Learn French

To get started quickly, the Pimsleur solution is really the best method around. It gives you basic blocks to help you understand how French is spoken.

Dr Pimsleur developped 2 very interesting methods based on his research. The first one is 'The Principle of Anticipation' which requires you to anticipate a correct answer. Practically, what this means is that you must retrieve the answer from your own memory before it is confirmed in the lesson. It works as follows:
The lesson will pose a challenge -- perhaps by asking you, in the new language:

"Are you going to the movies today?"

There will be a pause, and, drawing on information given previously, you will say:

"No, I went yesterday."

The CD will then confirm your answer: "No, I went yesterday."

The second method is called 'Graduated Interval Recall', a complex name for a very simple theory about memory. No aspect of learning a language is more important than memory, yet before Dr. Pimsleur's work, no one had explored more effective ways for building language memory.

In his research, he discovered how long students remembered new information and at what intervals they needed to be reminded of it. If reminded too soon or too late, they failed to retain the information. This discovery enabled him to create a schedule of exactly when and how the information should be reintroduced.

Suppose you learn a new word. You tell yourself to remember it, but after five minutes you can't recall it. If you'd been reminded of it after five seconds, you probably would have remembered it for maybe a minute -- then you would have needed another reminder. Each time you are reminded, you remember the word longer than you did the time before. The intervals between reminders become longer and longer, until you eventually remember the word without being reminded at all.

Those 2 methods are not in a book but everything is on CDs which is great to review while commuting. Give it a try because it really works!
You won't be fluent but at least you will know how to say basic sentences when traveling to Paris. Below are some of the Pimsleur method CDs and yes, they are expensive but you have to pay for quality.

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890) is the archeologist who discovered the Troy ruins in Turkey. He could speak 10 languages and here is the method he used in 7 points:

1. Read aloud daily.
2. Don't translate.
3. Study daily.
4. Write essays.
5. Have the essays corrected by an instructor.
6. Learn the essays by heart.
7. Review the previous lesson everyday.

You need to have plenty of time to apply it but this is an extremely efficient method. You can also do your own mix but remember that regularity and repetition are a must. Bonne chance!