French Slanguage: A Fun Visual Guide to French Terms and Phrases

by Mike Ellis

Learn simple French in a snap! With this fun visual guide, simply follow the illustrated prompts and read the English words out loud with emphasis on the words in soon you'll be speaking French! Learn to be polite by saying "please": "See Voo Play" (S'il vous plaît). Or let someone know what a "good idea" that "Set Tune Bunny Day" (C'est une bonne idée). The simple icons are easy to follow and this pocket-sized guide is easy to carry with you. It will give you the basic phrases you need to get around while traveling, whether asking directions, ordering food at a restaurant, or shopping. But most of all, it’s just plain fun! Mike Ellis is a web designer who runs the popular website www.slanguage.com. He lives with his family in Philadelphia.

Genres: Travel, France

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jeffrey Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small slight book of rebus + transliteration to help Americans speak French phrases in a way that would be more intelligible to a native French speaker. Is that complicated? Yes, it is difficult, because English pronunciation, pacing, and stress is different than French -- most people, on both sides of the linguistic aisle, focus on individual syllables. The authors here select the combination of American syllables that would most produce a phrase that would be intelligible to a French listener. The result seems funny, but I have found it to be delightfully helpful, starting with See Voo Play. Seriously, if you want to try speaking French better, practice with this book.
Their website is strange.
However, I wish would produce a Portuguese analog -- that would be tough, but very useful!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce livre est bon pour pratiquer la prononciation, mais je ne sais pas à quel point certaines de ces phrases sont courantes. J'ai appris à dire "bière, s'il vous plaît!" et "Qui aime le gâteau?" Aussi, "côtelettes d'agneau" pourrait être ma nouvelle phrase préférée.

This book is good for practicing pronunciation practice, but I don't know how common some of the phrases are. I did learn how to say "beer, please!" and "Who likes cake?" Also, "lamb chops" might be my new favorite phrase.

[Nik Havert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun little book, and a good way to quiz yourself by speaking the "clunky" versions out loud and trying to interpret them.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It provided us some very funny and embarrassing moments at a bar in Paris. Don't rely on the pronunciation guide for all the words.