This book, and "More Key Words and Expressions" which followed it, have been hailed by reviewers as a unique and innovative idea. They give you the absolutely essential words that you need to navigate everyday French conversation. Not the textbook formal words but the expressions that real people in France use when they talk to each other. You'll learn when to use, and when not to use words and expressions like truc, foutu, Oh-la-la, Coucou, payer en liquide, and merde. You'll learn how to faire un bise A quelqu'un, how to say you are sorry, what les grandes surfaces are, and how to tell someone to shut up. You'll learn what a goAter is, and an apA(c)ritif dA(R)natoire. You'll find out that Ce sale chat doesn't mean the cat is dirty, that passer an exam doesn't mean to pass the exam, and lots, lots more. And it's all written in a conversational style with each word or expression explained and illustrated with examples in French and their translations in English. You'll see why a reviewer of Key Words and Expressions on amazon.com said: "If you really want to learn spoken French, you need this book. You'll need other books as well, you'll need audio materials, and you'll need live language experience, preferably in France. But this book is a necessity." And why another wrote: "Perhaps the most amazing thing about this book is that it took until 2007 for anyone to think of writing it The author's insight is right on target. This book does indeed fill a huge and inexplicable gap in the otherwise very crowded market for books on learning French. (Come to think of it, I haven't found such books in any of the three foreign languages I've studied besides French.)" And it's FUN to read