Looking for your input: what French phrases would you like to see included in the Utter French! app?

You may be familiar with the Utter French! app for iPhone, which offers studio recordings of a native speaker pronouncing 1,200 basic French words to ensure you that you are learning the correct pronunciations.

Well, now I'm appealing for your help! For the next version of the app, I want to include recordings of a variety of French phrases. What phrases would you like to see (or hear!) included? They can be from the existing 20 topics or from the French phrases section of the web site. Or maybe there's a whole new topic you'd like to suggest?

Please suggest your phrases here. Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

NC

Press release for French Vocab Games version 2

A press release for French Vocab Games has been published here.

Free LetterMeister word puzzle game now released with German option

An update to the free LetterMeister word puzzle game was released today. The update now adds German to the list of available languages (which also includes Spanish, French and English).

LetterMeister is a casual word puzzle game originally released for iPhone and now available as a free download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. It will appeal to those who like puzzle games or word games (including games such as Scrabble, Tiny Words, Upwords, Mastermind or crossword-type games). Additionally, the game is designed to serve as a fun means of vocabulary reinforcement for language learners, given its multilingual play option (current language list: Spanish, French and English in the iPhone; German in addition to these four in the desktop version).

More languages are due to be added to future releases. If you play LetterMeister in one of the various non-English languages (either as a language learner or as a native speaker), then you are invited to leave any comments on the LetterMeister Facebook page below, or to this blog post.

Note about the current version of German vocabulary: The current version includes approx 8,000 German words. This vocabulary is likely to be increased in future versions. When playing in German, bear in mind that the German "double s" is always spelled "SS", e.g. "STRASSE". Umlauted letters are distinguished from non-umlauted letters.

If you are a teacher using LetterMeister as a French, Spanish or German teaching resource, we would also be interested to hear from you.

LetterMeister Facebook page
LetterMeister for iPhone
LetterMeister on YouTube

Free copies of LetterMeister (now playable in French)

French learners may be interested to know that a few free copies of LetterMeister are being given away.

If you're not familiar with it yet, LetterMeister is a word puzzle app in which you must swap pairs of letters to reconstruct a "crossword" of intersecting words. The game was originally released in English only but is now playable in French and Spanish, so is ideal for those wanting to reinforce their French or Spanish vocabulary learning in a more fun way.

To get your free copy, go to iTunes (on your iPhone or iPad), scroll down to the bottom of the "Featured" pane and select "Redeem". Then, enter one of the codes (find one that hasn't been redeemed yet-- they're on a first-come-first-served basis).

If all the free copies for iPhone have gone and you're not sure whether you want to spend one of your hard-earned dollars on the app, then why not check out the free desktop version of the word game which is also available here. If you enjoy the desktop version, you'll certainly enjoy it on iPhone/iPad as the game is all the more playable on these devices' touch screen.

Video of French Vocab Games

You may be interested in checking out this video of French Vocab Games for iPhone which shows some of the different games and features available, including a demonstration of the French pronunciation option.

New codes posted for LetterMeister

Some new promo codes have been posted allowing you to download a free copy of the LetterMeister word game for iPhone. The latest version of LetterMeister now allows you to play in French and Spanish as well as English.

To redeem your free copy, head over to http://lettermeister.javamex.com/ and use the "Redeem" option in iTunes to redeem one of the codes (first come, first served). Codes for this and other iPhone applications are posted from time to time on this site and by @BitterCoffey on Twitter.

Price cuts for French language apps

Today and for the next couple of days, take advantage of price cuts to the French language apps offered from the French Linguistics web site. Specifically, the following apps currently have price cuts:

• French Vocab Games, the suite of vocabulary learning games for iPhone. The app now offers an additional French pronunciation feature.
• Utter French!, the app specifically aimed at helping with French pronunciation. The app can also be used as a "mini-dictionary" for looking up common vocabulary.
• LetterMeister, the word puzzle game, which can now be played in French (as well as English and Spanish).

Update to LetterMeister word game now allows you to play in French (and Spanish)

Version 2.0 of LetterMeister has now been released for iPhone/iPad. This new version contains a couple of significant new features.

Firstly, perhaps the most significant feature for French Linguistics readers is that you can now play the game in French. So whether you're a French learner or a French native speaker, if you're looking for a word puzzle game to keep you occupied during those long summer hours of sunbathing and repeats of vintage comedy, look no further :)

In addition to French, the game also contains a Spanish option. So if you're a Spanish learner or Spanish native speaker looking for a word puzzle game... well, you get the idea.

The other major feature is that the game now integrates with the iOS Game Center. This means that you can now monitor your progress towards various goals in the game. If you so wish, you can also compare your scores with other fellow players.

Download the LetterMeister word game for iPhone/iPad.
See a video of LetterMeister.