See It and Say It in French: A Beginner's Guide to Learning French the Word-and-Picture Way

This little (and inexpensive) book is a classic that I have used again and again for over 30 years. It's approach is simple and fun - tie words and sentences to little drawings- but effective. You will easily learn basic French grammar and effortlessly absorb French vocabulary. If you supplement this book with, say, Teach Yourself Conversational French (so that you can hear what French sounds like and practice pronouncing it correctly) you will be more than adequately prepared to travel in France and start speaking the language. If you really want to learn French and want to pay a heckuva lot more, skip Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone and go directly to Fluenz. But if you are an occasional traveler to France or another French speaking country, this book is a handy introduction and refresher.

Like a previous reviewer, I have spent a lot of $ on various tapes, CDs and books over the years in an attempt to improve my French. Because it seemed almost too simple, this book sat on my shelf gathering dust for a long time. I just recently started to read it again and have found it does a great job in presenting vocabulary and sentence structure in a way that is easy to remember. I have photocopied the wonderful little pictures and accompanying sentences and placed them on index cards. I've found it's a great way to quiz myself. As much as I've enjoyed the book, I don't think that on its own it would be a good way for a beginner to learn French. It might work best as a supplementary resource or for someone who has a little background in the language. The book includes only a very rudimentary pronounciation guide and doesn't often explain the grammar rules behind the sentence structures. Overall, a very good book!

I am a reluctant learner of the French language. I own so many books, CD's, cassettes, and videos on the French language--over $1,000 worth. I am under obligation (how did that happen?) to eventually learn French since I married a Swiss-French man. I am a serious reader and have a hard time fitting in this language study on the side of my more important reading. I have to comment on this book, though. If you are reluctant, have something going on which makes it hard to dive into a foreign language, or just want a book that makes you feel good right away about the language, get this book. It is not intimidating at all. It has a nice progression. It is the first French language book I go to because it's also a fun book which makes it easier to retain what I've read.

This book will get you started with phrases and proved a real survivor manual for me while traveling through France. The key to learning French is to try and speak it. I found this book helpful and encouraging...

For the past four years, I have used this book as a "textbook" for teaching beginning French conversation to elementary students in our schools. The book pairs easy-to-learn phrases with simple pictures--and does not go too deep into French grammar, which is perfect for my teaching methods. The book encourages the joy of "speaking" rather than conjugating verbs, and should not be purchased by those who need (or want) to enhance their grammar skills. But for "speaking conversational phrases" it's perfect...and the appendix, with its simplified vocabulary, is great. My husband, who knows NO French except what he "learned" from this book, survives in France very well when we take young students to Paris on a "field trip." This book is a very good way to begin learning the complicated French language.