Intermediate French For Dummies

by Laura K. Lawless

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 mistakes Complete 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!

Genres: France, Language, Nonfiction, Reference

338 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2008

About the author

Virtual language teacher since '99 (English, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek)

My latest books:

French Essentials for Dummies, 2nd ed.

French Workbook for Dummies

Reviews

[Yvette Pfalzgraf · Rating 5 out of 5]

You never know what any particular "Dummies" book will be like, some are awful and some middling. However, I expected this one to be great since it was written by an author I already had read and I was not disappointed. Laura K. Lawless does French at about.com (and does an excellent job. This book is an excellent review of French skills and grammar. French is one my mother tongues (the second being British English), so I am quite proficient in French (just to give you my background) and I was quite happy with this book. Bravo, Madame Lawless et merci beaucoup!

[Riobhcah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general, this was a great review of basics in French, but I was rather surprised that the author, Mrs. Lawless, who, by the way, is an excellent teacher of French in my opinion, did not include the placement of pronouns with the negative imperative in the chapter on the imperative tense. This is something that students sometimes have a problem with and that doesn't hurt we who have known French a long time occasionally to review either. Otherwise, a great French review...Bien Fait, Mme. Lawless.

[Deodand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to help me brush off my dusty high-school French. I really need help with those interminable verb tenses. It's not something that compounds on itself though, which disappointed me a bit. It's a "jump-in-anywhere" type of book, which may be helpful to some, but not to me.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawless is great, she runs the About.com French learner's website. Completely clear, no BS.