Justin LeBeau

So you want to learn French? Well, how difficult can it be? After all, some 60 million people speak it all day, every day, and lots of other people do it part time - so let's just get started! 

How is the book structured?
You will find an explanation paragraph at the beginning of each chapter with some new French and cultural information. After that there is a dialogue, and it would be good if you could find someone to read this aloud with you. Then there is a translation exercise for you to try, and finally a vocabulary list for each chapter. You will notice that at the beginning the exercises are longer - this is because you are getting used to constructing sentences. In the later chapters the exercises are shorter, because by this stage you should be able to extend your knowledge and create your own sentences. By the end of the book you should be able to look up words and substitute them for the ones in the dialogue to change the meaning as needed.

Learning new vocabulary
Be aware that the vocabulary builds up as you go through the book, so you may need to refer back to previous chapters. It is a very good idea to try to memorize a few new words every day. 

Constructing simple sentences
In the book there are tools for constructing simple sentences, and for using three tenses (present, past and future). There are fewer tenses in French than in English, but you do have to conjugate verbs. This means that the verb ending changes according to which person is speaking.

How to say the words
Pronunciation is more regular than English, although as in English there are often several ways to spell the same sound. There are clues as to how to pronounce words in the vocabulary lists, but as a general rule remember to purse your lips more than in English, and to pronounce the vowel sounds more clearly. The French “r” is rolled in the back of your throat.

So if you want to learn French, click the buy button now and start reading the book.