This new expanded and updated fourth edition makes reference to current technology and contemporary social expressions as it teaches the basics of spoken and written French. It's a high-school level textbook emphasizing oral proficiency and offering instruction in written French composition, reading proficiency, listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and use of French idioms. Dialogues, songs, word puzzles, and other student-friendly features help students build French communication skills as they gain insights into contemporary French life and culture. Practice and review questions are presented throughout the text, and answers to all questions are given in a set of perforated pages at the back of the book. The text is complemented with a wealth of photos and illustrations. The set of 3 audio compact discs that come with this book complement the written text's material, offering approximately three hours of coaching in French pronunciation and immersion in conversational French. The compact discs replace the older cassette tapes that came with previous editions.