French For Dummies (eBook)

Zoe Erotopoulos (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 3. Auflage
548 Seiten
For Dummies (Verlag)
978-1-394-32136-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Learn to speak French with confidence-the easy way

French For Dummies gives you an immersive look into the foundations of the French language. The trusted Dummies language learning method is quick and practical, so you'll know what to say and do when traveling to a French-speaking country or interacting with French speakers in your community. You'll learn the basics of French grammar and pronunciation, and then you'll explore common phrases you'll need in everyday situations. Total beginners and those with some prior knowledge of français can get ready to study, work, or travel abroad-or integrate French into your everyday life-fast and easy. Make small talk, understand common expressions, navigate business settings, ask for directions, go to the doctor, and beyond, with this essential resource.

• Learn how the French language works-grammar, pronunciation, and important constructions
• Build your vocabulary and learn common expressions you'll hear while abroad
• Brush up your conversation skills with authentic dialogues, plus follow along with online audio
• Get practice reading, writing, and speaking French, so you're ready to communicate effectively

With French For Dummies, students, travelers, and business professionals can gain the confidence to converse in French.

Zoe Erotopoulos, PhD, holds an MA, MPhil, and PhD in French and Romance Philology from Columbia University in New York City.

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Learn to speak French with confidence the easy way French For Dummies gives you an immersive look into the foundations of the French language. The trusted Dummies language learning method is quick and practical, so you'll know what to say and do when traveling to a French-speaking country or interacting with French speakers in your community. You'll learn the basics of French grammar and pronunciation, and then you'll explore common phrases you'll need in everyday situations. Total beginners and those with some prior knowledge of fran ais can get ready to study, work, or travel abroad or integrate French into your everyday life fast and easy. Make small talk, understand common expressions, navigate business settings, ask for directions, go to the doctor, and beyond, with this essential resource. Learn how the French language works grammar, pronunciation, and important constructions Build your vocabulary and learn common expressions you ll hear while abroad Brush up your conversation skills with authentic dialogues, plus follow along with online audio Get practice reading, writing, and speaking French, so you re ready to communicate effectively With French For Dummies, students, travelers, and business professionals can gain the confidence to converse in French.

Textauszug

Chapter 1

The French You Already Know

IN THIS CHAPTER

French words that are identical or similar to their English counterparts

French words whose meanings don’t match their English look-alikes

Idioms and popular expressions you may already know

Learning a new language can be challenging. Not only do you need to know a whole new vocabulary, but you also need to twist your head around different grammar rules and your tongue around different pronunciation rules. But here’s some good news that may make the task seem a little less daunting: You already know quite a few French words and expressions. How? Because the English language, being the borrower that it is, contains many French words and expressions. And French has absorbed some English words, too.

In this chapter, you can explore some French words and phrases without having to know pronunciation or grammar rules (that info comes in Chapters 2 and 3). Here, I include French words that are spelled the same and mean the same as their English counterparts, as well as words that are close in meaning and spelling. But because not every French word that resembles an English word shares its meaning, I also tell you which words fall into this category. In addition, I include some French expressions that you probably already know and understand. By the end of this chapter, you may discover that you actually know more French than you previously thought.

Checking Out the French You’re Familiar With

With just a narrow stretch of water between them, the English and the French have historically been pretty close, even if they haven’t always been the friendly allies they are today. In fact, French was the language of the English court for a very long time — a fact that many people tend to forget. (The Normans who invaded England in 1066 with William the Conqueror were French, as were some of the most prominent people in English history.)

How does this brief history lesson relate to you learning French? Well today, approximately 35 percent of English vocabulary is of French origin. That being the case, you already know an impressive amount of French, whether you realize it or not. The only pitfall you have to watch out for is that sometimes the English words have a different meaning from their French counterparts, and they almost certainly have a different pronunciation.

French nouns are preceded by either definite or indefinite articles. The definite articles are le (masculine), la (feminine), l’ (an abbreviation of either le or la), and les (plural); these are the equivalent to the English word the. The indefinite articles are un (masculine), une (feminine), des (plural); these are all equivalent to the English words a, an, or some. While you dive into French, knowing which articles go with which nouns helps you identify the noun’s gender; that’s why the lists throughout this book include the articles. Because the abbreviated article l’ obscures the noun’s gender, I added the gender in parentheses. Finally, because in English, articles are not always used, I don’t include them in the translations of the word lists: l’université (f) (lew-nee-vehr-see-tey) (university) and le kiosque (luh kyohhsk) (kiosk), for example.

