Foreign Language Studies

Next time someone asks if you know how to speak Chinese, you can say Wo zhidao (Waw jr-dow).*

With Chinese in Plain English, you can speak Chinese in no time! Its easy-to-use pronunciation system and straightforward presentation of the basics of the language--with plenty of useful sentences--help you break the language barrier quickly and confidently. How? All the words and phrases in this book are written in Roman script--in plain English--in a form you can use immediately and in the right context. Instantly you'll know the basics of Chinese, from polite pleasantries to the latest technological jargon.

Start on the right foot and speak Chinese with ease:

Good morning! Zaoshang hao! (Zow-shahng how)

Thank you! Xiexie! (She-eh-she-eh)

Please call the doctor. Qing jiao yiwei yisheng. (Cheeng jee-ow ee-way ee-shuung)

Another round, please. Qing zai lai yi-ge. (Cheeng zigh lie ee-guh)

Is Beijing hot during the summertime? Beijing-de xiatian re ma? (Bay-jeeng-duh shee-ah-tee-in run mah)

I will be here for about two weeks. Wo meiyou yao baoguan-de dongxi. (Waw may-yoe yow bow-gwahn-duh doong-she)

*I know!

If you buy into the Pepe Le Pew stereotype of the French - arrogant, stuffy, overly amorous, and rather odiferous (Pepe Le Pew was a skunk. Talk about stereotypical!) - then think again. Not only are the French people some of the most relaxed, pleasant people you'll ever meet, but their society is one of the oldest, most culturally rich societies in the world. So it's no surprise that French is known as perhaps the most beautiful of all languages. Listen to someone speak French - sure, you don't have a clue what she's saying, but aren't you enraptured by the sound of it?

Unfortunately, just because a language is beautiful doesn't mean that it's easy to learn. Although French has many things in common with English, French has had many, many centuries to evolve into the language it is today, which means it's had all that time to become more complex. That's where French For Dummies can help. Written in partnership with the language experts at Berlitz, this book can give you what you need for basic communication in French.

French For Dummies covers the following topics and more:

Basic pronunciation and gestures

The nuts and bolts of French grammar

Meeting and greeting in French

Situations in which you can use French: Making small talk, dining out, shopping, and talking on the phone

Traveling to France: Dealing with French currency, staying at a hotel, and getting around town

Top Ten lists on ways to pick up French quickly, things you should never say in French, favorite French expressions, and important French holidays to remember.

Appendixes with verb conjugation tables, as well as a French mini-dictionary

French For Dummies also comes with a CD that has audio transcriptions of all the exercises in the book, so that you can actually hear the French pronunciations.

So whether you're taking a business trip and need to pick up a little French quickly; you're cramming for your high school French final; or you've always wanted to learn a new language but don't have the time to drag yourself to a class once a week, French For Dummies can get you well on your way to becoming fluent in no time.

Brits and Americans dress the same, eat at the same chain restaurants, pass music back and forth across the Atlantic, and our national leaders are practically conjoined twins. But the second the Brits open their mouths, all bets are off. So don't dream of visiting the UK, dating a Brit, or truly understanding what Jude Law is saying without this handy, hilarious, and informative guide to Britspeak. With the cheekiness of Austin Powers and the tidbit quotient of Schott's Miscellany, screenwriter Jonathan Bernstein's collection of Cockney rhyming slang, insults culled from British television shows of yore, and regional and "high British" favorites provides hours of educational, enlightening, even life saving hilarity. And if it doesn't accomplish that, at least you'll be aware that when a British citizen describes you as a "wally," a "herbert," a "spanner," or a "bampot," he's not showering you with compliments. Knickers in a Twist is as indispensable as a London city guide, as spot-on funny as an episode of The Office, and as edifying as Born to Kvetch and Eats, Shoots and Leaves.