I received an email from Abhijit's, Tasmania, who is struggling to translate some sentences from English to French. He says he prefers to learn phrases as opposed to grammar and asks for my opinion and any potential book recommendation. This is a good opportunity for me to share MY thoughts about the best way to learn French language. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Take this conversation: Hey! I haven't heard from you for a while. How are you? and how's everything going? I was on leave for about 7 days and now back to work. Hope to catch up soon. Now to translate this I really struggle. I learn by phrases as opposed to by grammar. I personally think it's better. Do you have a basic book that you would recommend? Regards Abhijit (Hobart, Tasmania) How to translate: "Hey! I haven't heard from you for a while. How are you? and how's everything going? I was on leave for about 7 days and now back to work. Hope to catch up soon." Avoir des Nouvelles (de quelqu'un) I haven't heard from you Did you hear from him? Etc How are... you ? Everything ? To be on leave = être en congé / en vacances To catch up with someone : revoir ; faire le point avec LINKS and RESOURCES (Article) Challenge: Can I Make You Love French Grammar? https://frenchyourway.com.au/love-french-grammar (Podcast) FYW 061: Challenge – Can I Make You Love French Grammar? : https://frenchyourway.com.au/podcast61 FYW 115 : Questions in French (Part 2): The different translations of “what…?”: https://frenchyourway.com.au/podcast115 FYW 147 : How to translate the English “DO” in French?: https://frenchyourway.com.au/podcast147 How to say "I miss you" in French? https://frenchyourway.com.au/podcast90 Practice Worksheets to Help You Build Correct Sentences in French: https://frenchyourway.com.au/practice-worksheets-build-correct-sentences-in-french