Who this site is for and what you’ll find here…

This site is dedicated to smart and sophisticated people interested in expanding their lives by learning French, a language that I consider to be the most beautiful in the world. And I say that after having enjoyed studying Spanish, Italian and German. Oh, and four years of Latin in high school.

But after 30 years of learning French, I still get goosebumps listening to (OK, eavesdropping on) conversations between native French speakers. Yep, it’s like that.

So, if you’re brand new to French or coming back to it after years of living dangerously or just want to get ready for a trip/holiday, here’s what you’ll find on LetsLearnFrench.com:

• Great audio and video learning resources
• Tips and suggestions on accelerating your learning and pronunciation
• French-language-learning product reviews
• Language-school reviews
• Audio interviews with native speakers
• Links to other helpful French-learning sites
• Links to French Internet radio and video sites

…all great content focused on how to learn French faster and easier. You’ll also benefit from the native French speakers who’ll be sharing their views on the most common stumbling blocks that native English speakers encounter.

What makes LetsLearnFrench.com different?

It’s a web site designed for French language learners by someone who’s been learning French for three decades.

And while that statement makes me feel downright ancient, I think that it also helps establish my credentials. I intend on sharing all that I’ve learned so that your connection with French will be as fulfilling as mine. French has a hold on me. I’d love to discover that this condition is highly contagious.

I’ve been thinking about creating a web site like this for a very long time. That said, LetsLearnFrench.com is and will be a work in progress. I’m building/improving it a little more every day, and I invite you to come along for the ride. Your comments and suggestions will help me make it better for us all.

Maybe what makes this site different is that I’m still learning French myself and will be until the Academie Francaise tells me to please stop.

And one more reason to hang out at LetsLearnFrench.com

I’ve read the French grammar books, done the exercises, listened to the records, cassettes, CDs and mp3’s (Please note the brief history of sound technology. No thanks necessary. All part of the service.), taken the classes, hired the tutors, attended the summer language programs and participated in our local Alliance Francaise soirees.

Actually I’ve spent a bunch of money on this foreign language that I enjoy so much. My hope is that you’ll cherry-pick the fastest, most-productive ways to learn French, so that you can accelerate your learning and, as you see fit, make informed, strategic purchases without spending a lot.

Unless, of course, you really are into spending money, in which case, we need to meet ASAP.

I’ve learned a lot about learning over the past three decades, and I’ve placed it all right here to speed your enjoyment of learning French. Let’s get started…Allons-y!

But first…one last thing, the requisite biography…

Hi, I’m Brian Prendergast, caretaker and sculptor of LetsLearnFrench.com.

I got serious about learning French on my 21st birthday, the day I was dropped off in front of the Palace of Versailles where I would be taking all of my senior-year architecture classes as a participant in the University of Illinois Overseas Architectural Program.

I had spent the summer months prior to that birthday busying myself with all of the exciting details of my big adventure abroad. Somehow I overlooked the part about learning French. I’m sure that I fed myself quiet affirmations (in the proud American tradition) that everyone speaks English, really.

My French vocabulary on my 21st birthday consisted of a dozen words, no more.

You’ll find periodic posts on this site’s blog about my experiences living in France as a student in 1977 and ‘78. All of my cultural and language screw-ups that threatened to sever Franco-American relations for good.

And I promise that one of my first blog posts will give details about two of my fellow American students who managed to get kicked out of the home of their host French family in less than eight hours flat. Never even had time to unpack.

Oh, and I’m 52 years old and married with three kids and living in Scottsdale, Arizona. I never ended up doing much with my architecture degree. I work as a graphic designer and a copywriter for the real estate industry.

And I still really love French.