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How to Learn French Efficiently

IT IS SEPTEMBER, TIME TO RESTART JOINING GROUPS, CLUBS, ACTIVITIES, AND FRENCH LESSONS!

First of all, the question “Why learn French?” must be answered, even though, for many of you, it is obvious. It should be obvious to every single foreign person living in France and it is requested more and more by the authorities, especially with new regulations for the delivering of the “Titre de Séjour” (Residency Permit).

Learning French broadens your horizons!

If you are on holiday in France, it is expected that foreigners know the minimum of the language, like the greetings (Bonjour, Au revoir, Madame, Monsieur, …), the politeness words (s’ilvous-plaît, merci, ...), and the words for asking for something (Je voudrais …, s’ilvous-plaît, …), and a bit more, basically, as much as you can. It will be really appreciated.

If you live in France, it is necessary to learn French in order to be able to communicate with everyone, but also to be able to understand the letters, bills, and telephone calls you receive every day, and, for example, to call the fire brigade / emergency ambulance / police / recovery car, to make an appointment at the doctor’s, to speak to the doctors and nurses, to ask for something you need, to explain what is wrong with your car at the garage…. Moreover, and this is important to know, French people will be more patient and willing / obliging if you speak some French. Speaking French opens the door to better and quicker services. Remember that learning French is also a mark of respect towards the French people and France, and it is written in the law.

Living in France means you are exposed to French outside the classes, therefore you should be able to cut down the time needed to learn it, if you practise of course.

Now then, you know that learning French when living in France is crucial, but how to learn French?

Several methods can be used. The more you “play” and practise, the better and easier it will be. Repetition is the key to success! But, essentially, relax with the idea of learning a new language. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

Written French and spoken French are almost 2 different languages

It is important to know from the beginning that written French and spoken French are almost 2 different languages. For example, we write many letters in words that we do not sound. We make “liaisons” in words…. So, it is necessary to learn both spoken and written French.

Learning French, like any other new language, implies a lot of memorisation, and often, as adults, our memory is not what it used to be. However, this should not be an excuse not to learn French, as everyone can succeed. It all depends on how much time you spend and on how much contact you have with the French language. I had a senior student who was 84 years old and she did well.

1. Study French regularly, for a short time, not all in one sitting

Do not study French all morning!

(Especially not just before your French lesson!) You will exhaust yourself, and you will be likely to get frustrated, lose your motivation and attention, and worse, you may not be able to remember much of what you studied! So, you would have spent hours for nothing, gaining nothing except frustration!

My advice is to study French 15 minutes a day, every single day when you are a beginner. The time will be increased as your level in French goes up. Added to that, take time to learn French in a class or by yourself, and practise every day. Focus on all that you did achieve instead of letting frustration get to you. Relax when learning, you will enjoy it. Leave your French book, notebook, and papers open on the kitchen table and glance at them as many times as you can.

2. Find out what is your own learning style

Do you need to write to remember? Do you need to listen to memorise? Do you need to read to learn things by heart? Use the method that corresponds to your own type of memory.

Also find out if you are better at remembering in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Revise your French at that moment of the day.

3. Self-studying is NOT for everybody

As everybody is different when it comes to learning languages, some people may find it easier than others. I know, it is not fair! You need to self-study in order to revise, review, do your homework… and see what you have been taught in class.

Self-studying only is not sufficient enough to learn any language, and there is also the risk of not being regular in doing it, it can demotivate, you may not know what to learn first, and you do not have the guidance from a teacher, you have no one to tell you if you are correct.

You need someone to listen to you and correct your mistakes

Find a French person to correct your French pronunciation. You need someone to listen to you and correct your mistakes. No software or recorded lesson can do that. It needs to be a real person.

Some learners need the expertise of a teacher to guide them through their studies, motivate them, and find creative ways to explain the same point until it is understood. A good teacher has got a lot of patience and is inventive, adapting to your needs, capacity, and style of learning.

You can invest in group classes, but only small groups (6 to 8 people maximum), and / or you can invest in some private French lessons. A native

Bonnes courage ! Et à bientôt ! Isabelle

Élargissez vos horizons avec CONTINENTAL HORIZONS ! Broaden your horizons with CONTINENTAL HORIZONS!

