101 French Idioms [Paperback]

Jean-Marie Cassagne (Author), Luc Nisset (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844212903 | ISBN-13: 978-0844212906 | Publication Date: January 11, 1995 | Edition: 1st

Intermediate This whimsical collection of colloquialisms entertains students while providing insight into French-language idioms, customs, and humor. Grouped according to theme � from "Our Animal Friends" to "Speaking About the Body" to "Food for Thought" � the idioms are illustrated with humorous cartoons that provide keys to understanding the literal and real meanings.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An idiom is the crossroads where language and culture meet. What does it mean, for instance, that when in English we'd say someone was "out of his tree," in French he would be "pedaling in the semolina"? 101 French Idioms collects this and other colorful turns of phrase into one whimsically illustrated volume. Each idiom comes with both literal and figurative English translations as well as a vivid cartoon; snippets of French narrative or dialogue use the term in context. The result is a humorous, fun, easy-to-remember introduction to French idioms, an excellent way to learn more about French as it's actually spoken.

Language Notes

Text: English, French

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1st edition (January 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844212903
• ISBN-13: 978-0844212906
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Help But Learn Even a Little, August 3, 2000

By 

clfuller "Toni" (Phoenixville, Panama) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 French Idioms (Paperback)

I liked this one and the 101 Proverbs books. They have cute cartoons that help you remember the sayings effortlessly. I was amazed that when writing a french penpal that the words just came right out! Can't help but like a book that helps you learn a language without trying and in an entertaining manner. The short explanations under each saying are written in french so you get to practice reading short (10-15 lines) paragraphs and flexing your vocabulary muscle. Very good for beginners!

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners!, February 20, 2001

By 

Danny E. Flynn, Jr. "hughjean" (E. Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 101 French Idioms (Paperback)

Though this book has some very interesting French phrases, it is defintiely not intended for the beginner. Only short dialogues are given for each phrase showing its "natural" usage. Also, no conjugations for the verbs are given. If one is unfamiliar with french grammar, etc. this book will be somewhat daunting. Still, for the intermediate to advanced learner, this book can help add those bits of langauge that help distinguish the native from the not-so-native.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maintenant, je suis branchée!, October 16, 2005

By 

Hecate Rising "i like books and stuff" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 101 French Idioms (Paperback)

This book really fulfills its purpose. I've already come across some of the expressions in 'real life' movies/books/conversation. It's not aimed at beginners looking for language basics. That said, all of the context examples are translated at the end of the book. (My friend found the context examples to be useful in and of themselves.) There are also two indexes: image (i.e. flowers) and alphabetical.

The only change I would have made would have been possibly adding quizzes, to make it more result-driven. Though in the translations at the end, the expression is in bold so you could test yourself. (For example, "Laurent is well-read" is in bold and you'd come up with "il a des lettres") And in a perfect world there would have been a CD to go along.

This is one of the least expensive french books on the market and it's both fun and informative.