LEARNING FRENCH

Tips

At the very beginning FOCUS ON ETRE AND AVOIR. Use them to describe yourself and the world around you. "The table is big and black." "The door is open." "I am tall." Etc. etc. etc., obsessively. You will master them quickly, and add lots of basic vocabulary in the process.

Adopt the STUMBLE AND BUNGLE METHOD. No matter your level, it is absolutely essential that you speak. The biggest beginner error is to clam up because you're afraid to look stupid. Give yourself permission to stumble, bungle, and stumble some more. It's part of it. People will correct you, and that's how you learn. Thank them when they do so.

LEAVE FRENCH TALK RADIO ON IN THE BACKGROUND. Just let it blather. You don't even have to listen to it. Your subconscious, however, will be busy trying to make sense of it. Over time, you'll find the words start painting themselves in. Also, repeat fragments of what you hear, out loud. Take any phrase and just say it, trying to sound exactly as you heard it. Then take another and do it again. It's a powerful technique.

Consider MIXING METHODS. If you take classes at a place like Alliance Francaise, try mixing in a few hours with a tutor. If following a tutor, find your own free online resources as a complement. And so on.

WATCH FRENCH MOVIES WITH FRENCH SUBTITLES ON. This is a super method. What is more, you can stop and rewind when you don't understand something.

Remember that YOU MUST SEE SOMETHING THREE OR FOUR TIMES TO RETAIN IT. Repetition is the key. If you learn a new word, find a way to reuse it later that day, and then the next morning. Say it, write it down, make up a new sentence with it, even a silly one. Memory is created by reinforcing neural pathways. You must repeat it and relatively soon, or it will not stick.

LEARN SONGS. Songs get stored in special long term memory in the brain. Learn the words (les paroles) by heart. You'll be amazed by how productive this is.

Language schools

a list of schools can be found here:
 * https://www.lyoncampus.info/Pratiquer-le-francais_a1468.html (French)

* Note that the French version has information about meetings at libraries that the English one does not
 * https://www.lyoncampus.info/Learning-French_a1515.html (English)

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