French Grammar the Easy Way (Barron's Easy Way Series)

Very thorough, though the copy was a little bit damaged....

I find this product excellent for beginners. Explanations are very clear and not too difficult to understand. It is very simple and you will learn the essential French grammar.

There are many similarities between French Grammar texts, and which to choose does often come down to just personal taste, such as the size of the book, whether the typeface is pleasing to the eye, and of course whether a query can be found quickly. Barron's grammar suits me, because it is eminently readable. The layout feels clear to me, and the pages not crammed, making topics easy to locate, with a well laid out and presented index. I particularly like the variation between blue and black text, which makes it easy to follow, and the use of tip boxes and tables. It is not a small book, so not ideal for carrying around, but Barron's is better for this in my opinion because this allows text to be larger than might be the case with other manuals. Also, the feel of the book is good, the pages opening very easily, and of good quality paper and overall construction. A great grammar for the study, and as suitable for the beginner as for advanced French language study. Perhaps there could be more examples to work on, but there are enough questions, (with answers in the appendix) to ensure understanding. This is just a minor quibble really. Excellent value for money, and well recommended

I gave this book three stars, not because I have read it yet, since I just got it today, but because it is not what I was hoping it would be. Just by going through it I've realized that it is too advance, and I was looking for something more basic and nowhere does this book say that it is for an advance reader. I am actually considering buying the E-Z French, by Barron's as well, because it looks more appropriate for a beginner. I am not saying that this book is bad, again, I haven't even done the exercises yet, but I can tell that the topics are too advance for a beginner. As a matter of fact, it doesn't have a vocabulary section; it is written as though they're expecting the reader to have a foundation in the language. Hence, if you are completely new to the language, get a more basic book because this is not the book for you.

This is a surprisingly good book, at a very cheap price. I'm more than twice as old as your typical college student and although I limped through a year of French 30 years ago in college, I'd forgotten virtually all of it until I embarked on a program of study in a language school in France with additional study at home. During the 2 years I've been working on this little project, I've bought just about every French grammer and many of the other French language books available on Amazon. To be honest, most were either useless or more trouble than they were worth. "The Ultimate French Review and Practice" by Stillman and Gordon is but one example of a book I've bought and found of very limited value.What is great about THIS book is that it is written by a native Frenchwoman who was educated in France but who has lived a long time in the USA where she has taught French language courses to English speakers (e.g. "Anglophones.") As a result, she is personally very familiar with the problems that Anglophones have learning French, both from the experience of working with English speaking students and from her own experience of being a Francophone trying to learn English. The perspective this gives is oh, so much more valuable than when you have native English speakers trying to teach French.The other book to which I referred above is full of examples of non-idiomatic speach, sentences and word constructions that while technically (maybe) correct, are often non-idiomatic. When I tried to work with that book with a young Frenchman who has been helping me practice French at home, he kept saying, "but that isn't how WE would say it."On the other hand, when I read the Chauderlot book, I find many explanations of things that I never was able to grasp when it was attempted to teach them to me solely in French. Sometimes it is just easier to have complicated sentence structures, the use of prepositions, and other specific grammatical points explained to you in your own language so that you can actually understand them rather than using them by rote. When you use something by rote you will probably get by with it, but then later when you are faced with a variation of the construction you did not really understand, it is anyone's guess if you will comprehend it.I have not finished this book but the portions that I have read, dealing with nouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and pronouns are very clear and comprehensible. I am taking this book with me to France to use during my upcoming monthlong trip during which I'll spend 3 weeks back in the language school. I am going to give it as a gift to the library of the school when I leave in the hopes it will help other Anglophone students.Of course, I have ordered a second copy so I'll have one back at home when I return from the trip!

As one of Fabienne's former Mesa Community College students, I can vouch that this book reads a lot like she taught, with mnemonic devices, simple tables and comparisons to English that I still think of when I talk with my Francophone friends. She was always very thorough and knew how to keep the interest of her students up. One time when her mother visited she sat in on Fab's classes and it was fun to watch them argue (in French of course) about the proper use of the French language!I have to admit I think Fabienne is the best French teacher I've ever known, and this book is likewise excellent. The complexity is at the level of a French III college course, and it would of course help with any conversation courses you take afterwards. Now if only Fab could collaborate with some of these computer language course developers with this book as a guide, that would be awesome!

I found this book confusing. I am relearning French after a 40 plus year hiatus. I did not find the explanations clear, nor did I like the diagrams. Personal pronouns are particularly difficult and made more so by this text. At my advanced beginner/intermediate level, I think there are better texts than this one and would suggest Practice Makes Perfect: Complete French Grammar by Heminway which I find more useful.

French Grammar the easy was is an excellent book for one who wants to begin learning the French language, or like me, who has taken many years of French and is in need of a different way to learn the grammatical concepts. I've never been able to get an adequate explanation in class for many of these concepts, and it wasn't until now that I am able to put everything together.All of the exercises contained within the book are written in a clear manner which makes them easy to understand. Basic concepts which I hadn't thought of in about 15 years since my last French class came back very quickly and I was able to expand upon my previous knowledge at a much quicker pace than I would have thought possible.The lesson are introduced in a logical manner, with lots of real-world examples (not the boring, dated ones that are usually associated with textbooks). The sections dealing with the relative pronouns, and definite and indefinite articles is especially helpful for one who hasn't been previously introduced to the concepts. And even for those of us that have, it finally makes sense after reading this book.Thanks!