Great Gifts Under $30 for French Students
Inspirational and Educational Gifts for French Language Learners
Jun 23, 2009
Holiday shopping and gift shopping in general can be a frustrating and expensive task. What to buy for all the people on the holiday gift list while staying on or under budget? French students and French language learners can be easy people to shop for due to the variety of French themed maps, guides, books, CDs and DVDs now available as affordable inspirational and educational gifts. Many great French or France themed gifts can be purchased for $30 or less!
Travel Themed Gifts for French Students
Many French students dream of visiting France or other Francophone countries. Help the French language learner plan his or dream vacation by giving him or her one of the following travel themed gifts for French students:
- Street map of Paris ($7.95-$29.95)
- Street map of Montreal ($4.95-$20.00)
- Rick Steves' Paris 2009 ($17.95)
- Frommer's Paris 2009 ($18.99)
- Fodor's Paris 2009 ($18.95)
While most city street maps are nearly identical with differences only in size and added features (some feature subway maps while others provide details about museum and other tourist attraction hours), guidebooks can offer very different information from one another.
While Fodor's and Frommer's guidebooks can be more thorough and comprehensive than Rick Steves' guidebooks, Rick Steves' guidebooks typically include more information about seeing sights on a budget and also offer suggested routes for self guided walks. Additionally, rather than just providing contact information and descriptions of places of interest, Rick Steves' Paris 2009 [Avalon Travel Publishing. 2009] also offers suggested itinaries for trips of various lengths.
Gift Books for French Language Learners
French can appear to be a complex, nuanced language and some French students may think that reading French literature is beyond their level of comprehension, however, with even a basic knowledge of French, some French literature is easily accessible. While the precise grammar and numerous verb conjugations can make writing French difficult, just knowing the root of a verb can make reading French possible and even enjoyable.
French literature offers a variety of genres and works as any other national literature does. Help the beginning French language learner appreciate French literature by giving him or her one of the following books:
- Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ($11.00)
- French Stories – Contes Français edited by Wallace Fowlie ($12.95)
- Short Stories in French: New Penguin Parallel Text edited by Richard Coward ($14.00)
In addition to French literature, some English books have been translated into French. Many students enjoy reading their favourite texts translated into French because understanding the plot is easier when it is a story they are already familiar with. Some suggestions for English books translated into French that are great gift ideas for French students:
- Harry Potter a l'Ecole des Sorcieres by J.K. Rowling ($24.95)
- Harry Potter et la Chambre des Secrets by J.K. Rowling ($24.95)
- Harry Potter et le Prisonnaire d'Azkaban by J.K. Rowling ($24.95)
Great Movies Under $30 for French Students
While Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart may not have a large selection of French music or movies to choose from, Barnes & Noble, Border's and Amazon may offer a wider variety of affordable entertainment gifts for French students.
French movies may be more intense and graphic than their American counterparts but it is rare to find a French movie that uses cursing, violence or nudity gratuitously. However, with that in mind it may be prudent to pre-screen the movies listed below before giving them as a gift to any young French students or French language learners:
- Amélie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet ($19.99)
- L'Auberge Espagnole directed by Cédric Klapisch ($9.98)
- The Triplets of Belleville directed by Sylvain Chomet ($14.94)
- Love Me If You Dare directed by Yann Samuell ($29.94)
- God Is Great and I'm Not directed by Pascale Bailly ($24.98)
More Great Gift Ideas for French Students
There are many other great gift ideas for French students and French language learners. A fashionable French gift could be a simple wool beret or a lovely silk scarf. For French students that are into video games UBI Soft has released the game "My French Coach" for Nintendo DS. A small figurine of the Eiffel Tower or a picture frame with a nice framed photo of a landmark in Paris (postcards are great for this!) can also make a great affordable gift for under $30.
Shopping for French students doesn't have to be frustrating or expensive. Using the above suggestions for travel themed gifts, books, and movies any French language learner ocan receive a lovely educational or inspirational gift.
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