Street French, by David Burke
Reviewed by Laura K. Lawless

Guide Rating -

While it is essential to master "proper" (i.e., formal) French, it is equally important to be able to understand and use French slang in order to really call yourself a French speaker. Once you've mastered all the niceties, David Burke's Street French Slang Dictionary & Thesaurus is the book to turn to. Over 1,000 terms and expressions, from familiar language to extremely vulgar words, are covered - you can pick and choose which levels of language you are interested in mastering. This amazingly useful book is organized into five parts:

1. Street French Dictionary
2. Popular French Gestures
3. English Words Used in French
4. Street French Thesaurus
5. Street French Thesaurus - Danger

The last section deals with extremely vulgar and obscene language, so if you're worried about being offended, feel free to skip it. The other four sections of the book will provide you with ample vocabulary and information to get by on the streets of Paris.

Street French 1-3 are also available, but this book is essentially all of those in a single volume, so if you buy this one, you don't really need the rest.

David Burke is the author of half a dozen books of slang, including Street Spanish and Street German. I'd hate to run into him on the street - he seems to be the grand master of naughty words.