Can someone recommend a free on-line site, or other media for French lessons. I don't want to become fluent, but would like to be able to order food, ask directions, and get some of the basics down. I've got a year before the next trip to France and there's no time like the present to start learning.

You might try these to start -

BBC - http://tinyurl.com/axebm

About - http://french.about.com/

this should come in handy as you develop a taste for it -

http://tinyurl.com/4wcxq
(Patricia Wells' French to English Food Glossary)

and these should be helpful as you move along (or go around in circles as I do*) -

http://www.french-word-a-day.com/
(Kristin Espinasse's site)

http://tinyurl.com/3cp89z
(John Walker's 'Resources for Learning French').

Good luck!

* The good news for those of us not getting any younger is that you only have to make the effort, not learn the language, to keep what's left of the grey/gray matter active.

Check your local library. Ours had the Pimsleur series on CD, which we've found very useful.

Thanks farrermog.
I'm going to Paris next week and these links will be very helpful.

Merci beaucoup, farrermog. Your suggestions were very helpful.

In your town, community/adult learning classes may be offered.

dgassa,

It is very important that you hear someone saying the phrase. So, I would recommend a CD with a phrase book. They are readily available at many used/new book stores. If you have the time, maybe there is an extension of the Alliance Française near you.

http://www.afusa.org/index.html

Hi dgassa:

I agree with azzure - I've found Pimsleur to be the best method for me. I just get it free at my library. I've learned Czech, French, Italian, and Spanish this way. It's definitely my favorite method. Good luck!

You can also download podcasts from ITunes onto your Ipod. Just type in "french" in the ITunes search box, and there are several French lessons/conversations that you can sync. Also,as I recall, there are two different websites that you can go to from ITunes that charge a small fee of $8 (I think) and you can sync in a new class each day. It is useful while you are killing time on the daily commute.

Hi dgassa,

I can strongly recommend Michel Thomas. he's available on tape or CD possibly in your library, but definitely on e-bay.

just make sure that you watch whether you are buying the tape or the CD and the basic or the advanced course.

regards, ann

Thanks everyone. You've given me lots of idea. I'm off to the library to give it a shot first.

I have the best luck and the most progress when I sign up and take a class (aimed at travelers).

I wholeheartedly second (or third) the recommendation for Pimsleur. I used it to learn basic Japanese for a trip two years ago, and I'm planning to use it again to learn a bit of Swahili for a trip this year. Each lesson is about 1/2 hour long, so I would play each one in the car during my morning commute, and then do it again on the way home to drill it in. Wasn't sure it was really taking until I went to pick up my JapanRail pass and realized that I could understand the conversation the two office girls were having in Japanese about where to eat lunch.

I also recommend the free podcasts on iTunes. I have been using Coffee Break French and Daily Phrase Italian. Both podcasts present a short, daily lesson, which teaches the basics in easy-to-manage chunks of time.

Good luck!

I increase my vocabulary through http://www.transparent.com's "Word a Day" feature, which appears in my email.

Hi dgassa,

You can also get real lessons with tutors on the net. They are native and can teach you the basics. Go on http://www.telefrench.com ; You can get some free courses.

For those I'm-going-next-week-and-need-to-learn-a-few-words situations, I like travlang.com

I want to thank everyone for their responses. I've checked with my library and discovered that they offer Rosetta Stone on line which I have started to use. I'm not sure I like it though and have ordered the Pimsleur series through them. The CD's should be here next week. Between the two I should be able to learn something. Ask me in a couple of months.

Again thanks.