Helpful "learn French fast" books?

[DeloreanGirl]

Hello all,

 

Our British Isles cruise stops off in LeHavre on the last day and we'd like to take the train into Paris for a few hours. I've heard it's nice to attempt to speak the local language as much as possible. Are there any conversation French books out there that have most of the main questions ("How much is...", "Where is....") that you have found the most useful? Thanks in advance!

[LaBelle]

There are many pocket guide books available - not sure if they are available in the US but 'Collins French Phrasebook and Dictionary' is excellent -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-French-Phrase-Dictionary-Phrasebook/dp/0007165293

 

Also, lots of info available online - just found this one doing a quick google search -

http://www.french-at-a-touch.com/Words-Phrases/basic_phrases_links.htm

 

Not sure if this video course shows up online in the US, probably not -

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

 

I have been learning French for the past couple of years - the college is just beside the new Titanic Visitor Centre you will be visiting when in Belfast! :)

 

Bon Chance!

Au revoir - a bientot!

[Langoustine]

Try the Rick Steves pocket guide; it has exactly what you're looking for.

[Hlitner]

Here is a true story. One year DW and I were dining in a Paris restaurant and DW, who has studied French in school with limited success, carefully ordered her entire meal in French. Now her French is not very good, but she does have a decent vocabulary and can put together a proper French sentence. So, after carefully ordering her dinner with our patient waiter, the waiter says in perfect English, "pardon me Madam but do you speak English." DW quickly replied "why" and the waiter responded "because you speak terrible French."

 

We have spent a lot of time traveling in France (usually with a rental car) and learned a long time ago then rather they asking a French person "parlez vous anglais" we simply speak our very bad French. The French do not like to hear their beautiful languge totally butchered and will often help us in English rather then listen to our awful French :). But if we had asked that same person if they speak English they probably would have responded "non."

 

Hank

[trabeler]

We have spent a lot of time traveling in France (usually with a rental car) and learned a long time ago then rather they asking a French person "parlez vous anglais" we simply speak our very bad French. The French do not like to hear their beautiful languge totally butchered and will often help us in English rather then listen to our awful French :). But if we had asked that same person if they speak English they probably would have responded "non."

 

So true! I've had the exact same experience every time I've been in France. I had 5+ years of French in school (but that was 20+ years ago), however I can still put together rudimentary sentences. Without fail, every time I start out in French, they will switch to English. By contrast, my wife (who knows no French), will ask if people can speak English and they will most times say no.

 

So it helps to know a few basic phrases, since it will be your quickest route to a conversation in English!

[Skai]

Un peu de 'combien est...' ou 'où est...' is about all one ought to bother with for a short (few hour) trip to Paris.

 

One ought naught fret with 'ugly American tourist' guilt -- Perhaps wanting to convey respect and to not offend by learning a few French phrases to conduct a conversation.

 

As hit upon already in this thread -- A person may get flack in France for their awful French -- Sometimes even if it is their native language (coming from a French speaking former colony etc.).

 

One ought to keep in mind that it has as much to do with the snooty nature of the French as much as anything else when it comes to all things French.

 

How does the saying go?

 

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

 

Point being made here is that while learning some rudimentary French vocabulary may enrich ones cultural experience (ie. understanding the difference between a Boucherie and a Charcuterie), it's really most valuable for reading menus and signs as a visitor.

 

Leave the French speaking to those that believe they do it best, and as stated above, the shortest route to a conversation in English is préféré.

[binkysmom]

I like to take these pocket travel friendly phrase books with me. Small and made for travellers. And free!

 

http://www.single-serving.com/French/French_Phrases-USL.pdf

[KCcruisin07]

I loved Paris, and I agree that speaking French even poorly will break the ice almost all the time!

Reading these boards is dangerous though. It's making me want to go back!

[Nigella]

In the short time you have available to learn, if you do learn how to ask the question, if you've only been learning French for a few months, the answer in French is likely to stump you! That's if your French accent is good enough to be understood.

 

My husband, and our French friends, cringe when they hear their beautiful language ruined by well meaning visitors.

 

A well placed 'Bonjour Madame/Monsieur' and 'au revoir' is universally well received. You are unlikely to learn enough from 'book learning' given the short time span before you visit, to be able to converse well in French. Focus your energy on learning the vocabulary necessary for reading the menu, just like Skai said.

Have a great trip!

[poss]

I happen to think that English is a wonderful language (very rich in its vocabulary, for instance: makes more fine distinctions between similar-meaning words than many other languages). And I have NEVER cringed when I've heard a foreigner trying to speak English.

