Dear Parents,

This page is for you. You will find tips for using the book, learning French, and links to interesting articles about French or language learning.

Before using the book, please go to the audio page for French to download the audio. 

The book is written for parents and kids whether or not you know French. Listen to the French and repeat what you hear in the pause after the French word. Don't rely on the spelling unless you are familiar with French pronunciation. Relax and enjoy!

There is a section on the audio devoted to French pronunciation of sounds unfamiliar to us English speakers. See the script on the page Audio for Bonjour!

After hearing the audio a few times, if you are unsure of how a word is pronounced, you may prefer to go directly to the last section, the vocabulary list, les mots, where all the words are pronounced again. 

 Experts predict a growing importance for French read article

We all want the best for our children. That means: providing them with the education and skills that will help them live to their fullest potential, helping them be successful in whatever they do, and to lead rich and happy lives. Let’s give them the gift of an early start learning a foreign language, with all its advantages: better cognitive skills, increased opportunities for employment; greater mastery of our language; greater appreciation for other cultures and for our own; increased tolerance for diversity.

Here are my suggestions for how to best make use of Bonjour! Let’s Learn French.

First, download the audio version. Unless you’re a native speaker of French, it’s best to hear the correct pronunciation of all words and phrases used.

French is considered an “easy” language for English speakers. Compare it with Arabic (I tried it) or Japanese (which I have tried to learn for I won’t tell you how many years!) It may take some time to get the hang of French pronunciation, but remember: all you have to do is listen and repeat!

This is a book for learning as well as entertainment. Take your time with it. If you’re busy, this works well, because you don’t have to do it all in one sitting.

Start with your child at the introduction. Listen to the recording. Have your child repeat all words in the list on P. 3. If necessary, keep repeating. These are very common French words, and even if you don’t know French, you probably are familiar with some.

After your child knows the pronunciation, keep practicing the words for enough time, so he or she knows them. Once a word is explained in English, there is no translation of that word for the rest of the book. I find that this works best for learning the word.

Use time to practice the words with your child. Play some games to use these words: hold up your fingers for the numbers. Practice being polite (words for please, thank you). Note: courtesy originated in medieval France! Use the words for socializing to practice greetings: Hello, how are you, etc.

Follow this practice with the story, and other parts. Repetition may be boring for some things, but when you are learning a language, it’s important. The book is designed to help your child learn with many repititions. With other subjects like history or science, you have time to think before acting. You need to speak and understand a language at the rate that you think. Small children repeat constantly. My three-year old granddaughter is still constantly repeating.

 To read an article about how efforts to erase gender, so important in French, are succeeding or failing in France: click here