Joseph Lemaitre

Charming. This is an equivalent volume to my favourite German beginners book, [b:German: How to Speak and Write It|1036692|German How to Speak and Write It|Joseph Rosenberg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328865309l/1036692._SY75_.jpg|1023037]. The negatives remain: this is 60 years old, and thus somewhat outdated in terms of both conversational language and, occasionally, social attitudes. But as an elegant, engaging, companion to your chosen French beginner's course, I think it's still lovely. Black and white photographs of life in France; two-page spreads with words to use in a restaurant, on a ship, and so on; engaging illustrations; and a sense of linking the language you are learning to a real-world context, without resorting to the often vacuous storytelling mode of contemporary textbooks.

There is far less focus on lengthy blocks of the text than in the German volume, instead focusing on dialogue, which seems to be a shame. Yet, as a beginner, I also appreciate that there is more focus here on consolidating grammatical skills along the way, to accommodate for the additional challenges (I believe) an English speaker faces when learning French, as opposed to German.… (mehr)