These are various books, tapes, and other tools that I have found most useful as I try to learn French. I have broken them into the following categories:
Instructional Audio
Instructional Books
Vocabulary
Reading
Listening
Reference
Look Interesting (but haven't used them)
NOTE: I have linked to the Amazon.com pages for most of these items, since they often contain useful reviews. Also, for people in the Seattle area, I've included information on the availability of some of the items listed below at the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and the King County Library System (KCLS).
The Pimsleur method is the easiest and most painless method I have found for developing a strong foundation in a language.
Each lesson lasts about 30 minutes, is audio only, and you do one lesson per day. The course gradually introduces new words and phrases, which are continually reviewed and combined in new ways. The lessons seem much less boring than most other audio courses I have tried, since they are fairly interactive: you take part in French conversations, being prompted in English (and later in French) about what to say or how to respond to questions. After you make your response, the correct response is spoken by a native speaker once or twice, allowing you to improve your pronunciation and correct any mistakes. The comprehensive courses also include a small booklet and a recording which contain simple reading exercises to help you learn to read and pronounce the written language.
Although the amount of vocabulary you will learn in the Pimsleur method is fairly small, it is for the most part very well chosen and useful, and you will retain it and know it very well once you have finished the course. Pimsleur is a great way to build your initial foundation. Even if you've had French classes in high school or college, you might find Pimsleur quite useful for improving conversational skills (Pimsleur worked wonders for my German conversation ability, after 2 years of college level German). I've also used the Pimsleur courses for Spanish and Italian, and found my language skills were more than sufficient for traveling after completing all three levels (although a small phrase book and dictionary were also useful to help fill in some of the gaps). You won't be anywhere close to fluent after finishing the courses, but you'll have a solid base to build from, and be able to handle basic conversations.
For more information on Pimsleur, see www.pimsleur.com, which includes a description of how to use the courses.
The main downside to the Pimsleur approach is the cost. The courses are expensive when compared to most other audio language courses. But in my opinion, they are worth it, since they seem to be the most effective courses around. If cost is an issue, you might be able to find the full comprehensive programs at public libraries. If not, you might want to try the smaller introductory package (costs about $20), which includes only the first 8 lessons, in order to see if you like the Pimsleur method, before taking the plunge for the full comprehensive course. It looks like Barnes and Noble is now also offering their own editions of some of the Pimsleur products at significant discounts.
Flash cards are a good method for learning and retaining new vocabulary (at least if you use them in an intelligent way, see below). I usually carry around 50-200 to use whenever I have the time, such as on the bus, waiting in line, etc.
A couple of useful methods for effectively using flash cards are described in Remembering the Hiragana/Katakana, which is a book for learning the Japanese syllabries, and off topic for this page, but might be worth tracking down in a bookstore or library in order to read through the short descriptions of the methods. I have built a special small cardboard box with various dividers to hold my cards and help me use these methods. I carry this box in my coat pocket or backpack.
French Vocabulary Cards
This is a set of 1000 flash cards. Each flash card contains a main
item, which is word or phrase, with English on one side of the card
and French on the other. Many of the flash cards also contain
additional words or phrases that are closely related to the main item.
The set also includes a handy booklet which provides French and
English indices of all items contained on the cards.
I find reading to be one of the best ways to build vocabulary when learning a language. I generally keep a running list on words or phrases I don't understand while reading through a chapter or article. Many times I can guess at the meaning by context, but if it isn't something I have learned before, it goes on the list, as well as the page number where it occurs (or you could mark the word in the text; I usually check the reading material out from the library, so I make a list). After reaching the end of the chapter or article, I find the appropriate flash cards (from the set described above in Vocabulary), or make my own using a dictionary or other reference tools. Then I use the flash cards to learn the new vocabulary and finish by rereading the chapter.
French for Reading: A Self-Instructional Course
As the title implies, it focuses only on reading comprehension, not
conversation. I like the exercises, which provide immediate feedback,
gradually introduce new vocabulary and grammar, and progress in an
incremental and logical way. I used the Spanish version of this, and
it was the best tool I found for vastly improving my reading skills.
Cracking
the Language Code: French
This book focuses on learning to read French. It works on the premise
that French and English have much in common, either directly borrowed
from the other language, or derived from common ancestors (such as
Latin). Becuase of this, there are various common patterns that will
help you transform a French word into the English equivalent, or at
least an English word with a similar meaning. It also presents
various verb tenses, and gives some rules to help you determine which
tense a verb is in, and touches on other important points of grammar
(focusing on recognition and comprehension, not the ability to
correctly produce good French on your own). I found the first 3/4 of
the book pretty useful and helpful, but then it abruptly has you start
translating rather long sections of difficult texts. I think it would
have been more useful to gradually and consistently increase the
difficulty and length of the texts, more like what is found in French
for Reading (see above).
Practice and Improve Your French SPL, KCLS
Consists of 4 tapes, each about 1 hour in length, which follows the
main character as he enters into dialogues with his co-workers,
waiters, travel agents, hotel employees, etc. Interspersed with the
dialogues are practice sections which help reinforce various useful
words and phrases, grammar points, etc.
This package also contains a full transcript of the tapes, and a guide
that gives a brief description of each scene (in English), provides a
vocabulary list, and provides explanations of some of the phrases and
grammar used.
The tapes are excellent for helping to improve your listening
comprehension, although I found the music somewhat annoying.
Practice
and Improve Your French Plus SPL KCLS
Another story, similar in layout to the above, but more advanced, and
with quicker speech. Same annoying music, but otherwise very useful.
Improve
Your French: the Practice and Improve Method SPL
Combines the above two items into a single package.
Insider's French: Beyond the Dictionary
Very useful for explaining abbreviations, acronyms, and additional
connotations and uses of words that may not be found in a standard
dictionary. Especially useful for understanding some of the
vocabulary and terms used in contemporary media articles and
broadcasts.
FSI Basic
French Level 3
FSI Basic
French Level 4
I haven't used these, but they
are the continuation of the same FSI course used in the Barrons
Mastering French series above. Also available from www.audioforum.com.
Using
French : A Guide to Contemporary Usage
Appears to have a lot of useful reference informaton about using
French, including information on the register (level of formality) of
various words and phrases. I found the Spanish version of this very
useful.
Champs-Elysées
An "audio magazine" on cassette or CD, completely in French. Each
edition is about one hour. Contains interviews, songs, cultural
information about the French speaking world. Includes printed
transcript, with a glossary and notes at the end. A study guide is
also avilable for each issue. I haven't used this, but found the
Spanish version, Puerta del Sol, good for improving listening
comprehension.
En Bonne Forme
This is the text book used for the 200 level French courses at the
University of Washington, and I've heard good things about it. Barnes
and Noble sells a package
that contains the text and workbook at a discount. There are also
companion CDs or cassettes available.