Barron's is today and always has been the Number-One reference source for verb usage in virtually every major language. Leading all competition, the best selling 501 French Verbs beats all less well-established rivals with its brand-new 6th edition. It's printed in two colors, it features tinted page edges for ease of reference, and it comes with extra help for French language students in the form of a CD-ROM. The book presents the most important and most commonly used French verbs arranged alphabetically with English translations in chart form, one verb per page, and conjugated in all persons and tenses, both active and passive. The accompanying CD-ROM gives students practice exercises in verb conjugation plus a concise grammar review. This combined book and software package is a comprehensive guide to French verb usage with a wealth of reference material and language tips, including a bilingual list of more than 1,250 additional French verbs, helpful expressions and idioms for travelers, and verb drills and short tests with all questions answered and explained.
I bought this book when I was leaving the UK and moving to France back in the Summer of 2009.
It served me well in France, as it is comprehensive, (logical) and easily understandable. For anyone who enjoys grammatical tenses in French this is the book for you. As the saying goes, don't leave home without it. Well in reality you have to leave it at home, as it is bloody heavy, but also very good.
I started learning French in high school and decided to dedicate my life to learning and teaching the language. I've been fluent for the last 15 years or so, and this book has been my go-to when needing a verb tense that I've forgotten or haven't heard of. I even used it in my classroom as a teacher. I have owned two different editions since college (because I destroyed the first one from carrying it around all the time). If you're looking to really learn French, the mastery of verb tenses such as the subjunctive, conditional, imperfect, imperative, all future tenses, and all past tenses are essential. Get this book.
I couldn't have survived highschool or college without this. Anyone who owns this indeed has read it cover to cover, backwards and forwards several times. and it includes idioms-my favorite!
Can't actually really say I read this, but I bought it when I was studying French and used it as a reference. Not that I remember much of French. Still have this book though!
Bought this when I took my French A level and it proved to be a very useful tool. Now that I live in France and have a child going through French school, it is indispensable. I couldn't count the number of times I've had to get this out during homework -- let's just say I've had to gaffer-tape the spine to keep it together! Although it is not really necessary to have all these verbs conjugated, actually it's blooming useful. It is well presented with a page per verb, all in alphabetical order and everything at your finger tips. Now if I could just work out when to use the subjunctive ...
For anyone who studies, has studied, is thinking about studying, or is just plain fascinated by the French language, this book is a fabulous reference. I tripped over it years ago and have worn through several copies of it since. Although it is not a pocket reference, it fits nicely on the bookshelf.
I started learning French in high school and decided to dedicate my life to learning and teaching the language. I've been fluent for the last 3 years or so, and this book has been my go-to when needing a verb tense that I've forgotten or haven't heard of. I even used it in my classroom as a teacher. I have owned two different editions since college (because I destroyed the first one from carrying it around all the time). If you're looking to learn French, the mastery of verb tenses such as the subjunctive, conditional, imperfect, imperative, all future tenses, and all past tenses are essential. Get this book.
I do not really consider this a ‘read’ book. It is a reference book that I use all the time to study French, which I have been doing since January of 2023. I am including the books on Goodreads that have been most helpful to me.
Good resource for verb learning - will return to over and over for reference. The essential verbs list was an excellent way to focus learning on the most important verbs.
This is a total mainstay in my library. I love this book, not just because it unpacks the french language, but because it gives great examples of how words are used in different sentences, in different settings. 501 French Verbs is fun to read every now and then, and also good to have on hand in a panic when I need a translation, which doesn't happen that often but which this book gives me the confidence to tackle!
this is a very helpful book. now that I'm in second year, I understand a lot more about present, irregular, and er verbs, and also I now understand passé composé, so the book really helps. I recommend it to anyone taking francais!
A must for any French language course! It will be a life saver--especially when you're working with 4-5 different tenses as things get a little more advanced.
A systematic study of French verbs will tell you what is in this book, but it's still a great reference to have on hand, as either an instructor or student.