learning to speak french (1 Viewer)

[Ivory55]

hi has anybody used the rosetta stone system for learning a language? seems alot of money but the pair of us do not want to be the ignorant english when in france. like when trying to buy local produce etc. cheers ivory55

 

[Jim]

hi has anybody used the rosetta stone system for learning a language? seems alot of money but the pair of us do not want to be the ignorant english when in france. like when trying to buy local produce etc. cheers ivory55

There are a lot of mixed reviews about it. You can get cheap copies of Rosetta stone on eBay but I'm not sure if they allow change of ownership in their licence, so you'd want an un-opened/unregistered copy to be sure. The BBC Link Removed resource is supposed to be good and its free:thumb:

 

[Chockswahay]

Jim's right!

My wife is doing the BBC Spanish course, she says it's great (me? I just SHOUT) :Blush:

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[Gromett]

I use the Michel Thomas method. Brilliant....

 

[JJ]

I don't need to speak French.

I have someone to do it for me.

JJ

 

[Wildman]

good morning, afternoon, evening. Thanks and how much, just about all the French I have and manage with hee hee.

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[Chockswahay]

Wildman, surely you meant....

bonjour, midi, soir. Merci et combien, à peu près tous les Français que j'ai et gérer avec hee hee.

He he, Google translate eh?

 

[JJ]

Google translate est merde.

JJ

 

[yodeli]

Wildman, surely you meant....

bonjour, midi, soir. Merci et combien, à peu près tous les Français que j'ai et gérer avec hee hee.

He he, Google translate eh?

HAAAAAAAAAA. Au secours pas Google!!!!! Pitié

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[Chockswahay]

HAAAAAAAAAA. Au secours pas Google!!!!! Pitié

Ah ha, Yodeli, I have not been here long but somehow I just knew it would draw you out!

To be honest my French is so bad Google could have said anything and I would have been none the wiser :Blush:

 

[Mags52]

Last winter we went to the local French Institute and did two courses of French. We had both done it in school many years ago but had forgotten a lot of it.
The courses were great - a mixture of conversation and grammar in a small group of adults. All the staff were French and from the moment we arrived it was like being in France - no-one spoke English unless you asked them to.
This summer in France we were much more confident speaking to people and asking for things.
Not so easy when they replied at speed
It made the whole trip so much more pleasant.
If you can get a conversational course I would say that is much better. You can't switch a real person off and rewind but you can learn to ask them to repeat things more slowly.
have fun!

 

[teddybard]

French

BBC Learn French works well enough

The only problems you get really are the replies are usually too fast
well for me anyway.

There are a lot of mixed reviews about it. You can get cheap copies of Rosetta stone on eBay but I'm not sure if they allow change of ownership in their licence, so you'd want an un-opened/unregistered copy to be sure. The BBC Link Removed resource is supposed to be good and its free:thumb:

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[Ivory55]

hi thanks everyone we will look at others first as rosetta stone a lot of money. we need something as we prefer to go to the quiet places in france. cheers colyn and jill

 

[novawight]

Get Rossetta Stone from Library, and renew every month, or try other french courses from there and take your pick................Del

 

[sedge]

Or howsabout staying on a campsite where they offer courses? Have thought of doing that a number of times, as my O Level vocabulary has all but deserted me!

However, I think I'd get annoyed if they were only teaching you to ask for un baguette etc.

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[Steve_UK]

What? You want more than one baguette?

 

[joner8888]

I tried google translate in france some time ago,it did get some strange reactions

 

[whatta]

Google Translate

Google Translate's great.... It's a real laugh.

An Italian friend who speaks little English and I with even less Italian do enjoy "chats" using Google Translate - we call it:

GIGGLE translate

Peter S

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[Peter JohnsCross MH]

I wonder what that famous Rapido owner uses whe he is on a campsite with his organic free range home brewed silver service coffee ?

Oi mate got a light

Peter

 

[Camdoon]

...

However, I think I'd get annoyed if they were only teaching you to ask for un baguette etc.

Always ask for two:thumb:

un pain au chocolat
un croissant
:Blush:
une baguette :thumb:
une brioche

 

[sedge]

Sorry, I spikka da Espanglais, you don't ask for uno/a of owt in Spain, it's always un something. If they mishear, then you would say uno/a, to stress you only want one.

This is me prob, in France I can usually ask for it beautifully in Spanish and vice versa!

Anyone remember 'Let's Parler Franglais' ? Hilarious ......

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[Spacerunner]

I usually struggle in my vaguely memorised schoolboy French but the French are often gracious in helping me out.
Once, when trying to purchase some honey at a farmers' market I was reduced to miming a bee complete with sound effects. Ah-ha! One old fella said, and from his battered, old citroen van produced a live, flapping trout!!

