We find the phrasebooks which pay - and discover when it's better to say nothing at all.

GOING abroad for your hols? Speak the lingo do you? Probably not. We're not the world's best linguists - not helped by the fact that the rest of the world seems to speak such good English. But not always...

There is nothing so frustrating or frightening as being unable to communicate while in a foreign country. Sometimes it can be a matter of life or death. Other times, it's just a question of getting the right drink.

Either way, a little knowledge of the language can make life a lot easier - as well as impressing the locals with your politeness.

And when you're somewhere where they don't even share the same alphabet, things can get seriously tricky.

If you were going to spend the winter learning French/ Spanish /Chinese and didn't quite get round to it, don't panic. There is a whole new generation of phrase books out there - in just about every language including Japanese and Hebrew. Even if you can't get your tongue round the words, at least you can point to the appropriate phrase.

We've been doing our homework. To keep it simple, we've looked mainly at French phrasebooks, but most of these are part of a series that include many other languages, so the good points should, so to speak, translate easily, wherever you're going.

NB: Don't look for these books in the languages section of book shops - here you'll generally find fearsome-looking dictionaries and text books. These books tend to be in the Travel section, along with guide books and maps. Also pretty useful.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE...

BBC LANGUAGE AND TRAVEL GUIDE £9.99

Cassette and book. Cassette quite helpful, but the book, 'all-in-one language and travel guide' tries to do too much and consequently is a bit thin on everything.

Bonus: The cassette.

Listen out for: "Ou puis-je sauter a l'elastique?" - "Where can I go bungee jumping?"

Overall: Not as useful as it seems.

ROUGH GUIDE Dictionary Phrasebook £2.99 Not so much a phrase book, more a basic grammar text book and dictionary. Shades of O-Level.

Bonus: Some notes on custom, practice and dialogues - which give answers to the questions you're likely to ask. But not easy to find and not much good in an emergency.

Listen out for: Everything you've ever wanted to know about indirect personal pronouns.

Overall: One to look at before you go - not when a policeman is shouting at you.

YES/NO FRENCH £3.99

Communication at its most basic. A little board book with sections on shopping, toilets, telephone, hospital etc. Very simple phrases and a pen and wipeable pages so people can draw you a map.

Bonus: Utterly, utterly simple. Also useful if you are hard of hearing.

Listen out for: "Do you come here often?"

Overall: Just the thing for those scared to actually say anything foreign.

USEFUL BUT NOT BRILLIANT

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL PACK £6.99

Very small book plus CD. Book covers most situations but has good sections on signs and notices you might see, and things you might hear.

Bonus: The CD, not so much for you to learn, but so that you can get used to the sound of French.

Listen out for: "Le numero que vous avez demande n'est pas en service actuellement. Nous regrettons de ne pouvoir donner suite a votre appel." - "The number you have dialled is not in use. We're sorry we cannot put your call through."

Overall: Useful but not so good for instant answers.

PENGUIN PHRASE BOOK £3.50

A dull little book with lots of vocabulary and very little information. Tells you the questions but does little to help you understand the answers.

Bonus: It's small and cheap - though not the smallest or the cheapest.

Listen out for: "J'ai besoin d'un tire-bouchon." - "I need a corkscrew."

Overall: Useful but uninspiring.

BOOKS THAT WILL HELP YOU COPE WITH ANYTHING...

From ordering a meal to getting the car repaired- it's all in these. Just find the right page and you're in business.

COLLINS GEM French Phrase Book £2.99

Small, basic but covering most eventualities.

Bonus: Size and price. Fits in the tiniest pocket. Also has abbreviations for text messages: '+' = see you later.

Listen out for: "Combien coute une heure de connection?" - "How much is it to log on for an hour?"

Overall: Lot of useful info packed into a tiny space.

AA ESSENTIAL FRENCH PHRASE BOOK £3.99

Clear and simple, very thorough and easy to navigate.

Bonus: There are frequent little sections, easily marked, either for you to point out to the foreigner eg: "I didn't see the sign/ I was blinded by oncoming lights."

And for them to point out to you: "You were speeding / That's an on-the-spot fine."

Listen out for: "La prochaine tournee est pour moi" - "The next round's on me."

Overall: Very clear and thorough.

LONELY PLANET £3.99

Great little book, very thorough, with phrases for every eventuality, from sex, drugs and rock and roll to pilgrimages and religion, social issues, the environment as well as all the other everyday situations.

Bonus: Saves you a lot of embarrassment with soundalike phrases: 'un baiser' which means kiss and 'baiser', which... er... doesn't. Plenty of other frisky French too.

Listen out for: "Dans quel cimetiere pourrais-je trouver la tombe de Jim Morrison?" - "In which cemetery would I find Jim Morrison's grave?"

Overall: Not the best for pensioners' package tours, but brilliant for anyone under 30.

COLLINS LANGUAGE SURVIVAL GUIDE £5.99

Glossy book, not as thorough as some others but with enough to get you round easily. Plenty of photographs.

Bonus: The photographs, which are also a guide on how to deal with French metro machines/ phone boxes/ launderettes/ doctors' surgeries. Very useful. A very practical, reassuring sort of guide.

Listen out for: "Randonee en roller" - "Roller blade tours."

Overall: Pretty good on phrases you'll need, but excellent on familiarisation that can be just as important.