French can be a deceptively familiar
language because of the number of words
and structures it shares with English.
Despite this, it's far from easy, though
the bare essentials are not difficult to
master and can make all the difference.
Even just saying "Bonjour
Madame/Monsieur" and then gesticulating
will usually get you a smile and helpful
service. People working in tourist
offices, hotels and so on, almost always
speak English and tend to use it when
you're struggling to speak French - be
grateful, not insulted.
French pronunciation
One easy rule to remember is that
consonants at the ends of words are
usually silent. Pas plus tard (not
later) is thus pronounced "pa-plu-tarr".
But when the following word begins with
a vowel, you run the two together:
pas après (not after) becomes "pazaprey".
Vowels are the hardest sounds
to get right. Roughly:
|
a |
as in h a t |
|
e |
as in g e t |
|
é |
between g e t and g a
te |
|
è |
between g e t and g u
t |
|
eu |
like the u in h u
rt |
|
i |
as in mach i ne
|
|
o |
as in h o t |
|
o, au |
as in o ver |
|
ou |
as in f oo d |
|
u |
as in a pursed-lip version of
u se |
More awkward are the
combinations
in/im, en/em, an/am, on/om, un/um
at the ends of words, or followed by
consonants other than
n or
m
. Again, roughly:
|
in/im |
like the an in an
xious |
|
an/am, en/em |
like the don in Don
caster when said with a nasal
accent |
|
on/om |
like the don in Don
caster said by someone with a
heavy cold |
|
un/um |
like the u in u
nderstand |
Consonants are much as in English,
except that:
ch is always "sh",
c is "s",
h is silent,
th is the same as "t",
ll is
like the "y" in yes,
w is "v",
and
r is growled (or rolled).
Learning materials
Rough Guide French Phrasebook (Rough
Guides). Mini dictionary-style
phrasebook with both English-French and
French-English sections, along with
cultural tips for tricky situations and
a menu reader.
Mini French Dictionary (Harrap/Prentice
Hall). French-English and English-French,
plus a brief grammar and pronunciation
guide.
Breakthrough French (Pan; book
and two cassettes). Excellent teach-yourself
course.
French and English Slang
Dictionary (Harrap/Prentice Hall);
Dictionary of Modern Colloquial
French (Routledge). Both volumes are
a bit large to carry, but they are the
key to all you ever wanted to understand
about the French vernacular.
Verbaid (Verbaid, Hawk House,
Heath Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 0PR).
CD-size laminated paper "verb wheel"
giving you the tense endings for the
regular verbs.
A Vous La France; Franc Extra;
Franc-Parler (BBC Publications/EMC
Publishing; each has a book and two
cassettes). BBC radio courses, running
from beginners' level to fairly advanced.
