Table Of Content

Foreign Language/French Making Everything Easier!™ 2nd Edition The fast and informal way 2nd Edition to learn to speak French h c n Open the book and find: e Fr Bonjour! If you’re looking to reach a comfort level in conversational French, this hands-on, friendly guide gets (cid:129) How to make sense of basic French grammar you up and running with the language. Here, you’ll find expanded coverage of the necessary grammar, major verb (cid:129) Tips to improve your F tenses, and conjugations that beginners need to know. Plus, pronunciation you’ll get a fully updated and expanded audio CD that r (cid:129) Strategies to get a handle on includes real-life conversations, a refreshed and expanded verb conjugations e mini dictionary, exercises, practice opportunities, and more. (cid:129) Idioms and popular expressions n (cid:129) French 101 — learn how to pronounce the French alphabet, numbers, (cid:129) Advice on getting around and common words, and get a handle on the basic grammar you’ll in France and other French- c need to know to speak French speaking countries h (cid:129) Voila! — start practicing your French-speaking skills in everyday (cid:129) Fun games and activities to situations, like asking for directions to the Eiffel Tower or expressing reinforce learning your love for fromage (cid:129) Dialogues throughout the book (cid:129) Start talkin’ the talk — get the know-how to confidently navigate and on the accompanying CD public transportation, find a hotel room, exchange money, and handle an emergency on your excursion to France or any other French-speaking country (cid:129) The power of dix — discover ten ways to pick up French quickly, Learn to: ten things never to say in French, ten favorite French expressions, and ten phrases that’ll make people think you’re a local (cid:129) Speak French quickly and effectively Go to Dummies.com ® (cid:129) Master basic grammar, verb conjugations, for videos, step-by-step examples, vocabulary, and pronunciations how-to articles, or to shop! $24.99 US / $29.99 CN / £16.99 UK The international leader in language instruction Berlitz® has taught languages to millions of people for more than 130 years. ISBN 978-1-118-00464-7 Dodi-Katrin Schmidt Dodi-Katrin Schmidt, Michelle M. Williams, and Dominique Wenzel are Michelle M. Williams highly regarded French instructors and writers. Zoe Erotopoulos, PhD, teaches in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at Fairfield Dominique Wenzel University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Zoe Erotopoulos, PhD Berlitz® Get More and Do More at Dummies.com ® Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include (cid:129) Checklists (cid:129) Charts Apps (cid:129) Common Instructions Mobile (cid:129) And Other Good Stuff! To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/french Get Smart at Dummies.com Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s of answers on everything from removing wallpaper to using the latest version of Windows. Check out our (cid:129) Videos (cid:129) Illustrated Articles There’s a Dummies App for This and That (cid:129) Step-by-Step Instructions Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * With more than 200 million books in print and over 1,600 unique titles, Dummies is a global leader in how-to information. Now Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on you can get the same great Dummies information in an App. With (cid:129) Digital Photography topics such as Wine, Spanish, Digital Photography, Certification, (cid:129) Microsoft Windows & Office and more, you’ll have instant access to the topics you need to (cid:129) Personal Finance & Investing (cid:129) Health & Wellness know in a format you can trust. (cid:129) Computing, iPods & Cell Phones (cid:129) eBay To get information on all our Dummies apps, visit the following: (cid:129) Internet www.Dummies.com/go/mobile from your computer. (cid:129) Food, Home & Garden www.Dummies.com/go/iphone/apps from your phone. Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com *Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules. French FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2 ND EDITION by Dodi-Katrin Schmidt, Michelle M. Williams, Dominique Wenzel, and Zoe Erotopoulos 0011__99778811111188000044664477--ffffiirrss..iinndddd ii 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM French For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748- 6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH- OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZA- TION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Not all content that is available in standard print versions of this book may appear or be packaged in all book formats. If you have purchased a version of this book that did not include media that is referenced by or accom- panies a standard print version, you may request this media by visiting http://booksupport.wiley. com. For more information about Wiley products, visit us at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Control Number: 2011932271 ISBN 978-1-118-00464-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-13864-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-13865-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-13866-3 (ebk) Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0011__99778811111188000044664477--ffffiirrss..iinndddd iiii 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM About the Authors Dodi-Katrin Schmidt has been a writer, translator, and editor for over a decade. Aside from translating German, French, and English texts of various kinds, including linguistic handbooks, fi lm reviews, travel guides, and children’s books, she has also been involved in developing language textbooks, language courses, teachers’ handbooks, and grammar companions for video language courses. Dodi has been teaching for more than two decades at high school, adult education, and college levels in Europe as well as the United States. She also writes test items for various national language tests and recorded textbook and test material. Together with her husband, she travels a great deal, and they continually house and entertain foreign students and former students in their home in Princeton, NJ. Michelle M. Williams is an editor at a major educational publisher. A former French teacher, she has taught students ranging from 2-years old to adults in both the public and private sectors. She is a fi rm believer in making the language fun and accessible to all who want to learn. Her most rewarding experience, however, is in watching and listening to her son Nathaniel learn to speak and sing in French. Dominique Wenzel has been a freelance teacher of French and a translator for 15 years. Born and raised in France, she received a Master’s degree from the University of Paris-Sorbonne and studied at the University of Chicago on a postgraduate Fulbright scholarship. Her students include business profes- sionals, children, and adults of all levels and interests. She travels regularly to France. Dominique raised two bicultural, bilingual children who are both active in the international fi eld. Dr. Zoe Erotopoulos was born in Greece and immigrated to the United States at a young age. Her love of the French language, literature, and culture inspired her to pursue her academic studies in these areas. She holds an MA, MPhil, and PhD in French and Romance Philology from Columbia University in New York, NY. Dr. Erotopoulos has also studied in Aix-en-Provence, at the Sorbonne, and at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Her teaching experience in French ranges from elementary to advanced level courses, including literature and theater. Dr. Erotopoulos’s area of expertise is 17th-century French theater. Throughout her academic career, she has taught at a number of institutions, including Columbia University, Reid Hall in Paris, and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She is presently teaching in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Fairfi eld University in Fairfi eld, Connecticut. Dr. Erotopoulos is the author of French Verbs For Dummies and French For Dummies, Audio Set. