Street French 2: The Best of French Idioms (Street Language) [Paperback]

David Burke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1996 | ISBN-10: 0471138991 | ISBN-13: 978-0471138990 | Edition: 2

(trans.): What a wiz around the house!

(lit.): What a fairy in the domicile!

On n'apprend pas a un vieux

singe a faire la grimace.

(trans.): You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

(lit.): You can't teach an old monkey to smile.

If a French native were to offer you une assiette au beurre (a plate of butter) or invite you to faire du leche-vitrine (to go window licking), you might not know whether to accept -- that is, unless you have read this second book in David Burke's Street French series.

Street French 2 explores yet another "inside" language that must be mastered in order to be considered truly fluent in French: idioms- -- those quaint and quirky expressions that can't be understood literally but are used in every conceivable conversational situation.

Now you can learn the best of French idioms through entertaining word games, dialogues, crossword puzzles, find-a-word grids, and special tips guaranteed to make you au jus (up-to-date or, literally, juiced up) in no time!

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French

From the Publisher

Teaches the essentials of common French idioms used in everyday commerce, conversation, books, movies, and writing that are often unknown to non-native speakers. This accessible guide consists of 10 lessons divided into the following parts: dialogue, vocabulary, vocabulary practice, grammar, and exercises. Several chapters offer a special section which provides an up-close look at common idioms pertaining to a specific category. Features a thesaurus of French idiomatic expressions and a glossary containing English definitions of all the French words used in the text.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (July 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471138991
• ISBN-13: 978-0471138990
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #566,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Burke is the author of over 100 products and books on how to use and understand slang and idioms in different languages. His books are currently used as course curriculum by Berlitz Language Schools, UCLA, Harvard University, New York University (NYU) and Hewlett Packard.

David was brought up in a multi-lingual household and knows English, French, Italian, and American Sign Language. He is also a musician, having worked as a television composer and as the in-house composer for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.

In 1999, David became known as "Slangman" to 90 million listeners in 120 countries due to his regular 5-year segment on Voice of Americas Coast to Coast. Throughout the past 10 years, he has been the owner and CEO of Slangman Publishing, Inc., a publishing company specializing in materials on slang and idioms.

David is also the creator of Slangman's World, a children's TV show, currently in preproduction, which introduces children age 2-6 to the world of foreign languages and cultures, as well as popular American expressions in an environment of music, animation, and magic.

To date, David has appeared in more than 250 national and international radio and television programs helping parents to understand their teens, including; The Jenny Jones Show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, Entertainment Tonight, CNN International, and has been a recurring guest on the KTLA Morning Show and Canada's most popular talk show, the Vicki Gabereau Show. David was also a commentator at the 2004 Academy Awards for the BBCs Five Live (a program broadcasting to 7 million people throughout the United Kingdom) to speak about slang used in American movies and TV shows.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, entertaining, and generally cool, October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Street French 2: The Best of French Idioms (Street Language) (Paperback)

If you are looking for a book that will unravel the mysteries of the everyday French language, look no further. Street French 2 goes far beyond the standard idiomatic translations, even including practice puzzles and exercises. I would recommend it to those who are already very familiar with the language but would like to improve their overall knowledge of conversational French. It is not a book for beginners.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty decent book., October 1, 2009

By 

A. Durnell "A." (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Street French 2: The Best of French Idioms (Street Language) (Paperback)

I bought this book as an idiom review and I do like the way it is structured. There are enough exercises to reinforce the message without it becoming exhaustive and each chapter varies from the last. The puzzles and word games are a nice addition. One thing I find distracting, however, is the phonetic spelling that attempts to get people to pronounce things the way they would be heard by a native speaker. The idea behind this is sound, but, in any language, correct diction is always the best way to make oneself understood if a non-native speaker is communicating with a native. If you spend any length of time in France, the local diction will automatically become a part of your manner of speaking. In trying to force this you risk phonetic errors that make you sound like an amateur.