Your small French universe

Free Spanish course

2010-03-09T03:41:00.001-08:00

At Spanish Bookworld you can find my new free Spanish course.

This course brings you interactive online movies with dialogs, flashcards, grammar, pronunciation and numbers; downloadable mp3s and videos; kids' lessons, and Spanish learning articles.

All the online lessons, mp3s and videos in this course come with exercises and drills to help you practice speaking and understanding Spanish.

To start learning Spanish now, sign up for free!

Who am I? My name is Maria Fernandez. I'm the author of several Spanish courses including Learn Spanish At Your Own Pace (book + 2 cds), Spanish for Beginners Cd-rom, Spanish Podcasts for Beginners, and all the courses at www.spanish-bookworld.com

Learn Spanish with Maria Fernandez

2009-06-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

My new blog is called Learn Spanish with Maria Fernandez.

In it I bring you lessons from my Spanish for Beginners course, my free podcasts and videocasts, information on the Spanish speaking world, travel advice, movie reviews, language learning product reviews, etc.

Harry Potter books in French

2008-05-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for Harry Potter books, movies and audiobooks in French, this is the site to visit. You'll find virtually every Harry Potter edition ever published.

You can get Harry Potter books and dvds new and used, all at the best prices. There's plenty of information on the products on offer, including pictures, prices and shipping fees.

French courses: beginners, intermediate and advanced levels

2008-02-19T01:57:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for French courses on cd, cd-rom, book format, mp3, dvd, VHS, video games, etc., you can find a vast selection at French Bookworld at the best prices.

You can find courses for complete beginners, refreshers, intermediate, advanced and very advanced levels. Some of the most popular titles are: Rosetta Stone French, SmartFrench Audio CDs Beginner Level, Pimsleur French, Play and Learn French, SmartFrench Audio CD Intermediate / Advanced, Listen & Learn French, Learn French the Fast and Fun Way, Michel Thomas French, Berlitz, Learn in Your Car French, SmartFrench For Travelers, and many more.

Apart from those, you’ll also find less well-known courses in all formats, and if you can’t locate what you’re looking for, post your query at Language Learning Forum for a quick reply.

Watch French TV online totally free

2008-02-15T04:40:00.001-08:00

The French TV channel France 2 has a superb website where you can watch hours of recent news programs, documentaries, video clips, science videos, previews of new programs, and the list goes on - all for free.

You can also read the latest news as well as articles on sports, cinema, the weather, books, music, science, art exhibitions, cars, recipes, fashion and beauty, the US elections, religion, the environment, education, economics, etc.

Other features include quizzes, a forum, a blog, IQ tests, personality tests, and lots of online games.

As you get to know their site better, you’ll find more and more interesting features and pages. And, of course, they update their content daily and bring in an array of new material.

Free French lessons – false friends

2008-02-13T07:21:00.001-08:00

One of the most mind-boggling things about learning French is the sheer number of false friends you keep coming across, even in the first few months of learning the language.

False friends, or false cognates, are words that look very similar, or even identical, in English and French, but have entirely different meanings.

Innocent looking words like maîtriser, licencier, sensible, fournitures or supporter,
can cause laughter, embarrassment, confusion, misunderstandings and, in more serious situations, could even lose you a business contract, or win you an expected slap on the face.

To help avoid them, the free French lessons on this blog will regularly introduce you to everyday French false friends. In each lesson I’ll give you a list of twenty French words and their correct English translation.

If you have any suggestions or comments regarding French false friends, please post a comment below. Perhaps you have a favorite one, or an anecdote you want to share?

Do you know how to use these twenty French words? See their English translation here.

French false friends – faux amis
maîtriser	?	licencier	?
sensible	?	fournitures	?
supporter	?	actuel	?
démissioner	?	assister	?
attendre	?	conseils	?
demander	?	réclamer	?
donner	?	divertissement	?
éventuel	?	ignorer	?
informations	?	journée	?
location	?	situation	?

A lazybones’s guide to learning French

2008-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

If you want to learn French but are terrified by the prospect of having to sit down for an hour every evening conjugating verbs and learning unpronounceable words, this guide is for you.

Learning French can be hard, dull and unrewarding, but it doesn’t have to be so. There are many enjoyable ways to learn French that don't feel like you're making much effort. I’m going to assume here that you want to do as little homework as possible, and that you know you’re not going to become fluent overnight.

If you’re a true lazybones, and intend to remain so, you’re probably not going to become really fluent for a long time, but this guide can help you get within a year to an intermediate level where you’ll be able to converse and understand a lot of what you hear in French.

Learning on your own. There are many French language courses that can help you learn with little effort. The best are the ones on audio cd and cd-rom . Courses on audio cd will allow to learn anywhere, without having to stop what you’re doing. You can use them while commuting, cleaning, cooking, gardening, etc. French courses on cd-rom will feel more like a game than hard work. That’s why they’re so popular. Another good option is to get French language courses for children. Many adults use them. Aim at spending no less than twenty minutes with your course five time a week.

Learning in a class. Even if you don’t do the homework or revise your lessons, you can learn a lot by just going to French language courses, especially if you go at least twice a week for no less than an hour. If you combine this with a French course on audio cd or cd-rom, you’ll learn much faster.

Learning with a private tutor. If you meet up with a good private tutor two or three times a week for an hour, and use a French course on cd or cd-rom for no less than twenty minutes a day, you’ll be amazed by how fast you can learn.

Learning in France. Ideally, to make the most of your course, you should learn some French before you leave, even if it’s just some numbers, greetings, essential vocabulary and a few basic questions. There are plenty of French courses in France on offer. You can find general, intensive, individual, mini-group and specialized courses; and also French courses combined with activities such as cooking, wine tasting and culture.

10 famous quotes by Voltaire

2008-01-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

François-Marie Arouet, Voltaire, was a French writer, satirist, playwright, essayist and philosopher born in 1694. His thinking influenced the American and French revolutions.

He was an outspoken supporter of social reform, and wrote in favor of freedom of religion and civil liberties. He spoke against tyranny, religion intolerance and persecution.

His main works are: Oedipe(which he wrote in prison), Candide, Zaire, The Death of Caesar, Lettres philosophiques sur les Anglais, The Maid of Orleans, and Dictionnaire philosophique, among others. He died in Paris in 1778.

His legacy to humanity is invaluable. These ten quotes illustrate his free spirit, wit and passion.

Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.

Do well and you will have no need for ancestors.

Better is the enemy of good.

Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.

Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because nothing can be gained from him.

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities.

Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do.

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.