Pardon My French: Pardon My French: Unleash Your Inner Gaul

By Charles Timoney

Book Overview

From getting the best value from the boulangerie to ordering a steak without getting sneered at, an A-to-Z guide to fitting in en Fran ais Englishman Charles Timoney was thrown into French life headfirst twenty-five years ago when he and his wife moved to her native France. He had studied French in school, but his memory of vocabulary lists and conjugation drills proved no match for day-to-day living. As he blundered his way toward fluency, he kept a list of words and phrases that wonderfully (sometimes wickedly) epitomized aspects of the French culture-and were used only by native speakers. Pardon My French tackles the delightful absurdities of French life and language and steers readers past the potential embarrassments of speaking French in France. It is a book no student, traveler, or language maven should be without.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592404626
• ISBN13: 9781592404629
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Avery Publishing Group
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A great book to relive or to prepare yourself for Paris and France.

I really enjoyed this book. Having been to France on several occasions and having the pleasure of living in Paris for a few months I found a lot of the comments and descriptions spot on and quite humorous in a yes that happened to me manner. I will admit that a lot of his description and events are stereotypical and are more of generalizations of the French, but if you've had the chance of spending time in this wonderful nation you'll be giggling and smirking at the author's description of his experiences as they most likely will have mirrored an event in your own life. What if your just going to France for the first time? Well, if your going to France for the first time I would recommend that you do not take this book at face value, but more as a tongue in cheek description of the French, as again many of the describe situations are once in a life events and situations. I still recommend the book as it is funny and does have a good layer of practical information about what you might expect in and around Paris and France.

Recommended for informal french language and culture

This is a highly entertaining book about the various nuances of French language and culture, written by an Englishman who has spent a long time in France. Worth it if you have an interest in French language and culture. Pretty informal study, but very funny.

Tres magnifique

Funny, informative and a book you can read again and again. Highly recommended for anyone studying French.

Pardon My French: Unleash Your Inner Gaul

Very lucidly written, insightful & very readable. I would highly recommend it for those interested in more than just the mechanics of the French language.