1. Visit the BBC's page of essential phrases.
2. Listen to the phrases being spoken as you read along.
3. Download the MP3s to listen to whenever you can.
   • Check out a BBC MP3 here.
4. Practice saying the phrases yourself.
5. Record yourself so you hear how you sound.
6. Print pages out to take with you!

Learn French from TELL ME MORE

1. Go to Fodor's page of basic phrases.
2. Make sure French is selected, then choose the type of phrases you want to learn. Your choices include:
   • Useful expressions | Shopping | Accommodations | General information | and many more!
3. Click on the French word or phrase (in blue) to hear it being pronounced.
4. Practice saying each term after you hear it.
5. Print the page(s) of phrases most relevant to your trip and take it with you!

• These simple dialogues are a great way to progress beyond beginning phrases. You'll start to be able to write in French, as well as speak it.

1. Go to BBC's French Steps, a great introductory six unit course.
2. Listen to the online dialogues.
3. Watch the dialogue once with the text in English.
4. Watch again with the text in French.
5. Test your comprehension with the exercise Guess the Words
6. If you've understood the vocabulary, go to Build Sentences.
7. Complete your half of a dialogue, both speaking and writing, at Speak and Write.

• Verb tenses, more complex dialogues, perfecting pronunciation: these intermediate lessons will help you become a much more polished French speaker.

• Advanced lessons put everything you've learned together. You'll see just how well you can really speak French!

• TV5Monde, a French television station, has exercises entirely in French.

1. Choose from among the seven categories they offer.
2. Choose a section under "exercices en ligne" (online exercises).
3. There are three levels to choose from: elementaire (beginner); intermediare (intermediate); and avance (advanced)
4. Choose a level and select the topic.
5. To watch the video, press "voir la sequence".
6. After watching the video, take a comprehension quiz to see how much you've understood.

• These lessons are all about listening comprehension. It's time to take your French out of the classroom and see how well you can understand these native speakers.

1. Go to the BBC's Better@Listening French page.
2. Press "Start" to begin the lessons.
3. Press the speaker to listen to a dialogue.
4. If you're ready, try to answer the questions provided.
5. If you can't, listen to the dialogue again (you've got three chances).
6. If you didn't get everything right when you answered the questions, use the "Improve Your Score" option. Some pieces of information are provided now so you can concentrate on hearing the key words.

• Sometimes the best lessons are the coolest ones. Learning a little slang can sometimes be more useful than the most advanced of lessons.

1. The Universite du Quebec also has five argot dialogue lessons you can listen to with Real Player.

1. Choose a lesson, then listen to the argot in French at slow speed.
2. Listen again with the dialogue at fast speed.
3. Listen once more to the argot at a "natural" pace.
4. Read the translation and review the vocabulary.
5. Practice using the vocabulary with the online exercises.
6. Review "A Closer Look" to read more about slang.
7. Test yourself with the practice exercises.
8. And see what you understand by taking dictation, at both slow and fast speeds.

• • Careful with argot- it is very easy for a non-native speaker to say the wrong thing or to use an outdated phrase, causing your French friends to burst into laughter.
  • Also remember that Canadian French varies from the French spoken in Europe and elsewhere; the argot here may not translate in other locales.

1. While studying French, the University of Chicago's:
   • Verb conjugator and
   • French-English/English-French dictionary will be extremely useful
2. Indo-European language's French page has a range of lessons and vocabulary lists, from beginning to advanced, as well as accompanying MP3 audio files you can download.
3. If you need to translate a few words, or an entire website from French to English, or from English to French, visit Alta Vista's Babel Fish Translation.

1. French uses liason, where words slide into each other and letters are sometimes elided
2. Though you generally do not pronounce the consonants at the end of French words, as with everything in life, there are exceptions: LanguageGuide.org has ordered words into those with silent ends, and those whose final letters are pronounced.
   • Click on the speaker buttons to hear how different words should be pronounced.
3. For more pronunciation tips, see this page and this tutorial on silent letters.

1. Read blogs like French word a day. This page has definitions and pronunciation tips for its words, as well as providing a window into life in France.
2. Watch videos like French in Action. After registering on the site, you can watch this series of videos, used in high school and college French classes around the country.
3. Check out your local university to see if they offer French classes, or if there is a student or professor who can tutor you.
4. Create or buy flash cards to test yourself. Have pictures or English words on one side and French words on the other. Both flash cards and podcasts are great for studying French on the go.
5. Rent movies in French. Turn off the subtitles (or cover the bottom of your TV set).
6. Listen to French music; try to understand the lyrics.
7. Visit French restaurants where you live; if there are French speakers on staff, practice your French!

• • Also check out Mahalo's Guide to the French language