Bon Français.com

Archive for February, 2010

Bonjour!

Have you ever added to your list of favourite sites or to the toolbar of your browser the best links to online dictionaries, spell-checkers and translators?  As in all things, to learn French fast or improve your command of French as a second or foreign language, you need to have quick access to the best tools available on the Internet if you also want to get the best results.

To help you achieve that, we recommend that you visit the following sites where you will be able to adopt or update your current selection of useful online dictionaries.  Each of these sites will help quickly and freely access definitions, grammar rules and language examples.  This will in turn speed up your progress in French, be it by enhancing your vocabulary or else, improving your reading skills or the way you express yourself in writing in French.

Here are our suggestions for good and useful online dictionaries:

http://dictionary.reverso.net/ A whole box of language tools (numerous dictionaries, translators, spell-checkers, etc.).  By far our favorite resource!

http://www.wordreference.com/ Fast access to an online translator and several bilingual or multilingual dictionaries.

http://www.lingvozone.com/ Dictionaries, translators, stock phrases, flashcards and a lot more.  

Do you know of any other first-class language tool?  If yes, then we want to hear from you.  Please write to let us know of your resources.  Your help is always much appreciated.

Bonjour

Let’s go back to the articles I discussed on February 18.  In one of them, the author stresses the importance of having penpals while learning a second language.  The author also talks about the importance of including cultural elements in learning French, as one would to learn any other languages.  Great!  Yet, only one link is later embedded in the article leading to a method to learn French fast . . . for which you have to pay, of course!

This is, unfortunately, a current practice on the web these days.  We have, on the contrary, chosen in this blog, Bonfrancais.com and at its brother site http://www.gofrenchgo.com to list only free quality resources, the very best that we know exist on the web.  Why?  Because it is common knowledge that ready-made language learning methods generally end up on the shelves after only the first few lessons, that is, when the novelty starts to fade.

Learning how to carefully choose from the legion of resources freely offered on the web will help you keep your interest high, while continuing your progress in French without having to spend a lot of money.  It is, however, only possible if you can find what you are looking for rapidly and effectively.  It is also where our expertise, which we so happily share with you, comes into play.  Visit and re-visit us often as to make your learning experience simultaneously more pleasant and successful.

Bonjour

Do you occasionally read articles dealing with learning French?  By a happy coincidence, yesterday, February 17, four different articles popped up in the online Google Reader service to which I subscribe, and this, just when I was about to write to you about that same topic.  Funny how things work out sometimes. . .  Needless to say, I read them all for you.

To tell you the truth, the content of these articles was plain and honest but without nothing much that is new in it.  Only one of them, which I recommend that you read, truly  caught my attention: Learning French – 10 Commandments of a Good French Learning Environment – Choose Yours Well  at   http://ezinearticles.com/?Learning-French—10-Commandments-of-a-Good-French-Learning-Environment—Choose-Yours-Well&id=3761320

This article is written in English by Jean-Remy Duboc, a French eLearning developer living in England.  In that text, Duboc revisits and applies the wisdom of the Ten Commandments to the learning of the French language.  At last, a light, happy and fresh note to lift up your reading spirits

Bonjour,

You cannot pay homage to February the 14th without sending French electronic love cards to your dearest ones.  Although Valentine’s Day is, by definition, the “fête de l’amour,” it is also an ideal opportunity for you to remind your closest ones and relatives of how much they indeed mean to you.  At the following sites you will find a varied and interesting collection of free French cards that have been especially designed for your chosen Valentines.

http://www.cartepostalevirtuelle.com/cartes-virtuelles-st-valentin.html

http://legrenierdebibiane.com/Voeux/sommaired.html

http://www.joliecarte.com/

Bonjour,

Popular celebration days are always an opportunity to get to know the French language and culture better.   Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated on February the 14^th, is no exception to that rule.  Although very commercial in nature, it can be an ideal occasion for you to enrich your French vocabulary through reading about the history of that special day, choosing the best-suited card or even writing a love or friendship note to all of your valentines. Here are three sites that we have selected for you and where you can learn a great deal about how to celebrate Love Day “à la française” without foolishness:

http://www.lexilogos.com/calendrier_valentin.htm 

A short and to-the-point history of Valentine’s Day accompanied by the exquisite translation by Victor Hugo of a Shakespeare’s love excerpt.

 http://www.samusera2learn.ca/valentin/valentin.asp  A site listing ten top web resources about Valentine’s Day.

 http://www.formatage.org/branches/fetes/stvalentin/menu.html#g1

 Another site leading you to love games, lyrics and poems.  Nothing but the best to celebrate Love Day in the grand style!