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, Steve, and three children, Despina, Olga, and Stathi. 0011__99778811111188000044664477--ffffiirrss..iinndddd iiiiii 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM Berlitz has meant excellence in language services for more than 120 years. At more than 400 locations and in 50 countries worldwide, Berlitz offers a full range of language and language-related services, including instruction, cross- cultural training, document translation, software localization, and interpreta- tion services. Berlitz also offers a wide array of publishing products, such as self-study language courses, phrase books, travel guides, and dictionaries. The world-famous Berlitz Method® is the core of all Berlitz language instruction. From the time of its introduction in 1878, millions have used this method to learn new languages. For more information about Berlitz classes and products, please consult your local telephone directory for the Language Center nearest you or visit the Berlitz website at www.berlitz.com, where you can enroll in classes or shop directly for products online. 0011__99778811111188000044664477--ffffiirrss..iinndddd iivv 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM Dedication Zoe: To my family. Acknowledgments Zoe: I am very grateful to my family for their unwavering love and support, especially to my children who are my personal cheering squad. I would like to wholeheartedly thank my editor, Tracy Barr, for her professionalism, her insightful comments and suggestions, and her expertise. A special thank you goes to Michael Lewis for entrusting me with this project and to the technical reviewers, Eric Laird and Lydia de Faveri, for their expertise and careful attention to detail. I must also thank Dodi Schmidt, Michelle Williams, and Dominique Wenzel, who put so much time, effort, and knowledge into the fi rst edition of this book. Last, but certainly not least, a heartfelt thank you to my colleagues in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Fairfi eld University and Cynthia Nadal for their friendship, encouragement, and sound advice. 0011__99778811111188000044664477--ffffiirrss..iinndddd vv 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services Vertical Websites Project Coordinator: Nikki Gee Editor: Tracy L. Barr Layout and Graphics: Timothy C. Detrick, Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis Joyce Haugey, Corrie Socolovitch, Christin Swinford, Laura Westhuis Assistant Editor: David Lutton Proofreaders: Rebecca Denoncour, Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen Susan Moritz, Nancy L. Reinhardt Technical Editors: Eric H. Laird, Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC Lydia de Faveri Spiegel Illustrator: Elizabeth Kurtzman Associate Producer: Josh Frank Supervising Producer: Richard Graves CD Producer: Her Voice Unlimited, LLC Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor: Carmen Krikorian Editorial Assistant: Rachelle Amick Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South Cover Photos: ©iStockphoto.com/Lisa F. Young Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 0011__99778811111188000044664477--ffffiirrss..iinndddd vvii 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM Contents at a Glance Introduction ................................................................ 1 Part I: Getting Started ................................................. 7 Chapter 1: The French You Already Know .....................................................................9 Chapter 2: Laying the Foundation: Basic French Grammar .......................................17 Chapter 3: Getting Started with Pronunciation and Basic Expressions ...................35 Chapter 4: Getting Your Numbers, Dates, and Times Straight ..................................53 Chapter 5: Talking about Your Home, Family, and Daily Routine .............................67 Part II: French in Action ............................................ 87 Chapter 6: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk...................................................89 Chapter 7: Asking Directions and Finding Your Way ................................................103 Chapter 8: Bon Appétit! Dining Out and Going to the Market ..................................117 Chapter 9: Shopping Made Easy ..................................................................................137 Chapter 10: Going Out on the Town ............................................................................155 Chapter 11: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunicating ................................171 Chapter 12: Recreation and the Outdoors ..................................................................189 Part III: French on the Go ......................................... 207 Chapter 13: Planning a Trip ..........................................................................................209 Chapter 14: Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land ...................................................225 Chapter 15: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and More .................................239 Chapter 16: Finding a Place to Stay .............................................................................261 Chapter 17: Handling Emergencies ..............................................................................275 Part IV: The Part of Tens .......................................... 291 Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Pick Up French Quickly .....................................................293 Chapter 19: Ten Things Never to Say in French ........................................................297 Chapter 20: Ten Favorite French Expressions ...........................................................301 Chapter 21: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound French ..........................................305 0022__99778811111188000044664477--ffttoocc..iinndddd vviiii 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM Part V: Appendixes .................................................. 309 Appendix A: Mini-Dictionaries .....................................................................................311 Appendix B: Verb Tables ..............................................................................................333 Appendix C: Answer Key ...............................................................................................349 Appendix D: On the CD .................................................................................................351 Index ...................................................................... 353 0022__99778811111188000044664477--ffttoocc..iinndddd vviiiiii 77//2211//1111 1100::3399 PPMM