[Nigella]

I happen to think that English is a wonderful language (very rich in its vocabulary, for instance: makes more fine distinctions between similar-meaning words than many other languages). And I have NEVER cringed when I've heard a foreigner trying to speak English.

 

Obviously missed the point.

 

I'm British, I speak English. (And French.) I love the English language and believe it is one of the richest, most complex languages in the world. Nor do I cringe when I hear a non English native speaker trying.

But the fact remans that it does bother a lot of French people when someone is botching their language. It's a cultural difference that definitely exists.

I know what I'm talking about. I live in France and my husband is French.

 

Did you read post #6? I have witnessed French people insisting to speak English with a Canadian couple from Montréal, their first language was French but as Skai points out, this is just the way it is in France. (With many French people, not all of them).

[poss]

No, I understood the point precisely.

[DeloreanGirl]

I suppose I should say, not "learn French fast", rather, buy a book with French phrases to at least attempt to speak their language. However, I was told that if you're very nice (and get lucky) that most folks in Paris speak a bit of English. I have the "Lonely Planet - French Phrasebook" as my book to buy soon.

[SwissDave]

I work with many French people (and Italians, Spanish, Portuguese, American, Irish, English and many more), a couple of whom are Parisiens, and the remainder from various other parts of France. All of them speak perfect English - it is the official language in my office - however wherever possible we speak in French. They tell me that all French people they personally know, particularly those under 40, are keen to learn and speak English as it is the only way to get a decent job in large international Companies.

 

They also tell me that almost without exception if the first words out of someones mouth is 'parlez vous anglais' they will say 'non'. Even if you start with just a simple 'bonjour monsieur/madame' they will then be more than happy to help simply because you made that tiny effort :)

 

Although a Scot, I live in the French speaking part of Switzerland, and even I have trouble when in France as my French is Swiss French and there are sometimes enough differences to make what I say meaningless - especially with numbers.

 

I do remember one situation a few years ago when I was on the bus and an English speaking tourist got on and shouted down the bus 'TELL ME HOW TO USE THE MACHINE'. Everyone ignored her, and I dont know if anyone did help in the end as I got off at the next stop.

[browneyes7]

Here is a true story. One year DW and I were dining in a Paris restaurant and DW, who has studied French in school with limited success, carefully ordered her entire meal in French. Now her French is not very good, but she does have a decent vocabulary and can put together a proper French sentence. So, after carefully ordering her dinner with our patient waiter, the waiter says in perfect English, "pardon me Madam but do you speak English." DW quickly replied "why" and the waiter responded "because you speak terrible French."

 

We have spent a lot of time traveling in France (usually with a rental car) and learned a long time ago then rather they asking a French person "parlez vous anglais" we simply speak our very bad French. The French do not like to hear their beautiful languge totally butchered and will often help us in English rather then listen to our awful French :). But if we had asked that same person if they speak English they probably would have responded "non."

 

Hank

 

I love this story! My daughter minored in French in college. I asked her to help me learn a few phrases in French. She would say something, and I would repeat it. She laughed at everything I said. I really thought I was repeating it exactly the way she was saying it! I have since bought a book with CDs and it has helped me tremendously. I'll never be fluent, but at least I am trying to speak their language! :)

[TidalTech]

As another option.... if you have a smart phone there's some excellent translation apps available. I have one on my iPhone where I can either type or speak into it and it will convert the text or speak it back to me in myriad of languages. It also allows me to take a photo of a sign, menu, etc., and it will translate it for me.

[numbersix]

The best language tip I ever received was to imagine a native speaker saying the word/phrase/sentence, and to say it like I would imagine them to have said it.

 

In other words, when I'm in Venice, saying 'vaporetto', I always think, "How would they say it?" Not how I would say it....how they would say it!

 

It helps.

[Mairnealach]

Whenever I am in France or Belgium and make the effort to speak in French, I invariably receive a response in English. I will be in Paris next month and spent some time composing an email in French to make a reservation for dinner. The chef/proprietor of the bistro replied in English! My accent, and French writing style, clearly mark me out as a tourist.

 

I have a Welsh friend who has been living in the Netherlands for many years. When she was trying to learn Dutch, she found that the locals would only talk in English to her. So she adopted the strategy of starting any conversation by saying in Dutch: 'Hello. I am from Yugoslavia and only speak Serbo-Croat'. As a result, people had to reply in Dutch and she is now fluent in the language. I may have to adopt similar tactics myself in France.

 

Dermot