Streetwise French Dictionary/Thesaurus: The User-Friendly Guide to French Slang and Idioms - Softcover

Pickup,Ian; Hares,Rod

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0658004174 ISBN 13: 9780658004179

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2002

Synopsis

2,000 "streetwise" expressions put the fun into learning French

The student of French who is câblé (cabled--switched on) will be aux ange (with the angels--over the moon) to discover this fascinating compendium of 2,000 current French colloquial expressions and slang. It features a wealth of exercises and examples as well as tips on where and when to use or not use certain expressions. It all adds up to a rare language tool: one that entertains as it expands vocabulary. Peppered with humorous illustrations by the French illustrator Luc Nisset-Raidon. Thirty-four A-to-Z categories and 130 subcategories with 2,000 terms and expressions, for example:

• Animals--cats, dogs, farmyard animals, wild animals, insects
• Business--banking, business titles, buying and selling, making a deal
• Clothes--fashion models, shoes, sportswear, underwear, vacation clothes
• Discourse, conversations--complaining, greetings, interrupting, saying good-bye

About this title

From the Back Cover

Understand and speak French slang!

Add spark to your everyday casual conversation by learning how to use French slang and expressions appropriately. Streetwise French Dictionary/Thesaurus gets you talking like you're cool without getting into hot water!

No more worries about embarrassing yourself or offending others. Find just the right expression instantly. Whimsical illustrations get the message across with laugh-out-loud humor.

Streetwise French Dictionary/Thesaurus is a cinch to use for quick reference or browsing, featuring:

• More than 2,600 current terms and expressions
• A-Z thematic arrangement in 36 English themes and 157 subcategories
• Literal meanings, example sentences for context, and entertaining exercises to develop active vocabulary
• Helpful illustrations of more than 20 typical Gallic gestures
• French-English dictionary/index cross-references all 2,600 terms and expressions included in the thesaurus

Streetwise French Dictionary/Thesaurus keeps you from being regarded as some clueless foreigner. If you're called la grosse légume (a big vegetable), you'll understand that it's a compliment (it means "VIP"). And you'll know that you have not a frog but a cat in your throat! "J'ai une chat dans la gorge."

Whether you're a student, tourist, or business traveler, whatever the topic of your conversation--be it art, health, sex, or work--Streetwise French Dictionary/Thesaurus will have you comfortable using slang and talking like you're "with it" in no time at all.

About the Author

Ian Pickup, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer at the university level.

Rod Hares is an author of French language textbooks.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0658004174
• ISBN 13: 9780658004179
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256