french.about.com
One of my favorite resources for the French language is french.about.com. Complete with tutorials, audio, and useful tips, this site is great for any student of French. Though the layout is somewhat clumsy and it can be hard to navigate, there is a wealth of useful information to be found here. For a complete French education, it would be wise to check in now and then and make test your abilities against the mountains of vocabulary and on-site tests they provide. A must-have resource for any French student.
Tags: French Resources, Learn French, links
Purchasing a dictionary may seem like a small issue but it can turn into a world of trouble. When I started learning French years ago, I purchased a cheap dictionary and decided to make do; I had no idea how much trouble it would cause! Cheaper dictionaries tend to be ripe with mistakes and misinformation.
I found myself in a position where I didn’t know which product to purchase in order to get the truest definitions for Parisian French; my good friend and mentor told me exactly which book to get and it has served me well for many years. Today, I’m going to pass along two recommendations for you.
The first is for the Harper Collins Roberts French Dictionary; this is an amazing dictionary. It is bigger and quite heavy, and while it won’t win any ‘quick-reference’ awards, it will surely get you all the information you want in a very clear manner. The translations are perfect and you’ll never feel embarrassed because your cheap dictionary came up with the wrong phrase. If you want to feel more confident in your ability to learn french then you should definitely purchase this dictionary.
The second book I’d like to recommend is Bescherelle. Bescherelle is a verb conjugation book; it is incredibly thin and contains over 12,000 French verbs! A valuable tool for students and travelers, Bescherelles have been staples of learning french for many years. If you were skeptical about the dictionary purchase above, you owe it to yourself to purchase a Bescherelle. They are not very expensive and they are packed with information.
These two books are where I’ve gotten the bulk of my day-to-day study; they are terrific references and in my opinion, no other books would do.
Tags: Learn French