The Collins Robert French Unabridged Dictionary or the Larousse Concise French-English Dictionary are both good standards. Of course, if you’re not thinking to get too heavily involved, a pocket dictionary will suffice. For a more concise approach, consider investing in a frequency dictionary. A frequency dictionary contains the most common words in a language, allowing you to quickly gain the core vocabulary you need, without wasting time learning uncommon vocabulary. There are tons of websites out there that act as dictionaries. Be careful! They’re not always correct. Wordreference. com is a good place to start. Always exercise caution when translating complete sentences.

iTunes offers free 24/7 radio stations and podcasts that are in French (some for beginners!) and most cable packages will have at least occasional French programming. There are many mobile apps that can help you memorize words - the most popular one is LingLing based on spaced repetition - you can spend 20 minutes per day to memorize 750 words monthly. YouTube has dozens upon dozens of resources for French beginners. Amélie isn’t the only French movie out there. Go to your local video store or do some research on the net–sometimes more obscure ones (or documentaries) can be found for free. View your favorite English movies with French voiceovers or subtitles. Even if you don’t know French at all, picking a movie you’re familiar with will help establish context for the language. Watch the “French in Action” program on your local public broadcasting station.

Remember to include the pronouns! Commonly used: masculine et feminine (French is also gender neutral). This will be handy when you want to refer to it by the pronoun later. It’s “la chaise,” “la fenêtre,” and “le lit,” by the way. Go grab your pen now! Include the pronunciation on the side, if you need help remembering. l’ordinateur - lor-dee-nah-tur - Computer la chaine hi fi - shen-hi-fi - Stereo la télévision - tay-lay-vee-zee-ohn - Television le réfrigérateur - ray-free-zhay-rah-tir - Refrigerator le congélateur - kon-zhay-lah-tur - Freezer la cuisinière - kwee-zeen-yehr - Stove

Pimsleur does not give you a book. It’s a set of CDs–good for aural learners and those with long commutes. It does use English and allows you to translate. It utilizes backchaining, as in, “porte,” “la porte,” “-ez la porte,” “Fermez la porte,” to practice pronunciation. Rosetta Stone is a computer program and does not allow any English and relies heavily on pictures. It plays memory games and is ideal for visual and sensory learners. Michele Thomas (on CD and YouTube) advocates a slightly different style of teaching. He emphasizes patterns in language and utilizing cognates. You start with one basic sentence, such as, “Je vais au restaurant,” (I am going to the restaurant. ) and he leads you to, “Je vais au restaurant ce soir parce que c’est mon anniversaire. " (I am going to the restaurant tonight because it’s my birthday. ) Your vocabulary expands as you build on the blocks you already have. Duolingo. com is another site which trains you in French: memorizing by training to translate (English-to-French; and French-to-English), listening comprehension and more.

Check out your local community college or university. Though the class might be more expensive, the perks of being a student and having access to the facilities lessen the blow to your wallet. Find a language school. These classes are often much cheaper, smaller, and offered on nights or weekends. If you live in a fairly diverse area, one shouldn’t be too far away.

Don’t let just anyone be your tutor. Just because you can speak the language does not mean you can teach it. Aim for someone who has done it before, not someone with four years of high school French.

Practice with someone. You can find a penpal online or you can visit your local chapter of the Alliance Française. Delve deep into your online contacts for anyone who might be able to move you forward–that friend from high school who studied abroad? Your cousin Alberta who moved to Vancouver? Do whatever you can to guarantee success.

Incorporate review in your learning until it’s solid. You cannot build complex sentences if you’ve forgotten how to structure simple ones. Even if it’s just for half an hour, it’s worth it. Get your mind thinking in French. Developing habits makes it harder to quit.

Often, the “fancier” verb is French and the “normal” verb is German. Think “start” versus “commence”; “help” versus “aid”; “understand” versus “comprehend. " The French for those verbs is, respectively, in their infinitive form, “commencer,” “aider,” and “comprendre. " Certain word endings are giveaways that they’re French. Think words with “-ion,” “-ance,” or “ite. " Television, billion, religion, nuance, endurance, granite, opposite – those are all French words. Not English. French. Well, English, too.

Think of a new topic. If you’re lacking in time vocabulary, zero-in on that department. If you need to learn the names of food, concentrate on that. Expand yourself. Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)Bon, heu, je ne sais pas. . . (Uhh, I don’t know. . . )Oh, non ! Il est déjà 17 h ! Je dois étudier mon vocabulaire de français ! (Oh no! It’s already 5:00! I have to study my French vocabulary!)

Start with the simple present of -er verbs (manger - to eat): Je mange - tu manges - il/elle/on mange - nous mangeons - vous mangez - ils/elles mangent Simple present of -ir verbs (choisir - to choose): Je choisis - tu choisis - il/elle/on choisit - nous choisissons - vous choisissez - ils/elles choisissent Simple present of -re verbs (vendre - to sell): Je vends - tu vends - il/elle/on vend - nous vendons - vous vendez - ils/elles vendent Often, the ending of words is not pronounced. “Je choisis” sounds more like “Zhuh schwazee,” and “ils mangent” sounds like, “eel monge. " Learn the other tenses later. Once you’ve mastered the simple present, continue onto the passé composé (past tense).

French is a language that’s highly encorporated into English. In addition to using simple phrases like, “Bonjour !”, “Merci beaucoup,” or “Je ne sais pas” that some people know, use slightly more difficult ones when talking to yourself – or let your roommates catch on! Où est mon sac? - Where is my bag? Je veux boire du vin.

  • I want to drink some wine. Je t’aime.
  • I love you. If you say to yourself, “Oh, I see an apple!” translate it to French - “Oh, je vois une pomme”. Practice this whenever you get a chance - in the car, in bed, in the bathroom, everywhere.

Talk to the locals and experience the culture. Sitting at the McDonald’s next to the Louvre (or the Starbucks, for that matter) won’t exactly get you the educational or cultural experience you’re looking for. You don’t have to go to France to find a wealth of French speakers. However, know what dialect you’re looking to mirror; going to Quebec will expose you to a French culture, but you’ll hear Quebecois down the street–and it may be hard to understand!