Deanna Said:

Best "Learn French" cd set?

We Answered:

Steps to Learn French

#Step 1 Obtain the resources you will need for your language study: a French-English dictionary, a textbook with grammar explanations and a selection of beginner-level French-language readings.

#Step 2 Decide if you want to learn in a class, with a tutor or on your own. You might find the group interaction in a French class beneficial, or you might prefer the one-on-one attention provided by a tutor. Learning on your own is also possible, but you will have to work hard to keep motivated.

#Step 3 Seek out opportunities to practice French. Try to write short stories or letters in French to practice your writing skills. Find others who can speak French with you.

#Step 4 Have fun with it. Learning a language can be difficult, and you will get discouraged if you don't have a little fun. Look for reading samples that interest you, and find friends who can help make your French learning fun.

Dianne Said:

What is the best CD or book to learn French ?

We Answered:

Rosetta Stone. Look on Ebay for cheap used sets. Also, look up used college course materials with DVDs. That is how I learned Spanish without paying tuition!

Joanne Said:

What is a known good audio CD to learn French?

We Answered:

Go to staples/best buy. They have tons of language cd's

Toni Said:

Is it possible to learn French from a cd-software? If so, which is the best?

We Answered:

It is possible to learn French from CD software such as programs like Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur, but it depends on how good you want your level to be and also the kind of way which you learn best. Those sort of programs tend to promote learning by hearing the phrase or word or sentence and repeating it and then memorizing it, with little or no understanding of the grammatical reasoning behind it. That can sometimes make it difficult to transfer the skills learned in one part of the language to other similar situations. However, for basics and for people who just want to learn the language for conversational uses during a vacation it can be useful, although those type of programs are very expensive.

There are other methods of learning, but again, how effective they are or can be depends on things like your own personal aptitude for languages and the amount of time that you have to devote to learning the language. For example, with self study, you can pretty much achieve fluency, but you must be dedicated to learning and also pre-disposed to being good at language learning.

If you did decide to self study you would need some books...grammar and vocabulary books as well as a bilingual dictionary to start off with and also later on novels, magazines, newspapers to practise. You should also use sites like YouTube to listen to French shows/songs/movies (that site also has some basic and more advanced tutorials which could be helpful as well.)

You can find grammar books on amazon. Some which might help you are...

- Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar (Practice Makes Perfect Series) by Annie Heminway
- Schaum's Outline of French Grammar, 5ed (Schaum's Outline Series) by Mary E. Coffman Crocker
- French Grammar: A Complete Reference Guide by Daniel Calvez
- The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice (UItimate Review & Reference Series) by David M. Stillman and Ronni L. Gordon
- Essential French Grammar by Seymour Resnick
- The Ultimate French Review and Practice (Book+ CD-ROM) (UItimate Review & Reference Series) by David M. Stillman and Ronni L. Gordon
- French Grammar and Usage by Roger Hawkins and Richard Towell
- Mastering French Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach (Mastering Vocabulary Series) by Wolfgang Fischer
- French Vocabulary by Christopher Kendris Ph.D., Theodore N. Kendris, Christopher Kendris, and Theodore, N. Kendris
- Schaum's Outline of French Vocabulary, 3ed (Schaum's Outline Series) by Mary E. Coffman Crocker
- Practice Make Perfect: French Vocabulary (Practice Makes Perfect Series) by Eliane Kurbegov
- Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary by Merriam-Webster and Eileen M. Haraty

Even if you did ultimately decide to use a program like Rosetta Stone, you may want to use some of those books as well to give yourself a better understanding of the grammar and a wider knowledge of the vocabulary.

There are of course other methods as well. One of those is taking a class, either an evening class or an immersion course, where you live in France or a French speaking country for a while. You could find a French tutor online or in your local paper, or at your local college. There are also online distance learning courses as well, which vary from one country to another.

You may also want to try an online language forum (such as word reference) or an online pen pals site where you can practice with native French speakers (such as Interpals)

The other method would be to take a free course online. Some useful resources for that are LiveMocha, and omniglot, the former runs free French courses (fairly similar to Rosetta Stone style) while the latter has links to many other free online courses and also to many learning resources...

http://www.livemocha.com/learn-french/le…
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/french.h…

There are also may websites where you can read online news or watch online news in French... http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/france.h…

Try and watch as much French TV or as many French movies as you can to help improve comprehension and also to improve your accent.

The fact is that there are a lot of French courses out there and many different methods of learning the language. You could use more than one to help you learn, or try out different ones and see which is best for you.

Lorraine Said:

Can anyone suggest a good baby learn French CD or DVD please?

We Answered:

This one looks great. Baby's First Words in French, it's a book as well as a CD and it looks to have good reviews.

Edit:
I've just ordered one myself for a 3 month old!

Terri Said:

What is the best cd to learn french with that i can play on my ipod?

We Answered:

There is a program online called rocket french. You can find it at http://rocketfrench.googlepages.com/home this is an interactive way of learning french which makes it quick, easy and fun