Speaking French
 

Can anyone recommend a good book for learning to speak basic French phrases. Something small to carry around and refer to?

Hi Cole

Listen & practice online, then print out the Quick Fix pages at

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

HTH!!

Dorling Kindersley (DK) have a good range of small phrase books, you can buy the book and a cassette tape to listen to or just the book. I've found the tapes very useful for pronunciation tips. Also we bought a Rick Steves phrase book years ago that had much more relevant phrases than some of the other books. Think about what you might actually want to say and see if the book covers this.
Kay

Hi there--another vote for Rick Steves' French Phrase Bood & Dictionary. And just for kicks check out Wicked French for the Traveler--it's a hoot! Enjoy!

No mattr what phrase bok you get, you can not go wrong to printout this terrific FREE 21-page "French Food Glosary and Wine Guide" from http://www.intimatefrance.com/glossary.html (credit someone else on the Delphi francophile forum, originally, as I recall). No phrase book ever really ever prepares you for dealing with menu/restaurant terminology - - and thi can help mny times when the wait staff can not.

Best wishes,

Rex

To be honest with you, even myself, an almost fluent French speaker, I never bother speaking French when I don't have to - only in the most rural locales will you need to have a few phrases handy! Furthermore, it is unlikely you will have a good accent if you have not spokent French and/or not lived in France. People rarely think of this; when someone from France speaks poor English and you can hardly understand them... well that's how your accent sounds to them.

Stick to English, they much prefer it rather than have their language murdered! Bonjour, Bonsoire, au revoir should suffice.

I disagree with M-Kingdom about not attempting to speak whatever French you can. In my experience, they really seem to appreciate your trying, however poor your accent! I don't think people ever expect foreigners to speak with a perfect accent.

I think French speakers always appreciate people trying to speak their language - if they can understand them. French is one of the lanaguages in which the spoken word sounds VERY different from the way the written word looks (not like Spanish which is mostly you see it you say it). So if you are going to learn some basic French concenrate first on the tapes - don;t even look at the written word until you have memorized pronouncing the basics, or what you say may not be understandable.

Cole - If you are going with a travel guide, which I'm sure you are, look at the very back for a page or two of phrases etc. Dk Eyewitness has emergency, communication, shopping, useful words etc.etc. and shows you the correct pronunciation. For the next step I got the FRENCH for DUMMIES CD-ROM's which are lots of fun.
My dread of dreads is saying something to a french person in a very well rehearsed french and because they speak so fast, not knowing what the heck was said in the reply!

I am brushing up on my junior high French with audio CDs I can play whenever I'm in the car. I checked out the 5 CD set from the library and I think they're great -- "Pimsleur language program: French the short course."

We've used the Pimsleur tapes from the library for both French and Italian. They are great...just to give you a couple of phrases. I have learned to say Do you speak English? I speak (French/Italian) only a little. in both languages, with, apparently, a decent enough accent to get compliments...until I try to say anything else!!!! But we always laugh and everything goes quite smoothly from that point on.

Well, M-kingdom typifies the British approach, in my experience. Even if you speak French, which most don't, don't bother. How rude is that? I frankly find it hard to believe she is anywhere near fluent - it's not Bonsoire, m-kingdom, it's Bonsoir.

It is ENTIRELY possible to learn to speak at least a few useful French phrases and pronounce them properly. And it is a useful and fruitful exercise.

The menu guide Rex recommends, which I helped put together, is useful for restaurants, but not for basic phrases. I'd recommend going to www.travlang.com and listening to and memorizing some basic French that is useful for tourists. And the DK books recommended are also good.

Don't take the easy way out and "don't bother" to speak French. The French will be enormously appreciative of your efforts, no matter how simplistic.

And when you go to London next, don't bother speaking English. I'm sure they'll all understand you fine if you speak French or any other foreign language.

Thank you everyone for this very useful information!

St.Cirq, please don't lump all us Brits in with M Kingdom. I've studied French off and on over the years and I've always been able to make myself understood in France. Stop the stereotyping puleeeze....

Of course not all Brits take the "don't bother" attitude, but I was surprised to learn how many of them do. We moved to a French-speaking city (Brussels) almost five years ago and have met a lot of Brits over that time, through work and socializing. So many of them, even those living here for extended periods, make no effort to learn more than a couple of phrases in French and spend most of their free time in the city's many (way too many IMHO) Irish pubs: Sean O'Caseys, The Bank, Wild Geese, James Joyce, The Oak Tree, O'Reilly's, and that's just for starters. In contrast, there is only one truly "American" bar, Rick's, and it attracts many Belgians of a certain type (male, well heeled, over 40). MKingdom, with that attitude, would fit in very well with the British community here in Brussels. Sad but true.

Lola my dear, I too speak French, however, if I am in a boutique on Rue St Honore and the staff all speak perfect English, why delay matters and have to speak in French?

English is universal by and large, if one wishes to try their hand at French, by all means they should be applauded, however, people should not travel thinking it to be a prerequisite.

Oh god, here it goes again, mkingdom makes a ridiculous statement and the entire British nation is castigated.

I too am English, I speak passable French and a little Italian, and I make FULL use of my limited language skills because anything else is , frankly, rude to my hosts. Ig mkingdom had an ounce of good old fashioned good manners and knowledge of the French people in him/her, "they" would realise that not only is it polite to at least attempt to speak french but that the French people, as a nation, are fiercely protective of their language and resent the globalisation of english over french.

And I haven't noticed American tourists being anymore language sensitive that British tourists. Stones, glasshouses and all that...

After greeting somewhere in French, perhaps when walking into a boutique on a sunny Parisian morning, "bonjour", if one requires further assistance rather than have to tax one's self by using French, use English. Especially as you are paying for a good/service, they should be, and have always been more than willing to assist. It is near impossible for one to achieve a good French accent without actually having lived there for some time - I'm yet to hear a frenchman (or woman if we have to be PC) speak English with no hint of a French accent. Imagine how an American or Englisman sounds to a Frenchman. Speaking English avoids murdering the French language.

Often in London, French tourists ask me for directions, I always try to assist them in French, just as they have helped me in English in their own country.

funny how an "almost fluent French speaker" spells "bonsoir" incorrectly!

My dear, we all have our momentary lapses of spelling.