Isabelle works for CONTINENTAL HORIZONS Language Centre in L’Isle Jourdain 86. She is a specialist Teacher of French as a Foreign Language with more than 26 years’ experience.

Do not hesitate to contact her on 06 20 10 34 49 or 05 49 84 17 73

Learn French with Continental Horizons! Contact us by email : continentalhorizons@free.fr

French speaking French teacher can change your accent for the rest of your French speaking life.

Always check the diplomas / credentials / experience of a teacher. Is the teacher specifically trained and experienced to teach French as a Foreign Language (FLE : Français Langue Etrangère) to adults? Ask around about the teachers in your area from others.

Take part in conversation groups with your French teacher or French people, take part in as many activities as possible where you meet French people (clubs and associations, comité des fêtes...).

4. Do not translate all the time between French and English

When you are a total beginner, some translation can occur, but try to avoid it. You will quickly find out that French is different (of course!), so the order of words may be different, some ways of saying things are totally scrambled compared to the English way, most expressions are not translatable. Literal translation does not work anyway.

5. Use images and visual situations for French words, not English words

Try to link the new French vocabulary to images, situations, feelings…. Also, it is proven by neuro-scientists that associating two things together will help you to remember them, in the long-term memory, as we create more links in the brain, so it makes it easier to retrieve the information.

The use of flashcards, drawing the word / situation… can really help. At the same time as learning a new word, learn it with its gender (masculine or feminine). For example, don’t learn “voiture”, but learn “la voiture”.

6.

Learn French in sentences

Learn the new vocabulary in a sentence, and not always on its own. On top of that, the sentences will be easier to reuse in due time. Learning in context will help you to remember the situation and words longer. Again, making associations is proven to be efficient.

7.

Learn French with examples close to your own world / life

When your teacher told you to write some sentences for homework, use that opportunity to write about your life, what you did, what you will do, using the vocabulary you need.

Your brain will remember much longer a truth or a memory than made-up facts.

8.

Group related vocabulary together

On the same sheet of paper, or on flashcards, write all related French vocabulary (and its gender) as you come across it. No need to put down the English translation. You will get to the info much faster if you have memorised it all together.

Use the technique of “mind mapping” as much as you can.

9. Listen to French (even if you don’t have a clue of what’s being said, and you’re not even paying close attention)

Reading magazines, newspapers… in French is important but not enough on its own.

It is interesting to know that the French language uses a different frequency of sound than the English language. That is why you need to hear French as much as possible, in order to tune your ears to this new frequency. That will help you to understand and also speak better.

Every language oscillates at a different range of frequencies, with British English at 2,000 – 12,000 Hz and French between 15 – 250 Hz and 1,000 – 2,000 Hz. People from countries in which Slavonic languages are spoken are, on the other hand, at an advantage. The frequency ranges of the approximately 20 Slavonic languages cover a greater bandwidth. This explains why the Eastern Europeans have a gift for languages.

That is why listening to French radio / TV also helps get your ears attuned to the sound.

In a class, learning French should always consist of spoken and written exercises.

10. Do not try to learn everything, you need to prioritise

It is an important point of using a teacher of French as a Foreign Language. The teacher will guide you to learn what is needed first and later, little by little, will introduce you to the more complex points. This is valid for spoken and written French and for grammar and tenses. There is an order to follow, the same way as you learnt your own language when you were a child.

For example, for tenses, in conversation, most of the time we use the “Présent de l’indicatif”. So, focus on that tense first, adding the “adjectives”, the essential vocabulary, how to make questions, pronouns… and then you can move on to the past tenses like “Passé Proche” and later to “Passé Composé”. The French “Subjonctif” can wait! This will make an immediate difference in your ability to converse in French.

I have many tips available, thanks to my training and my 26+ year experience in teaching French as a Foreign Language to adults, so do not hesitate to contact me to get tailor-made solutions for you to learn French more efficiently.

Bon courage ! Keep positive! Et à bientôt !