The French They Never Taught You

Grammar is not a four-letter word. Learning vocabulary is not a form of punishment. They are the basis of any language, and a student who wants more than a tourist's booklet of useful phrases will need to learn them sooner or later. The second edition of this popular little book takes the sting out of the exercise and even makes it a pleasant experience. By tackling issues not addressed in other texts or by doing so in a new way, we examine questions you will find novel and intriguing.

In the section on grammar, we propose a new and better way to tell the use of the passé simple or passé composé and the imparfait. There really are differences in causal conjunctions (parce que/car/comme/puisque). The agreement of the past participle of pronominal verbs (Elle s'est coupée au doigt) is also explained clearly. The updated section on vocabulary helps you distinguish between pouvoir and puissance (power), and the section on style deals with such issues as letter-writing and levels of language.

The purpose of this work, like that of second-language teachers, is to inspire students to seek what is unique in both languages and to reflect on the relationship and interplay between them.