One of my life goals is to become proficient in reading French, so that I might be able to read texts that have not been translated into English. This book is a great first step to achieving that goal. It breaks down grammar in a way that is beginning to make sense: at least to this beginner. That said, please note this book will not help one with pronunciation or conversation, so this fits me just fine. I would recommend this as a companion to apps that help learners of the French language converse.

This is a comprehensive list of French words to know — it’s not quite what I expected based on the title and cover of the book. It is, however, a really, really good resource for the most commonly used French words and would make a great refresher or primer for someone just learning French.

I’m a French teacher so I was interested to see if this book did anything new or different.

It basically lists the 1000 most common words in French and provides some context for them in example sentences. Now, with the new GCSE reforms this could be relatively helpful in some cases for students to revise some of the most frequent vocabulary.

That said, if someone is learning beginners French for fun and not for school (as much as I wish those categories overlapped more often!) then you could probably use this book to support your learning. That said, I don’t like the random approach this book takes to explaining grammar and also makes little mention of pronunciation which is surely vital for anyone learning French.

Basically: maybe use alongside other resources or as revision.

"Unlocking French" takes a different path to language learning, and it wasn't the right fit for me. I am studying French in school and wanted to refresh my skills, but this book's approach felt disconnected from what I was used to. This book focuses on learning vocabulary out of context. While this method may work for some, I personally didn't find it effective. On the positive side, the book does have a good selection of vocabulary and clear examples, making it accessible for learners at different levels. If you've had success with out-of-context vocabulary learning before, you might find this book useful.

In summary, "Unlocking Vocabulary" offers a unique approach to language learning that may or may not suit your preferences. While it has its merits, it didn't align with my learning style and goals. If you enjoy learning vocabulary in isolation, it's worth a try, but be prepared to assess if it matches your language-learning needs.

I'm already very good in French, so for me there were no new words in this book. But i did read it to review all words, and to review this book for others. It sounds like a very useful book for people who are new to learning french, it's really basic but a good way to start. And it's useful that you put phrases as examples with every word.

There isn’t one right way to learn a language. You have to try things and find out what works for you. And this one did not work for me. I studied French in school for several years and thought I could refresh my vocabulary with this book. However, the approach used here is vastly different from anything else I ever did to further my language skills and therefore, after having finished the book, it didn’t feel like I gained much logic.

However, if the out of context learning of vocabulary is something you enjoy or something that has helped you before, I encourage you to give this book a try. The choice of vocabulary as well as the text examples are great and easy to understand.
It simply didn’t feel like I personally learned much from it.

Disclaimer: The ARC was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The ARC category in no way impacts the rating of the book. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions.

As per description, the book is a list of the 100o most common French words. They all come in relevance order and accompanied by their translation and an example sentence using it.
Whereas the idea sounds great as a way of enhancing learning, it seems to lack clarity by adding verbs in different tenses without explaining clearly. It also misses the difference between regular and irregular verbs. Given conjugation is complicated even from learners knowing a romance language, I feel it best to either add three tenses for each verb (fully conjugated present simple, passé compose and immediate future) or leave them out and focus on nouns only. Some confused verbs like appeller without explanation for reflexive use, etc.

In regards to the nouns, it does introduce the concept of gender, which is essential in French, but quite briefly.

Probably this book is more for someone who wants to brush up on French rather than learn it, because it seems far too parceled out to me. But this is just my opinion.

Probabilmente questo libro serve piú a qualcuno che voglia ripassare il francese piuttosto che impararlo, perché mi sembra fin troppo parcellizzato. Ma questa é solo la mia opinione.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Great resource for learning and practicing French!

Thanks NetGalley for this digital copy. All opinions are my own.