 

[sedge]

I can only think you buy short baguettes, OTOH the big ones don't fit in any of our lockers !

Although Carrefour sell fresh stunted ones by the two - approx 35/40cm apiece - and if it's early in the holiday we can easily eat them in one day! After the first week and a half, with sore mouths from the crusts, we're usually looking for a boule, tranchee SVP!

 

[magsinfrance]

When DH and I moved to France 8 years ago, he had school French and I none. We bought Michel Thomas course (ebay, not full price)It helped us both loads, DH is now reasonably fluent and I am passable, in so much as the French think I am Belgium now not English (Not really a compliment as the French are not too keen on the Belge but actually most of them love the English)
It does help just jumping in and talking to French people, they love it.

Maggie

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[magsinfrance]

Just a thought if you can't find them at the Library (good idea that, I never thought of it lol) let me know and I will run you a copy off
Maggie

 

[hilldweller]

the pair of us do not want to be the ignorant english when in france.

Don't be silly, they all understand English perfectly, but they are a bit slow and deaf so speak slowly and loudly.

I've wasted loads of cash on Spanish and Italian tapes. Some are appalling. Non seem to work on Olde Fartes. Buy the cheapest. Use the web, the beeb have free lessons.

But all will fail, you may be able to ask the question, sure as hell you'll never understand the reply.

 

[sedge]

LOL - been there done that Brian!

Whilst on holiday with a friend we visted a local market together with another English lady holidaying in the property next door. We left my friend having an animated discussion with the stallholder. Me and Mrs next door wandered off and got an ince cream, my frien joined us and we'd nearly finished hers as well as our own. What did he say?

Oh he said he hadn't got any, whicch was a shame - he'd had it every week until last, but sold the last then. He said he still had it in blue or pink, but I explained I specifically only wanted it in yellow. So I asked him if he'd be getting any more? And he said he couldn't really be sure - but he'd be sure to look out for some when he goes to the warehouse on Friday, so I should try again next Tuesday - so I said I would.

Mrs next door (with slight awe) - Oooh that WAS a long conversation! Did he really say all that?

Friend - Don't ask me - I haven't a f***ing clue!

So Pete and I now have THAT conversation following such incidents. One of us - What was all THAT about then? Other one - Said he'd have a look when he goes to the warehouse .....

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[yodeli]

Don't be silly, they all understand English perfectly, but they are a bit slow and deaf so speak slowly and loudly.
I've wasted loads of cash on Spanish and Italian tapes. Some are appalling. Non seem to work on Olde Fartes. Buy the cheapest. Use the web, the beeb have free lessons.

But all will fail, you may be able to ask the question, sure as hell you'll never understand the reply.

OI

 

[Minxy]

We did 2 years of French classes at night before our first motorhome trip to France, at the time we were seriously thinking about moving there permanently, hence the course, however we subsequently decided it wasn't what we wanted to do, but we found the course extremely useful and did a further year.

Now we get a lot more our of our visits - we can converse with the locals, although it can still be 'fun' trying to understand what they say back when they speak quickly! The problem is that I have a knack for picking up the 'way' of speaking (if I go to Scotland on holiday for example I come back sounding like a native!) so sound as if I'm actually French!!! To avoid this I often purposely make mistakes (that's my excuse anyway ) so they know I'm not!!!

We also find that because we can read a lot of French, we enjoy visiting places more as we can take in more info about them as it's not always translated into English, or the English version is a lot shorter.

Must learn German though as hubby has informed me that he wants to go there for our 6 week trip next year! I really don't want to go without understanding more than the splattering of the language we have at present ... and as for Spanish ... I probably only know half a dozen words!

We have the Rosetta Stone for Spanish and German and I'll also use the BBC on-line stuff too as its quite good.:thumb:

 

[magicsurfbus]

I didn't pay much attention in French at school, and neither did my classmate. We used to quietly deface the textbooks instead. If they awarded 'O' Levels for re-touching textbook photos we'd have got Grade A. Later in life he ended up living there and I ended up holidaying there, so more fool us.

I'd suggest signing up for an evening class at your local 6th Form College. I did a year of French like that, one night a week, which topped up my limited school knowledge to the point where I feel quite pissed off about having to speak any English in France (apart from to my better half).

The other language that's huge fun to learn is Italian, especially if the tutor is a native. Any country that can call a grocer a Fruttivendolo gets my vote every time. The Italians love you for attempting their language, whereas I think the French just expect it, but maybe one shouldn't generalise.

Definitely do a one year course though - I once tried a 12 week Spanish course and had forgotten every word of it by the time we'd reached Barcelona.

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