Customer Reviews
Essential, though dull - By: Ms. H. B. H. Hosegood, 18 Jul 2008 
OK, so it is impossible to make a book like this interesting - at least for me. However, I have had this book for about six months, & I still find it's the first book I reach for when I get stuck. 82 verbs are given a whole page, with 16 tenses written outin full - which is plenty. Although the cover says that there are 12,000 verbs, only the 82 verbs are explainedin detail, though these are the ones you'll want most frequently. After that you are referred to one conjugatedin the same way as the one you are interested in. At first this niggled because I like to see the word on the page, but then the book would be huge if every single verb was written out. Please not that you need to know the French word you are looking for as this isn't a dictionary too, & although the French verb is translated, there isn't a translation the other way. If you want to know what to climb is, you need to look it upin a dictionary first, then look up the word. Also where there is a reflexive & non reflexive form, you may not get both. You'll need a teacher or some form of course as well as this book because where, for example, you get 'je suis monté' (I came up) & 'je les ai monté' (I brought them up), you aren't given both versions, &in factin this case you are referred to AIMER anyway. I hope I haven't put you off with these little niggles. I do think this is a really excellent book, & as I am learning from Michel Thomas tapes rather than from a teacher (see Michel Thomas Foundation Course: French (Michel Thomas Series)), I found this book brilliant when it came to extending my knowledge or fillingin the gaps. You'll also want a good dictionary. I can't recommend Collins Robert French Dictionary: French-English/English-French enough. Though expensive, it's got lots of useful phrases etc & if you are serious about learning French it is a must.
Les mots justes - By: Maclennane, 11 Jun 2008 
Showing all the verb forms, & a guide to identifying which verbs fall within which form, this is a comprehensive reference book for conjugations.
You have to know the verb you're looking to conjugate,and you have to know the subtleties of use of the various tenses, so this book is mainly useful for the competent French speaker.
For someone making the transition from hoping to be understood to making an impression with your French, it is invaluable & endlessly useful.
Invaluable companion for good written French - By: Maclennane, 11 Jun 2008 Showing all the verb forms, & a guide to identifying which verbs fall withing which form, this is a comprehensive reference book for conjugations.
You have to know the verb you're looking to conjugate,and you have to know the subtleties of use of the various tenses, so this book is mainly useful for the competent French speaker.
For someone making the transition from hoping to be understood to making an impression with your French, it is invaluable & endlessly useful.
Good book but text is too small - By: Mr. D. Townsend, 12 Nov 2007 
The book is good BUT, if you have less than perfect eye-sight the book is hard work. The text is very small & a real strain on the eyes.
Biggest help ever! - By: Chia, 15 Jun 2006 I love this book, I've been struggling with conjugationin french for what feels like years. I recently realised that this was my biggest problem at school, because at the time, I really didn't understand why I wasn't getting it.
When you first open the book, it can be confusing for the beginner (I've been trying to learn french on & off for quite some time but I still consider myself a beginner). However, going through it initially page by page, it becomes really simple. The instructions are allin there for the different tables & this guides youin how to use the book. There is also a helpful french to english index section at the back of the book, though not comprehensive.
I cannot recommend this highly enough, it's just perfect to usein conjunction with whatever form of lessons you are taking (tutor, audio etc). In respect of this, you will find it useful for constant referencein finding the right forms for your sentences. Using this book has given me a clearer understanding of French grammer which is all important when learning another language.
Another note, is that the book is small & light enough to carry with you everywhere, not pocket small, but still a great size.
