Frazebook is a free online 'universal' phrasebook - 'universal' in that the aim is to eventually cover as many languages as possible. It is also 'universal' in the sense that the home language can be changed to any existing one using the 'Other' menu above so that the site can be used to learn any language from another.

The principle behind the site is that we all learn a new language most easily through simply hearing it being spoken by others and then trying to join in as time goes by. This is how a baby first learns a language, there being evidence that a baby mentally practices words in its head months before it tries to say them.

So, to learn a language from the site, just keep playing the scenes through until you start to remember the phrases. The key is not to try too hard to memorise them and, perhaps most importantly, try not to feel frustrated if you can't remember a phrase or get it wrong!

FAQ:

Q:Will there be more phrases added to the site at some point?

Ans: Yes - the aim is to build up more sections as time goes on. At some point we hope to build up languages from scratch, i.e. from basics up to higher levels, all done through short illustrated stories.

Q:Why have you started with a phrasebook rather than basics then?

Ans: A phrasebook seems to be what most people want first of all - even when taught at school, lessons often start with simple greetings, just to get you going with a language.

Contributors

	Livia Jacquemin is a native French speaker, born in Paris. She moved to the UK six years ago and since then she works there as a translator and french teacher. She gives group and private conversational lessons, designed to help english speakers improve their pronunciation, accent and conversational skills. She can be contacted on [email protected]
	Noemi Rey is a native Spanish speaker, born in Bilbao, Northern Spain. After qualifying in Modern languages she moved to Cambridge 25 years ago and since then she runs her own translation company and teaches Spanish. She teaches local companies and private individuals who want to learn the language and improve their skills. If you want you can link to my web page at http://spanishlanguage-services.co.uk/
	Balikis Abale was born in Nigeria but grew up in North Italy (Treviglio, Bergamo) and lived there for 15 years. She moved to the UK to attend studies in Product design and to improve her English. She is a multicultural designer and translator since she was 17. She speaks Italian, English and Yoruba.
	Petra Tank is a native German speaker, born in Berlin. She has been living in the UK for the past 14 years, and before that for one year in Dublin, Ireland. She holds an M.A. in German, Portuguese and Latin American Studies from the Free University of Berlin, and PGCE and City & Guilds teaching qualifications. She runs her own translation, interpreting and language tuition business 'The Language Tank'. She can be contacted on [email protected] or via her website here.
	Lien Rakuscek is a native Dutch speaker, born and raised in a small Belgian town bordering The Netherlands. About 8 years ago, she swapped the calm countryside for bustling citylife and moved to London where she works as an Office Manager for the tech start-up memrise.
	Sara Aslesen was born in Oslo, Norway and Norwegian is her mother tongue. Sara is currently studying linguistics at the University of Oslo, having previously studied in the UK at Aberdeen University. Sara is interested in languages in general, having studied Japanese and French as well as English.
	Leona Tomeckrova is a native Czech speaker from the Czech republic. She has lived in London for two years. She says 'I hopes that my life will be here for a long time. I was involved in this project because I know how important languages are to live in abroad and for better career. I hope that Czech language will be interesting for you and you will be study with joy. Czech is really nice and easy language. Good luck in study your new language.'
	Anamaria Gyorgy is a native Romanian who is also a native Hungarian speaker. She says 'I've always found pleasure in learning new languages and getting to know new cultures. I am currently a student, studying Veterinary Medicine. I've recently started working as a freelance translator. I hope that my work will help other people who enjoy learning a new language. Good luck!'
	Anita Szegedi is a native Hungarian speaker who lives in Hungary. She was born in Romania, so she speaks Romanian fluently as well. She currently studies at the university of Debrecen and eventually wants to be a foreign language teacher and translator. She gives private lessons in her spare time and can be contacted on her LinkedIn page here.
	Jhum Ghosh was born and brought up in Kolkata, India. After working for four years in the Indian travel industry, she moved to the UK in 2001 and has lived and worked in London ever since. She currently works for a company providing luxury tailor-made holidays to all parts of the world, Jhum's specialist area being Africa. She loves meeting people, exploring new cultures and sharing her experience and knowledge with her clients.
	Ismail Alssaka is a native Arabic speaker and can speak/write Arabic and English fluently. Ismail moved to London in 1994 when he was two years of age and has spent his whole life in the busy city of London! A recent graduate from university, Ismail has a degree in Computer Science and specialises in Network Computing; he currently works in IT support. He loves helping others when he gets a chance and provides tuition in programming and networking! You can view his LinkedIn profile here.