Parlez-vous francais?
If you are brushing up on your French right now, biding time until you can be back to strolling those cobblestones or you want to start from scratch, here are a few of my favorite ways to acquire the beautiful French language.
Learning a new language isn’t easy, it takes a lot of time and devotion if you want to venture past a Bonjour Madame when you arrive in Paris. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. I spend at least an hour each day watching, reading and writing in French and my weekly lessons with my tutor is one of my favorite things I do all week.
Like many of us, we took French in high school, and maybe that was years ago. I remember in French class I couldn’t retain anything. It was frustrating and in the end I didn’t enjoy it. After the first few trips to Paris I decided I needed to take this a little more seriously then just the Duolingo app and looked for a tutor. The Duolingo app is a fun way to begin to acquire French and a great way to jump in, but be very leery of anything that promises you will be fluent in a few weeks. Sadly, it is not that easy.
We all obtain information differently, what works for me, may not work for you, but these are my favorite ways to dive deep into learning French. If you are serious, I would suggest getting a tutor. Many cities have a local Alliance Francais that teaches group classes depending on your level. These classes can be quite spendy and depending on your availability hard to schedule around. I love the option of a one on one tutor, that way they are working directly with you and where you may be struggling.
When I began with my first tutor it was all about the basic structure of the language. Learning specific words and then the dreaded conjugated verbs. Once I had that down we went into stories and comprehension. My former tutor, Alice Ayel, a wonderful French woman living in Portugal teaches French through what she calls the Natural Method. When we were little and we were learning to talk our parents didn’t give us a stack of flashcards and books and told us to memorize them. We learned by hearing our parents saying the same words over and over. The Natural Method is just like that. Through a series of stories, starting at the “baby stage” up to more advanced and working with a dry erase board she draws and acts out the words. It is amazing how quickly this method works. Alice has a wonderful YouTube channel where you can watch any of her stories for free. She also has a newsletter and membership that includes special videos, stories and even books. Check out her website.
While I have a pretty strict all French diet in just about everything I do, watching French movies and tv shows is another fantastic way to acquire French. A few French people have told me they learned english from watching Friends, and it can work the other way as well. Begin by watching French shows with english subtitles, eventually turning the subtitles to French. Better yet, if it is an American show you love and have watched every episode multiple times, turn on the French subtitles or even language if it is an option. Netflix has tons of great French shows. A favorite is Dix Pour Cent, or Call My Agent.
Does listening to Edith Piaf or Charles Aznavour transport you to France? The same method can apply to French music. Who doesn’t belt out the chorus of Joe Dassin’s Champs-Elysées, but do you know the rest of the song? Find the songs you love and look up the lyrics. Apple now has a wonderful feature in Apple music when you play a song, you can display the lyrics. On your phone, play a song and on the bottom left of the screen is a little square bubble. Once you select that the words scroll on your screen and you can sing along. This is a great way to learn and remember pronunciation.
In the morning I turn on the French news as I get ready, it helps train your ear but it is also a great comfort to me. You can stream many French news networks for free from your phone. France24 can be streamed live through YouTube, BFMTV has an app that you can also stream live for free. SlingTV has a French tv package you can pay for each month and you can get live French tv shows including an option to record them to watch later. It is also my favorite trick to be able to watch French football.
Comprehending French is much easier than speaking it. It takes many people years before they can feel comfortable jumping into conversations but don’t let that scare you off. Reading is another fantastic way to increase your French intake. I spend hours every day with one French book or another while I am researching and writing. If you find a word you are unsure of you can google or use a translation app. The trick is to find something you are already interested in. If it is a subject you love, you are more likely to retain it. There are a few fantastic French Reader books, complete with a glossary in the back of every word they use for every level. I have added a few in my boutique.