Product Description

Things you didn't know about France: you burnt Joan of Arc!; smuggling live chickens into rugby matches is patriotic; how many times to kiss on the cheek; where not to cross the road; French guns don't go 'bang'; what do you call a party? bon appetit is vulgar; a six-pack is a bar of chocolate; the dangers of being called Peter or Penny; your smallest finger is your 'ear' finger; the importance of Wednesdays; how to tip and when to celebrate Christmas? Forget the French you learnt at school. Based on twenty years of hard-won knowledge, "Pardon My French" takes you through all the words you need to survive, shows how and why they work, and steers you past all the pitfalls and potential embarrassments of speaking French in France.From sugar-cube etiquette to why the Marseillaise is all about slaughtering Austrians and Prussians as bloodily as possible, Charles Timoney lays bare the Gallic mindset alongside their bizarre language. Covering all areas of everyday life from eating and drinking to travel, work and, crucially, swearing and sounding like a teenager, this is not just the most entertaining, but also the most useful book on France and the French you'll ever read.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5830 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Guardian
'So good...the book describes the French real French people speak, as opposed to the French you're taught in school. It also, delicately and amusingly, looks at the pscychology of the French. Some French words are just false friends. A 'gateaux' is a rather dull biscuit, not an elaborate cake. 'Creme anglaise' is not cream, but custard. If you photograph a French person, you don't ask them to say 'cheese' and certainly not 'fromage'; instead they sy 'ouistiti', which, weirdly, means a marmoset. The word 'verge' is French for the male organ, which delights the few French travellers here when they see a road sign: 'soft verges'.'

Review
'The hilarious survival guide to French: from ordering a steak without getting sneered at to how exactly to say oh la la this is not just the most entertaining, but also the most useful book on France and the French you'll ever read.'

About the Author
When Charles Timoney and his French wife were both made redundant in the same week they decided to try living in France for a year or so. It proved much harder than expected. Charles' O level in French was little help when everyone around him consistently used a wide variety of impenetrable slang and persisted in the annoying habit of talking about things he had never heard of. But they stayed. Two decades and two thoroughly French children later, he decided to write the guide to French that would have saved him from so many blunders and misunderstandings along the way. This is it.

Customer Reviews

How to survive France !
This is definitely a Very Useful Book if you're planning to come to France, be it as a new resident or just for a holiday. Moreover it's highly entertaining as well. Don't worry if your spoken French isn't too good, this is not a dry textbook to improve it. Instead the author has compiled a list of words relating to some of the more incongruous, incomprehensible, or downright ennervating aspects of this country and goes on to explain not just what they mean but also what they might imply for the unwary.

The result is not only informative and educational, but also manages to be a very good read at the same time. If France were a desert island this is maybe the one book you'd have to take with you...

French Language Survival Guide
This is a highly entertaining book, and is essential reading for anyone who wishes to get beyond the idea that Brits working or holidaying abroad will get by by speaking their English louder and slower! When, and when not, to use the words "baiser" or "impossible", the meaning of back-slang, how to organise the numerous public holidays that employees are awarded, what university you simply have to go to... One is almost becoming sympathetic towards the French when they are faced with idiomatic English. But that would never do! Well done to Mr Timoney on providing this guide to modern French "as she is spoke".

Vive La France
What an excellent read! I can highly recommend this for anyone about to venture to France for their vacation or even to live there. Extremely humorous with a very light touch, this warm-hearted, affectionate read is the perfect antidote for those who've had enough of the bile generated by the Francophobic tabloid press.