Intermediate French For Dummies

by Lawless, Laura K.

• ISBN13: 9780470187685
• ISBN10: 0470187689
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-04
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Planning a trip to a French-speaking country? Starting a business with a French connection? Looking to ace your next French test? Intermediate French For Dummies is the book for you. It offers all the help you need to improve your writing skills and become a better French speaker, listener, and reader, as well.This friendly, hands-on workbook gives you practical examples and useful exercises so you can practice how native speakers use the language. From vocabulary and numbers to juggling tenses, you'll get a clear understanding of the nuances of French style and usage that will have you writing better in no time. Plus, you'll find multiple charts that provide the conjugations for all types of French verbs. Discover how to: Use fundamental French grammar - from nouns, adjectives, and adverbs to pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions Select and conjugate the correct French verbs Understand the importance of grammatical gender in French Ask and respond to questions Use a bilingual dictionary correctly Get a handle on French negatives Know whether to use the infinitive or the present participle Add descriptive flair to your writing Sort out pronominal verbs Avoid the most common French writing mistakesComplete with plenty of room to practice you skills with exercises right in the workbook Intermediate French For Dummies helps you get your French writing up to speed toute suite!

Author Biography

Laura K. Lawless is a French fanatic. From the day she learned her first French words (the numbers 1–10 at age 10), she has been obsessed with the language of love. Her first trip to France, at 15, further convinced her that French would always be an essential part of her life. Laura has a BA in International Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and she has done graduate work in French and Spanish translation, interpretation, linguistics, and literature. She also studied French at Institut de formation internationale in Mont-St-Aignan, France, and at the Alliance française in Toulouse, France.
In 1999, after a year of teaching French and Spanish to adults, Laura became the French Language Guide at About.com (http://french.about.com), where she continues to create lessons, quizzes, listening exercises, and games for French students and teachers around the world. Her fascination with all things French guarantees that she will never run out of ideas for her French site or books (this is her fourth). Laura has lived in France, Morocco, and Costa Rica, and after scheming and dreaming for more than half her life, she and her husband will be moving to France in 2008.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Building Blocks of French

Understanding Parts of Speech and Bilingual Dictionaries

Figuring Out Nouns, Articles, and Possession

The 4-1-1 on Numbers, Dates, and Time

The Here and Now: Writing in the Present

Right Here, Right Now: The Present Tense

Asking and Answering Questions

Just Say No: The Negative

"To Be" or "Being" Is the Question: Infinitives and Present Participles

Deciphering the Subjunctive Mood

Writing with Panache: Dressing Up Your Sentences

Describing with Flair: Adjectives and Adverbs

I Command You: The Imperative

Sorting Out Pronominal Verbs: Idioms, Oneself, and Each Other

An Ode to Prepositions

Getting a Hold on Pronouns

Grasping Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns

That Was Then, and What Will Be, Will Be: The Past and Future Tenses

It's All in the Past: Passé Composé

What Was Happening? The Imparfait Tense

It's All Over! Other Past Tenses

What'll You Do? The Future

What Would You Do? The Conditional Mood

The Part of Tens

Ten Common French Mistakes and How to Avoid 'Em

Ten Ways to Begin a Letter in French

Appendixes

Verb Charts

English-French Dictionary

French-English Dictionary

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.