ok so I didn’t pay any attention at school, but I go over there most years now so would like to make an effort. Nothing too clever, just want to understand and speak a few useful words and sentences for getting along day to day.

Anyone got any recommendations?

Thanks.

Comme tu veut

EDIT veux

Evening classes at you local college?

Evening class?

Get phrasebook, learn phrases.

Sacre bleu! http://french.about.com/ c’est fantastique.

Especially the grammar reference.

To add to the alrady good suggestion of an evening class;

Do you know anyone French? (Or who speaks French) If so, talk to them!

Listen to the news in French. As you might already know some of the stories, as you pick up phrases/words, you might be able to piece things together.

Get yourself a French speaking “partner”. Some of the best linguistic learning is carried out while in close proximity to a person speaking that language.

Or just start with an evening class.

😉

Can’t get out to classes in the evenings.

anyone use any (good) cd’s?

Michel Thomas or coffee break french podcasts

Instructional video 1

Instructional video 2

(Apologies for rude French word in second video….Mods, please delete if this causes any real offence!)

obtain the Michel Thomas CDs/MP3s (the emphasis is on the speaking and understanding rather than grammar/vocab) and either a second home in France (expensive) or a girlfriend who lives in France (almost as expensive)

You’ll soon be talking like the Policeman in ‘Allo ‘Allo.

Sorted.

Immersion is the method that works fastest. But if you can’t live amongst them, find a French speaking friend and use Skype.

I don’t know much French, spent my early years growing up in other countries and strangely as soon as people find out you’re a Brit they stop you trying to speak their language and instead enthusiastically practise their English. As a result of this, immersion failed for me.

When a Yorkshire driver got kidnapped at the docks and driven round for hours trussed up in the back of a van before getting pushed out to the smell of burning sheep, we learnt a few greeting phrases for the truck drivers from over there that delivered to our factory. “Encule de Francais!” Best spoken as you meet their eye with a beaming smile.

watch french telly/ films.. you ll pick it up

great thanks for all those.

Don’t watch the news in English and my wife would not be happy with me finding a French partner 😉

Ah yes, watching French tv (somehow) is a good plan.

p.s. Moelgrips, I’ll go away and figure out what you said to me. Better not be rude.

nb. The Michel Thomas audio stuff is far better than the more ‘traditional’ language audio courses for getting a practical understanding of the language.

Ideal for listening to on a daily car/train commute.

I said ‘as you like’ meaning that we all appreciate different ways of learning.

I like to learn the structure early on, and how stuff works, and I get frustated with too much phrase based learning. The phrases mean nothing to me unless I know how it’s put together. So I read and study the grammar bits of Teach Yourself books then I go back and re-do it all focusing on vocabulary.

But that’s just me 🙂

Ah yes, watching French tv (somehow) is a good plan.

Not sure about this, French tv is truly awful.

I have tried speaking French with my French pals. They fall on the floor laughing at my accent. Gave that up quick ! Admitedly, I don’t really blame them we only have two vowels in Kiwi, so I can get away with English but French is a stretch.

Start with Stella Artois adverts.

I watch all those danish cop programmes and still don’t recognise any words.

Michel Thomas CD course is good, he also does a follow-on language builder when you have mastered the course. As said before, it concentrates very much on conversational French rather than getting bogged down with too much grammar.

Your British, no need to learn a foreign language.

Just point and shout!

Your British, no need to learn a foreign language.

You, however, could start learning English. Your use of punctuation leaves a lot to be desired.

😉

French porn is a good enjoyable source even if the vocabulary is a little limited.

I was thinking French tv = porn (or at least some boobs) 😉

How come the French laugh and ridicule our accents when we are speaking their language, yet the British women swoon when the French speak English with an accent 😕

The MT cd sounds perfect. Thanks.

la femme Nikita Great French film. Subtitles help :0

I found Michel Thomas really good for learning basic Spanish, I’m sure the French course is good too.

One other tip is to read familiar children’s books in French. A friend has “Charlie et la Chocolaterie”, and I was able to understand a lot of it because I knew the book so well from my childhood.

Michel Thomas for the essentials of structure and grammar.
French radio station for immersion.
French films with subtitles for seeing how it all goes together (although you may struggle to find good ones, depending on your film tastes).
An intercambio-type thing – there may well be some French students/ people in your area who want to learn English, so you meet up every week and practise your French; they practise their English.

One other tip is to read familiar children’s books in French.

Good idea. Or even unfamiliar ones – they have simple language after all. The younger the age the simpler the language.

Another recommendation for Michel Thomas here. He over-simplifies the future tense but it got me by for ages until I learned better.

One other tip is to read familiar children’s books in French

I tried reading Asterix in Spain back to back with the French version but a lot of the jokes and plays on words were totally different which didn’t help..

At the end of day though, watch CF’s second video. You only need one word..
P****n

Watch the Tour de France on letour.fr they have live streaming of lots of French races, and you’ll pick up a lot of cycling lingo.

The Michel Thomas CD are great for getting started.

There’s loads of stuff on youtube.

Get an au-pair.