Links: "French in Action"

If you ever wanted to learn French, one of the least painful ways to go about doing it is "French in Action," a series hosted by Yale French professor Pierre Capretz. It consists of 52 episodes designed to teach you French the same way as a child does (that is, by watching, listening, and repeating, instead of merely learning to translate English into French). The series also features French babe Valerie Allain as Mireille, whom one reviewer aptly described as a bounteous "walking vanilla sundae."

Let's face it, learning a language can be a long, tedious process, so some eye candy (the episode where Mireille gets a drink spilled all over her shirt is a classic) and some funny film clips can lighten the load on the student. You may also get a kick out of the 80s production values, too, especially the electronic theme song.

As an aside, the site hosting "French in Action," learner.org, has literally dozens and dozens of educational series collected for free on their website (you do have to register, but it's very, very quick). Some really fascinating stuff is available, so if you feel like picking up another language, exploring Western art, or checking out the Serengeti, it's worth a look.