Don't Freeze: What to Say When Someone Speaks French to You

You studied French in school. Then someone turns to you and says, "Bonjour ! Vous venez d'où ?" and nothing comes out.You know the words. Your mind just goes blank.That is not a vocabulary problem. Nobody ever taught you what to do in that moment. This guide does.Don't Freeze is a short, practical guide to speaking French when a real person is waiting for your answer: at the border in Aflao, in a taxi in Lomé, at a hotel desk in Abidjan, in an oral exam, or on a call with a client.WHAT YOU GET✓ The Don't-Freeze Method: six small steps for the five seconds after someone speaks French to you✓ 270+ ready-to-say phrases, each with a sound guide written in English letters, so you can say them straight away✓ Rescue phrases for when you don't understand, when they speak too fast, and when the word you need disappears✓ 19 sentence patterns and 20 verbs that let you build hundreds of your own sentences without memorising them✓ 11 real conversations with both sides: what you say, what they will probably say back, and how you answer✓ 12 simple diagrams that make the tricky parts clear at a glance✓ A pocket card to screenshot and a seven-day plan of ten minutes a dayMADE FOR YOU• Written in Accra by a Ghanaian French teacher, for English speakers in Ghana and West Africa• Covers the places you actually go: the border, moto-taxis, the market, prices in CFA francs• 109 pages shaped like your phone screen, so you read without zooming• Short on purpose: read it in an afternoon, use it the same eveningTHIS IS FOR YOU IF• You took French in school and still cannot hold a conversation• You have an oral exam or an immersion trip coming• You are travelling, trading or working in a French-speaking country• You are just starting and want to speak from the first weekIt is not a grammar book or a full French course. It does one job: it gets you talking.I am Abigail Botchway, a French teacher with a B.A. in French Education from the University of Education, Winneba. I wrote this for learners like the ones I teach.The next time someone speaks French to you, you will have something to say.