Bienvenue, Michael!

I'm a little on time delay here, since I really do live in France, but I will be happy to communicate with with you in French from here on. I'm not infallible on grammar, but after nearly 16 years I have a good vocabulary and a grip on popular expressions.

Si nous parlions?

Thank you Chez Moi. I am looking forward to it. The tricky part is reading the words and then reproducing the pronunciation. It's hard to know if I am doing it right. Merci beaucoup

There I can help, if you don't mind my phonetic approximations. Have you checked out the others threads here? C'est tout nouveau!

Hi Michael and Chez moi! I too, tried Rosetta Stone and although it teaches some basics - it just can't take the place of face to face conversation. I know a lot - they're like little satellites floating around my head, but putting them together is a nightmare! I'm on the President's List at Seattle University, but I'm a complete lunk head when it comes to learning a language! Where do I start??? I'm trying to find a French class where I live - none, so am looking for a tutor.. difficile! I was in France for over two months and didn't learn much more than uph! Pretty sad, but most people wanted to practice their English and it made me lazy. French is a whole different language when spoken! The liason's make me crazy and the "r"... we won't go there! Still... J'adore... need to learn to get a visa! Any suggestions mon ami?

Yes, that would be great. I have used Babel Fish to translate things and I am not too sure it's all that accurate. Hopefully you can help me with some of that as well. Are you familiar with Rosetta Stone software? It has a pronuciation option with a meter that tells you if you're saying things correctly. I think that will help me with many of the basics.

Thank you Lauren. I had a couple years of Spanish in HS but never having actually used it in conversation it didn't help much. It would be great to find a local group who actually speak French with whom I could practice. It would be far easier finding Spanish speaking people here but I am more fond of French. I haven't made it all the way through the Rosetta Stone lessons yet. Still working on that. Thank you again.

Bonjour, Lauren, quel plaisir de te voir! Je te presente Michael...

No, I don't know Rosetta Stone, but if it can hear and correct you that sounds super.

I have two suggestions for you: The first is 'French in Action', a video, audio and workbook course from Yale University Press that is really superior. Second, anyone who lives in an urban center may find a branch of the Alliance Française, where you may find help. They were helpful with the Visa process in Seattle, but I went to the Free University (Tip #3) at the U of WA for night classes instead of joining theirs.

The AF may help with tutors, also. What we did here was set up a schedule of one hour French, one hour English with a young man in the next town. A retired English friend is doing that kind of exchange with 4 or 5 neighbors, and really enjoying it.

Go and read the 'Poodles' thread if you want a good Babel Fish laugh for the day. I thought I'd die this AM when I found that!