<b>Just the core concepts you need to write and speak French correctly</b><p>If you have some knowledge of French and want to polish your skills, <i>French Essentials For Dummies</i> focuses on just the core concepts you need to communicate effectively. From conjugating verbs to understanding tenses, this easy-to-follow guide lets you skip the suffering and score high at exam time.<ul><li><p>French 101 — get the lowdown on the basics, from expressing dates and times to identifying parts of speech<li><p>Gender matters — see how a noun's gender determines the articles, adjectives, and pronouns you have to use<li><p>The here and now — learn how to conjugate verbs in the present tense, choose subject pronouns, and form the present participle<li><p>Way back when — get guidance on working with the past tense, including hints about when to use the compound past (passé composé) and when to use the imperfect<li><p>What lies ahead — discover the different ways to express the future</ul><p><b>Open the book and find:</b><ul><li><p>A review of numbers, dates, and times<li><p>The parts of speech<li><p>How to determine a noun's gender<li><p>How to select the correct preposition<li><p>Rules for making adjectives agree<li><p>Tips for asking and answering yes/no questions<li><p>Ways to spice up your descriptions<li><p>Ten important verb distinctions</ul><p><b>Learn:</b><ul><li><p>The basics of French grammar and sentence construction<li><p>How to conjugate regular, irregular, and stem-changing verbs<li><p>To express ideas about the past, present, and future</ul>