Berlitz French Phrase Book & Dictionary (Berlitz Phrase Books) (Paperback)

~ Berlitz Guides (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Berlitz phrase books provide a wide range of words and phrases, a pronunciation guide and numerous tips and bits of useful insider information, to help travellers feel as informed and comfortable as possible when visiting abroad.

From the Publisher

Oui! Oui! Yes! Yes! This portable, practical book is the perfect companion for your next trip to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada and other French-speaking countries. The easy-to-use, color-coded Berlitz French Phrase Book helps you converse with confidence and travel with ease! From bonjour to bonne nuit, learn essential, everyday expressions and communicate easily, intelligibly and comfortably with native speakers. The Berlitz phrase book is the unparalleled market leader in its category. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berlitz Guides; Revised edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2831562392
• ISBN-13: 978-2831562391
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,234,786 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Most useful for emergencies., April 11, 2007

By	tendays komyathy (U.S.A. & elsewhere traveling) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Berlitz French Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Books) (Paperback)

Berlitz French is OK, actually, but it's structured to be a lot more useful for you in emergencies and under unusual circumstances than for actual utilizing any French (however minimal perhaps) on a daily basis. So, if you're the nervous type, worried about what may happen and you want the French for such in your pocket, then this phrase book will suit you. If you want to exchange simple comments with French folk, answer questions about yourself in French, ask directions (and understand the answers), then Berlitz is not going to be as useful to you as say, Rough Guide French, or even Lonely Planet French will be.

Lonely Planet French, for instance, is basically two helpings of basic grammar followed by many sections of phases you won't likely ever use. For instance, the guide provides several pages each of lists of occupations, nationalities, college majors, items of stationary, jewelery, colors, insects, flowers, aquatic sports(!), electrical appliances, camping terms,and so on. Also provided are pat phrases to employ at a hotel's front desk, at a doctor's, at the optometrist, and eating out, among other mini-sections. The book, in effect, is set up to be taken out to be used once a day, if that.

It's an improvement on Berlitz phrase books, but not by much. Berlitz, in comparison, simply divides their books into 10 or so color coded sections such as: "sightseeing," "relaxing," "shopping," traveling around," "money," "eating out," etc. So, if you want to ask someone a casual question, for example, you have thumb to the "relaxing" section and then choose one of the half dozen choices there. If nothing suits your situation, oh well, tough luck.

Rough Guide French, in comparison, is structured completely differently. The first several dozen pages gives you numbers, days of the week, time, etc., and a 20 minute course in French grammar. Oh no, you might be saying, but it is presented very simply. For instance it presents a handful of common verbs and their conjugations. So on one page you can see how to say "I have," "he has, " etc. and "I like," "he/ she likes," etc. The rest of the book is split between an English-French dictionary, a French-English dictionary, and a multi-page menu reader. What makes the English-French dictionary pages unique, though, is that most every other page (at least) has dialogue boxes relating to the most useful word(s) on that particular page. For instance, when you thumb through the book for the word "live," you get the word itself, but also the phrases "I live in..." and "Where do you live?" It'll take you 10 minutes to find such a phrase in Berlitz or Lonely Planet in their "getting to know others' or 'relaxing' sections. But because Rough Guide is structured as a dictionary, with hundreds of really useful phrases highlighted in boxes within, you can access something you want to say rather swiftly...and actually deliver it just a minute or so after looking for it. Add the grammar section, where you learn useful verbs and how to conjugate their past tenses, and the number section, and you can easily learn to chat with someone about where you are from, where you are going, where you have traveled thus far, what you like/liked, and so on. Likewise, knowing how to say "have" makes it easy to ask whether a hotel has rooms, whether the room has a shower (after thumbing through the book for the word for shower), etc. And when the answer comes back that the hotel doesn't have one, or they say "we have...," you can actually catch what they are saying.

If still not persuaded, next time you're in a bookstore compare a Berlitz, a Lonely Planet, and a Rough Guide language phrase book side by side. If you just want a book for emergencies (say, breaking a leg, etc.) then Berlitz and/or Lonely Planet phrase books will serve you well...in your pocket until you are faced with such a situation, since they do have many more specific terms (like 50 different parts of the the body), but if you really want to be able to say some things in French on a daily basis during your trip you'll be much better served by The Rough Guide to French Dictionary Phrasebook 3 (Rough Guide Phrasebooks). Cheers

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy Two (They're Small), December 17, 2000

By	Laure-Madeleine (NYC) - See all my reviews

Even in the States, I carry the "Berlitz French Phrase Book & Dictionary" with me most of the time. Why you might ask? I love the French language so much that if someone I meet wants to learn it and practice it with me, I end up giving them this little book as a present. Its organization is superb, and you can easily find the section you need, whether it be the most basic French expression, such as "Comment ça va?" or more specialized information, such as a list of foods (look up "pamplemousse"), or how to get emergency help ("au secours!"). The pronunciation guides are pretty good, but the dictionary part is spartan, so I would not rely on it alone for looking up words. On a trip, take along a small "Larousse Dictionnaire de Poche" as well. You may want to add one of the "racier" phrase books from the "Street French" series or "Merde!" or "Merde Encore!" to keep at your place of lodging. As an alternative or as an addition, I recommend "Lonely Planet French Phrasebook," which seems to have more variety in terms of content, but lacks the organization of the Berlitz.

Berlitz has been publishing these phrasebooks in many languages for years, so do not hesitate to buy this classic. Be sure to check for the most recent edition as these books are updated often.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAKE SURE YOUR HAVE A BON VOYAGE, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

Want to make sure you'll be able to ask if you should turn left or right; or whether that menu item is chicken or duck or snails; or where the nearest restroom is? Don't leave for France without this book. It is simple, well organized and just the security blanket you need for that big trip to France - and it's tiny enough to carry with you. You'll be able to say it with style en Francais.