For those who don’t have time to take a course or just want to make the most out of their commute, Teach Yourself French is an ideal way to brush up on or learn beginner-level French.
For those who don’t have time to take a course or just want to make the most out of their commute, Teach Yourself French is an ideal way to brush up on or learn beginner-level French. In fact, the lengthy introduction of this book states that this is the purpose of Teach Yourself French. The introduction keeps up an energetic, “you-can-do-it” tone, which is reflected throughout the book.
Teach Yourself French contains 25 units, which are all set up the same way. The units cover the usual basics like introductions, directions, the simple and perfect tenses, family, and the parts of speech. Each unit begins with a list of objectives for the unit, and what students can expect to know by the end. For each unit there is also a short paragraph in English setting up the storyline, like going on a weekend course or looking for a parking space. From there, the units contain reviews and exercises for listening, grammar, and pronunciation as well as tidbits about the language and history of France. The instructions are all in English, and each unit is about 10 pages long.
"This book does an excellent job of catering to those who choose to self-study through an easy, engaging setup and lots of practice."
At the end of the book, there is a French-English glossary as well as a verb table that gives a few examples of regular verbs before focusing on the irregular ones. The grammar summary is also incredibly helpful. It reviews when to use the part of speech and if there are any spelling or abbreviation rules in French. The book also caters to self-learners by adding in an answer key and transcripts at the end as well as extra practice for each unit. This is also a good feature, since it brings in extra revision without the need to purchase and carry around a workbook.
There are several more positive aspects to this book. One is that the two main characters, Sarah and Dominique, are heard on the listening exercises from several units. Learners can become familiar and comfortable with their style of speaking, and hopefully gain confidence in their listening skills.
Additionally, the book squeezes all it can out of the listening exercises, to good effect. After the listening activity, there is usually a short paragraph or another exercise to identify all the phrases in the dialogue that haven’t yet been discussed. The book also encourages listening to the dialogue first before reading along to the recording in order to sharpen listening skills and stave off over-reliance on reading from the get-go.
One aspect that dampens the learning experience is the topics focused on during some exercises. For example, the unit for asking where things are centers around taking a boat trip; some learners may feel that unless they are actually going on a cruise, this is not something they need to review. And in fact, the next unit goes over directions under the premise of visiting “the old town”. The book could have dissected the pertinent parts of Unit 4 and combined them with similar, more relevant units; for example, the bit about asking where something is could have fit in well with Unit 5. It would also be nice if there was a review directly after each or every few units, in addition to the review at the back.
As someone who speaks next to no French, I think this book is an excellent way to learn enough of the language to get through a holiday in France with minimal frustration. The vocabulary is directed towards easy, straight-forward interactions, and the emphasis on listening is a huge plus. I also appreciate the notes about pronunciation, as I find this aspect of the language particularly mystifying. I do wish that there were more phonetic spellings or simple listening exercises where the student just repeats the featured vocabulary in order to fully appreciate and feel more confident with the pronunciation.
This book could also be adapted for classroom learning pretty easily. The teacher may want to create or find more supplementary activities or find ways to turn the exercises into pair or group work. Whether for the classroom or self-study, there are plenty of extra materials to choose from. The Teach Yourself series also has several more titles to supplement learning the language, including Last-Minute French, Essential French Verbs, 50 Ways to Improve your French and Perfect your French. Overall, this book does an excellent job of catering to those who choose to self-study through an easy, engaging setup and lots of practice.
