's amzing how much difference one year's classes make !

My best results (French and Spanish both) have come from signing up for an 8-10 week class at the community college. Find a non-credited type aimed at tourists/travel, not a "101" credit course.

It is really helpful to work live with other people, not just from a book or CD in my experience.

I'm a huge fan of the Pimsleur CDs/tapes. I learned enough Spanish (starting from no knowledge at all) to handle our language needs during a 6-week trip this spring, and I felt very comfortable speaking the language. I'm now starting the tapes on French--a language I studied for 5 years but can barely speak. I'm a visual person too (and I did check out some of the Spanish with a dictionary--"r"s are particularly hard to hear), but these are the only tapes I've found that I can use while driving. (I prefer the tapes; it's easier to rewind).

I went to Craigslist and found an Italian language instructor and am progressing really fast; I am also using a Berlitz cd series that I listen to in the car and that is really helping to reinforce the language instruction (also Berlitz focuses on conversational skills, at least this set does). After I work a bit more I am joining a luncheon conversational group, and I agree that talking with others is really helpful.

Yes, use language CDs while traveling to work. The more you can listen and practice, the better, regardless of the method of learning.

I, too, am a visual person. The highly-touted Pimsleur series doesn't work for me, because it's an all-oral method (or at least that's true of those that I've seen).

I've used a combination of learning techniques. I have a couple of French CDs/tapes, both tourist phrases and more "learn to speak French types." Check out your local library and try out what they have. Once you find a style that suits use, then you can buy something for your own use (or keep checking it out from the library).

I do listen to my stuff in the car, then go over written materials at home. I need to see a word to be able to remember it and how to pronounce it, but listening really helps with pronounciation.

I like Pimsleur, too, but I use them in conjunction with a small dictionary and phrase book in order to visualise what I'm saying - because I'm primarily a visual learner. I've just started German (and Arabic, I already speak French and so-so Spanish) and I work through each lesson twice; on the second round I try to transcribe the new phrases (in English and then in German/phonetic Arabic), checking spelling and noting pronunciation where it's tricky. This then gives me a useful refresher document. If you learned French before, I would recommend that you start with Pimsleur Level II - because Level I is very, very basic. You could listen to the CDs during your commute and transcribe them later.

A lot of local libraries have the Pimsleur CDs. You can also buy them (expensive) or download them from the internet (less expensive).

I also highly recommend the Rough Guide phrase books. They have a very useful short grammar section at the front (a good reminder of what you learned before or something to give a beginner a sense of the structure of the language) and then a good bilingual phrasebook, plus menu guide - and they show the pronunciation (most useful for native English speakers).

It won't be useful for your commute, but I'd also recommend that you check out the British BBC website and its section on languages. It has a short, interactive free course on the web with pronunciation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/

Given your limited aspirations, you might want to hone in acquiring an ear for understanding directions when they are given to you and understanding what a waiter is likely to be saying to you, and having the language that covers buying ticktets to trains, museums and concerts, etc.

You should take a menu translator with you.

Even though I understand a lot of French when spoken to me, I still preface any conversations I initiate by pointing out I don't really speak French, and asking people if they would be so kind as to speak slowly.

Most of the time they just begin talking English! It bothers some travelers, but not me if I really need to understand what is being said (like how to find my way from A to D.)

PS: "Pardon" "Merci" "Sil vous plait" and "Bon Jour" are not just nice tourist words to learn, they are really considered to be how a civilized adult behaves in France, and not to use them is to somewhat startle the French, and even irritate them, just as we might be irritated or put off by someone not returning a greeting of "hello." You don't have to mean them, but you really should say them. People who return from France complaining about being treated rudely in France probably don't understand how often they failed to say "please" even when they thought they were asking for something very politely. And it's amazing how often you can forget to say "thank you" to a waiter while you are busy trying to figure out the bill or are trying to remember the right words for how you like your coffee.