The Best Foreign Language Phrasebooks

Learn phrases for going on holiday

Pack a good phrase book

Phrasebooks are in some ways great – and in other ways, not so great.

Great for convenience and for helping you through any emergencies that come your way. If you’re just making a short trip to another country or perhaps going somewhere where the language is especially tricky, a good phrasebook is invaluable.

What they are not, however, is an effective tool for learning a language. Phrasebooks don’t teach you how to learn a language – they teach you how to regurgitate it – like a parrot. For learning a language please turn to the many other recommended and much more effective resources and techniques.

I have looked at several phrasebooks and without doubt my favourite is the Berlitz Phrase Books and Dictionaries. These books have several features that I think make them especially useful:

  • Berlitz for French phrases

    My Tip for best Phrasebook

    Berlitz books come with easy to follow pronunciation guides – which I have not seen in other guides. The pronunciation helps you be understood as well as building your confidence. This alone sets them apart. Love it.

  • The books are broken down into useful and important categories like Banking & Money, Food & Drink, Internet & Communication, Business Travel, Romance, Health etc. Every topic you’ll need for a short trip is covered.
  • There is a useful dictionary with the most commonly used words
  • A reference section covering time, numbers, months, and even conversion tables.
  • A short grammar and verb section.
  • All in a compact, easy to carry phrase book.

For learning a language in a fun way I recommend our KLOO Travel Games. Our Cards won Dr Toy’s Best Vacation Product as well as being judged a Condé Nast Travel Magazine’s Top 10 Must pack item. They are designed to make learning a language fast easy and fun. Check out how easy it is to make a sentence (and score points!) in the short animated video below.

KLOO Games for learning French

Back of a KLOO French Pack

KLOO Learn French Combo

French Language Games double deck packs – perfect for travel

Learning a language on the move can be fun!

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