You NEED this book to learn French.
There is no ONE perfect medium for learning a language. You need several different tools. Start with a good phrase book (Rick Steve's are the best) to learn enough to be a good tourist (i.e., to have more fun on your trip). Next, use a good computer or online program to learn vocabulary. (The vocabulary comes faster if you have already learned a lot of useful phrases.) These programs are glorified flash cards, but flash cards are actually a very effective way to learn vocabulary, and the best programs (a) teach you the words you will use the most and (b) focus on the words you know the least. The best flash cards also have a combination of written flash cards, spoken flash cards, and picture flash cards. My personal favorite is the free online program is duolingo.com. I like Rosetta Stone, too, but it is expensive. It uses a great combination of written, spoken and picture flash cards. It is also dumb: it doesn't keep track of what you know well and drill you on what you know the least. Still, I think it's a good program if you've got the money. But flash card programs are a TERRIBLE way to try to figure out complicated grammar rules.
So, in addition to a phrase book and a flashcard vocabulary program, you need a couple of books on the language that include vocabulary and grammar. I say a couple because reading two books on the subject will teach you much more than reading the same book twice. Vocabulary makes a lot more sense after you've learned a lot of phrases and learned some vocabulary. (You have a lot of "aha" moments about grammar rules if you learn phrases first. If you learn grammar first, it seems like a bunch of capricious rules, and it just won't stick in your head.)
THIS is THE BEST little book on grammar, emphasis on the word "little". If you've learned basic tourist phrases, and you've learned some useful vocabulary, NOW you need to learn the ESSENTIAL grammar, and I prefer learning in 125 pages instead of 525 pages. Comprehensive books are too complicated for the beginner. You can't tell the critical from the rare, and there is so much you end up remembering nothing.
THIS book teaches you the most important things you need to know, in a logical order, and it is very compact. Perhaps "condensed" is a better word. If you don't know any French grammar, this book can be a little hard to follow. Buy a comprehensive grammar book, too. If you don't understand something in this book, look up the same subject in a second, bigger, more comprehensive book.
BUT, as I said, I would much rather learn (a) the most important stuff in (b) the fewest pages than try to learn EVERYTHING in THOUSANDS of pages.
So, five stars specifically because this book is NOT comprehensive.
(Eventually, in order to learn the language, you also need to speak with other French speakers. There are great sites for this, where you can chat free or cheaply online with native speakers. You will find these sites and other good tips on learning a foreign language efficiently in "Fluent in 3 months".
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From the Publisher
Essential French Grammar
Use it as an introduction to grammar, for independent class courses, with phrase courses, as a refresher, or for beginning self-study.
- This handy guide offers fast and easy, time-saving shortcuts that enable communication in everyday situations.
- Constantly drawing comparisons with English sentence construction, it contains a 50-page list of French-English cognates and covers all of the important points in French grammar (verb forms and tenses, parts of speech, negative sentences, possessives, partitive construction, etc.).
- It includes a section on common word endings and their French equivalents.
- Essential French Grammar provides all the grammar that’s really needed for speech and comprehension, whether you’re a beginner or have some knowledge of French. It can be used as an introduction to grammar, for independent class courses, with phrase courses, as a refresher, or for beginning self-study.
In addition to the grammar text itself, there are several unusual features of great value to anyone who wants to build a French vocabulary: a section on common word-endings and their French equivalents, for example, and a 50-page list of French-English cognates.
Essential French Grammar
Looking for an effective way to communicate in French while on vacation or a business trip? This is the first French grammar designed specifically for adults with limited learning time who wish to acquire a knowledge of simple, everyday spoken French. It is not a simplified study, but a selective grammar that points out many time-saving shortcuts.
It covers all of the important points in French grammar (verb forms and tenses, parts of speech, negative sentences, possessives, partitive construction, etc.) fully, logically, and with refreshing clarity. Furthermore, it was created for those who prefer the phrase approach, and all grammatical points are illustrated with phrases and sentences that you can incorporate directly into your working vocabulary. Many of the discussions include a list of common expressions that use the rule under study.
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Essential French Grammar Book Review
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I love this book despite the year it was published (1961) is very current. So simple and efficient. I recommend.
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