Friendly allies — bons alliés

Several French words are spelled the same and have the same meaning as their English counterparts. The only thing that may be different is the pronunciation (for more on pronunciation guidelines, head to Chapter 3). Take a look at these bons alliés (bohN-zah-lyey) (friendly allies):

• l’art (m) (lahr)
• brave (brahv)
• le bureau (luh bew-roh)
• le client (luh klee-yahN)
• le concert (luh kohN-sehr)
• la condition (lah kohN-dee-syohN)
• content (kohN-tahN)
• le courage (luh kooh-rahzh)
• le cousin (luh kooh-zaN)
• la culture (lah kewl-tewr)
• différent (dee-fey-rahN)
• excellent (ehk-seh-lahN)
• le garage (luh gah-rahzh)
• le guide (luh geed)
• important (aN-pohr-tahN)
• le journal (luh zhoohr-nahl)
• la machine (lah mah-sheen)
• le message (luh mey-sahzh)
• le moment (luh moh-mahN)
• la nation (lah nah-syohN)
• l’orange (f) (loh-rahNzh)
• le parent (luh pah-rahN)
• possible (poh-see-bluh)
• principal (praN-see-pahl)
• probable (proh-bah-bluh)
• la question (lah kehs-tyohN)
• la radio (lah rah-dyoh)
• le restaurant (luh rehs-toh-rahN)
• la rose (lah rohz)
• la route (lah rooht)
• la science (lah syahNs)
• le secret (luh suh-kreh)
• le service (luh sehr-vees)
• le signal (luh see-nyahl)
• le silence (luh see-lahNs)
• la solitude (lah soh-lee-tewd)
• le sport (luh spohr)
• la station (lah stah-syohN)
• la statue (lah stah-tew)
• la suggestion (lah sewg-zheh-styohN)
• la surprise (lah sewr-preez)
• la table (lah tah-bluh)
• le taxi (luh tah-ksee)
• le tennis (luh tey-nees)
• le train (luh traN)
• urgent (ewr-zhahN)
• violet (vyoh-leh)
• le voyage (luh voh-yahzh)
• le zoo (luh zooh)

Close look-alikes

Some French words, although not identical in spelling to their English counterparts, look very similar. These words also have similar meanings. Table 1-1 shows words that fit into this category.

TABLE 1-1 Words Similar in Meaning, Slightly Different in Spelling

French	English	French	English

l’ acteur (m) (lahk-tuhr)

actor

l’hôtel (m) (loh-tehl)

hotel

l’adresse (f) (lah-drehs)

address

le kiosque (luh kyohhsk)

kiosk

l’aéroport (m) (lah-eyr-oh-pohr)

airport

la lampe (lah lahmp)

lamp

l’allée (f) (lah-ley)

alley

la lettre (lah leh-truh)

letter

l’Américain (m)/l’Américaine (f) (lah-mey-ree-kaN/lah-mey-ree-kehn)

American

la mémoire (lah mey-mwahr)

memory

l’âge (m) (lahzh)

age

le miroir (luh mee-rwahr)

mirror

l’artiste (m/f) (lahr-teest)

artist

la musique (lah mew-zeek)

music

la banque (lah bahNk)

bank

la nationalité (lah nah-syoh-nah-lee-tey)

nationality

la cathédrale (lah kah-tey-drahl)

cathedral

nécessaire (ney-sey-sehr)

necessary

le chèque (luh shehk)

check

ordinaire (ohr-dee-nehr)

ordinary

la classe (lah klahs)

class

le papier (luh pah-pyey)

paper

la chambre (lah shahN-bruh)

chamber, bedroom

le poème (luh poh-ehm)

poem

la comédie (lah koh-mey-dee)

comedy

potentiel (poh-tahN-syehl)

potential

le congrès (luh kohN-greh)

congress

le problème (luh proh-blehm)

problem

la crème (lah krehm)

cream

le professeur (luh proh-feh-suhr)

teacher/professor

la démocratie (lah dey-moh-krah-see)

democracy

le sénateur (luh sey-nah-tuhr)

senator

le développement (luh dey-vlohp-mahN)

development

le...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 31.3.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Schulbuch / Wörterbuch ► Wörterbuch / Fremdsprachen
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: beginner French • common french phrases • conversational french • French • French 101 • french book • French conversation • French Grammar • French grammar book • French Language • french language learning • french phrase book • immersive French • learn french • travel French
• ISBN-10: 1-394-32136-8 / 1394321368
• ISBN-13: 978-1-394-32136-0 / 9781394321360