Best travel language phrase book?

We%26#39;ll be in Paris for 5 days end of April so don%26#39;t have too much time but certainly want to learn some basic French for both courtesy and convenience. I just found a small dictionary/CD at Barnes %26amp; Noble for $10----%26quot;French Travel Pack%26quot;---phrase book and 70-minute CD---pronunciation, food, shopping, time, numbers, menu guide, every-day phrases for every traveler. It sure looks good to me but I won%26#39;t open it yet in case any of you might have a better suggested resource.

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Go to travlang.com, languages for travelers, and select the French flag. It pronounces the phrases for you which is critical, especially for me, with a Kansas twang. Another great site is BBC.com, which also pronounces the phrases for you. Any phrase book is fine as long as you get the pronounciation correct and these websites will do that for you. Another really good free site is www.learnfrenchinboston.com. Explore around this site and there is a section that pronounces all of the famous sights, monuments,gardens, museums, many streets, and other must learn phrases about the areas of Paris so you can ask directions and they will understand you. All of Paris is very helpful when you can ask for help of directions in French. It%26#39;s easy.

enjoy!

oprah44

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What you have sounds like a good resource. I purchased a %26quot;learn French in your car%26quot; CD set back in November and listened to it quasi-religiously (at least 10-15 minutes on my way to work in the morning). In the beginning, I thought there was no way I was going to learn French this way. But I kept at it and was able to use some of my newly acquired skills during our trip to Paris this past week and I must say, it made a huge difference. People just treat you different if you demonstrate an effort to speak their language.

But in answer to your question, the best travel language phrase book IMHO is Rick Steve%26#39;s. I%26#39;ve used his Italian and French books and find them easy to use.

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It%26#39;s not the book itself that will yield productive results, it%26#39;s your dedication to study and learn.

Learning a foreign can be a very rewarding experience albeit often frustrating and sometimes embarrassing.

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I think that the best foreign language phrase book series is the Lonely Planet one - very comprehensive and well laid-out in sections themed on context - transport, dining, accommodation etc.. It also includes a French-English dictionary. They are also very good value.

For a great French language CD course, there is none better than the Michel Thomas series. They will have you confidently speaking French in no time at all.

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I agree that it%26#39;s a good idea to use tapes/CDs and/or web sites to get pronunciation help and to try to learn some in advance (there are many different programs out there).

For something to take with you, I recommend the Barons %26quot;French at a Glance%26quot; book. It%26#39;s small enough for a purse or pocket, it%26#39;s logically laid out by subject (i.e., basic sentences and many useful words for many different types of situations), and it has a pretty easy pronunciation guide plus a basic dictionary. I%26#39;ve been using it since the early 1990s, and have given them to many other people who don%26#39;t speak much French and were trying to make it through their first few trips.

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What about the Rosetta Stone? I know it%26#39;s expensive, but it%26#39;s supposed to be a great tool.

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Many thanks for all your kind help. Will post a report when we return.

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We will be traveling to Switzerland, Venice and Paris and have the small Rick Steves 3 language book - German, Italian and French - perfect size with all 3 and well laid out into sections.

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