Learning French

Bonjour!

I've always wanted to learn French. Why I didn't choose that instead of Spanish in high school I don't know. Actually it was probably because everyone told me Spanish was 10x easier (and I can be a lazy from time to time). But yeah, back to French, I think my eagerness comes from having much of my life centered around ballet where most of the moves are in French, or Italian (another language I'd love to learn to speak).
Pas de chat, coupè, pirouette, pliè....you get my drift.

I love the way the words just sound graceful, but I never realized how hard it was to read French, let alone pronounce some of the more difficult words. Most of the ballet words I know are pretty self explanatory and easy to say.

Because Rosetta Stone lessons are ridiculously expensive, $180 just for lesson 1 (what!), and I'm a broke college student, I had to pass on that option. That's when I decided to search for a free website online to learn at least some beginning words. Behold Bonjour! The website has different sections such as greetings, questions, alphabet and numbers, transportation, touring, and restaurant words. I love that for each word they have they not only have the translation, but the pronunciation and when you click on the word someone repeats it back to you so you can really hear how it's supposed to sound. What really cracks me up about the site is that they have a whole section dedicated to love and romance. It includes words and saying such as je t'aime (i love you), je veux fonder une famille avec toi (i want to start a family with you), tu es le soleil de ma vie (you are the sunshine of my life), and marrions- nous! (lets get married!)....just to name a few. You know all the really important stuff, so that when I finally get to visit France I'll know what to say to my future husband.

I plan on spending the rest of the day testing out my new skills...this might also be helpful for reading Dèjà Dead (the book I'm currently reading by Kathy Reichs...the one that the TV show Bones is based off of). They are in Canada and there are a lot of random French words and names littered throughout the book that I have no idea what they are/how to say them....I'm sure I'm slaughtering all these names. Good thing no one can read my mind.