French Phrase Book

by Valérie Dupin

Book Overview

A traveler's little helper, this phrase book will help tourists and business travelers to order food, ask for directions, and make their way through French-speaking countries. The guide, compiled by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789494876
• ISBN13: 9780789494870
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.0" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

Great French Guide

I don't know anything about French, I bought this book to help me when visiting France, It's really good pocket book, it has categories such as Every Day Phrases, Villas and Apartments, Traveling Around, Driving, Eating, Menu Guide, Stores, Sport, Health, and many more categories. It shows the phrase and words in English, French, and then the pronunciation of the French words in English letters. Also it has general info about each category in France. I speak English, Arabic and Spanish, and I find the French language very hard for me to understand and speak. I think this is a really great pocket book for traveler to France.

Practical & helpful...an excellent book

The Eyewitness Travel Phrase books are excellent guides for tourists looking to communicate as much as possible in foreign languages. They include a host of phrases that can be very helpful in many situations - there are the classic "Can you tell me what time it is?" to a variety of more complex or particular expressions. There's also a section on spelling and pronounciation. It also includes expressions used not only while on vacation, but also while doing business.This little book is also quite handy thanks to it's size, it fits perfectly on any pocket. It also includes a section with a simple dictionary that can be very helpful in identifying a variety of words.The book is very good at doing its job, which is helping people cross the language barriers while abroad. However, it shouldn't be mistaken with a French course. This book is not meant to teach you the French language, but to give you a good enough understanding of it so you can travel without major inconveniences. If you want to expand on the language, you need to get other books.

Nice way to begin learning French

I think this tiny book is a great way to get started learning French. It was my first dive into the French language, and it really helped me out with the basics. It's ideal for travelers who do not know much or any French. It even had specific needs covered. For example, it gave several ways to say: "I'm a vegetarian." I also like the simple and easy-to-read layout of the book. It's very visually pleasing.

A Fun Introduction and Handy Guide....

To communicate simply and effectively on your next trip to France, take the French Phrase Book with you and listen to the tape before you go. The book supplies words and phrases and the tape brings them to life. You can play the cassette several times and even take it with you on the plane. You will hear the English word first and then the French equivalent. There is a pause so you can say the word. Not every word or phrase is covered in the book. You will start on page 6 and learn useful everyday phrases like yes (Oui) and no (non). Then you will move to Greetings and Introductions. The speaker also gives you little clues to the language and introduces cultural nuances. Take a step past "Bonjour" and move to Comment allez-vous? Then, take another step to "Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s'il vous plait?" This was like stepping back to French class in the days of high school. The book is divided up into sections. You can learn useful everyday phrases, colloquialisms, the days, months, seasons, and numbers. Then go on to learn staying in hotels or ordering when eating out. There is a handy menu guide. It is easy to keep the phrase book in your purse or pocket, it is that small. In the back of the book, there is a mini-dictionary. If you are heading for France on a vacation, enjoy! The food is fantastique! Do try to take a tour when you go to Paris. I could have spent a week in Paris and the surrounding areas. There is so much to see. If you get a chance, go down to Cassis, there is a bakery there with the most delicious choux pastries. You can have dinner right out by the water. While a tour to Paris is wonderful, nothing compares to finding little treasures when you take a wrong turn! Cassis will easily seduces you with its cafés and restaurants. A privately owned 13th century castle overlooks Cassis and was built by Hughes de Baux. It is surrounded by a garden filled with uncommon, scarce plants and flowers emitting even rarer fragrances. While on my first trip to France I was only a teenager, my second trip was the year after I got married. Hopefully since I am now older and wiser, I will actually learn a great deal of French before my next visit. It is really essential, especially if you are not on a tour. You will still want to know basic phrases so you can be polite and can enjoy your trip all the more. ~The Rebecca Review

Make your stay worry-free

I have nearly worn out this book on my previous visits to Paris. My friends particularly appreciated it when we looked at menus. I'm now ordering two more for stocking stuffers for those friends. The easy-to-use format provides phonetic pronunciations which help the language slip off one's tongue as if we were natives (well, almost). The book is small--easy to slip into a pocket or bag without the weight of bulky travel guides. I wouldn't leave for France without it.