This valuable guide offers an interactive, step-by-step approach to speaking French as it is "actually" spoken by native speakers, language that is used on a day-to-day basis in business, among family and friends, at parties--in any casual conversation. Using this guide, readers will quickly gain facility in using terms and phrases that even a 10-year veteran of formalized French would not understand. The text presents the most common French slang words, in context, to demonstrate how they are actually used, with English translations immediately following. Explanations are designed to ensure full comprehension of the nuances and subtleties of the terms and phrases covered. Chapters contain vocabulary exercises, with answers. There is also a clear, concise grammar section which introduces unconventional rules'' for using slang and colloquial expressions. Also provided are additional drills, reviews following each five-chapter sequence, and a thesaurus which offers quick reference to synonyms for slang terms.