World Travel Guide Search for a City   Destination Guides > Europe & Russia > Europe > France France •  France •  Where To Go And When •  Getting There •  Red Tape And Visas •  Costs, Money And Banks •  Health And Insurance •  Disabled Visitors •  The People •  Getting Around •  Eating And Drinking •  Communications And The Media •  Music, Cinema, Theater And Dance •  Trouble And The Police •  Gay And Lesbian France •  Work And Study •  History •  Language •  Best Of •  Information And Maps •  Opening Hours And Public Holidays •  Festivals •  Sport And Outdoor Activities •  Directory •  Books •  Art •  Architecture •  Explore France FRANCE - LANGUAGE France    view all cities Top travel cities in France •  Aix-en-Provence •  Angers •  Avignon •  Dijon •  Lille •  Lyon •  Marseille •  Nice •  Paris •  Strasbourg •  Toulouse •  Tours French can be a deceptively familiar language because of the number of words and structures it shares with English. Despite this, it's far from easy, though the bare essentials are not difficult to master and can make all the difference. Even just saying "Bonjour Madame/Monsieur" and then gesticulating will usually get you a smile and helpful service. People working in tourist offices, hotels and so on, almost always speak English and tend to use it when you're struggling to speak French - be grateful, not insulted.   French pronunciation One easy rule to remember is that consonants at the ends of words are usually silent. Pas plus tard (not later) is thus pronounced "pa-plu-tarr". But when the following word begins with a vowel, you run the two together: pas après (not after) becomes "pazaprey". Vowels are the hardest sounds to get right. Roughly: a as in h a t e as in g e t é between g e t and g a te è between g e t and g u t eu like the u in h u rt i as in mach i ne o as in h o t o, au as in o ver ou as in f oo d u as in a pursed-lip version of u se More awkward are the combinations   in/im, en/em, an/am, on/om, un/um at the ends of words, or followed by consonants other than n or m . Again, roughly: in/im like the an in an xious an/am, en/em like the don in Don caster when said with a nasal accent on/om like the don in Don caster said by someone with a heavy cold un/um like the u in u nderstand Consonants are much as in English, except that: ch is always "sh", c is "s", h is silent, th is the same as "t", ll is like the "y" in yes, w is "v", and r is growled (or rolled). Learning materials Rough Guide French Phrasebook (Rough Guides). Mini dictionary-style phrasebook with both English-French and French-English sections, along with cultural tips for tricky situations and a menu reader. Mini French Dictionary (Harrap/Prentice Hall). French-English and English-French, plus a brief grammar and pronunciation guide. Breakthrough French (Pan; book and two cassettes). Excellent teach-yourself course. French and English Slang Dictionary (Harrap/Prentice Hall); Dictionary of Modern Colloquial French (Routledge). Both volumes are a bit large to carry, but they are the key to all you ever wanted to understand about the French vernacular. Verbaid (Verbaid, Hawk House, Heath Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 0PR). CD-size laminated paper "verb wheel" giving you the tense endings for the regular verbs. A Vous La France; Franc Extra; Franc-Parler (BBC Publications/EMC Publishing; each has a book and two cassettes). BBC radio courses, running from beginners' level to fairly advanced.