Did you know there are over 7,000 languages in the world? I don’t think I have the brain capacity to learn all of them but when I decided to move to France I had a goal to be fluent in French.
I knew the basics from what I learned in grade 4 until high school in Canada. I spent years reading French textbooks, learning grammar and memorizing conjugation but I still had gaps in my conversation. Spending two and a half months immersing in the language in Rouen and Aix-en-Provence, I realized I was doing it all wrong all these years. My French improved faster in less than three months than they did in all my school years combined. I went from an A2 to almost B2 (that’s the way the European system measures languages, with the highest being C2). I jumped an entire language level! It’s not impossible to learn or improve in another language in a short time, it just takes a little lifestyle commitment. So here is how I did it and how I jumped an entire language level in less than three months and now speak conversational French.
Take an Immersive Class
I took a 4-week immersive course at French in Normandy that didn’t include a textbook. Instead we listened to audio pieces, watched news clips, dissected French articles, and stirred debates on culture and French life. My experience at IS-Aix was just as awesome, focusing a lot on peer-to-peer discussions, oral presentations and interesting conversation. Both had a no-English rule which means we were only allowed to speak in French and English was forbidden. My classes made for a completely immersive experience.
Read books, magazines and newspapers
Read anything in the language you’re trying to learn. Start with a short piece and pick a topic that interests you. Reading helps you gain new vocabulary and learn how to use them in sentences. Each morning on my way to class I would pick up the free daily paper Le Metro or Le Figaro to learn about French news, political happenings, and the latest on the pharmacy strike.
Watch/Listen to French movies, kids’ shows, news
Each week our class had a movie night over popcorn. We watched French films with subtitles (in French) then had conversational French about the plot. If you’re learning French I highly recommend Le Hérisson. If you’re an absolute beginner, watch kids’ TV shows – they’re written with basic language ability in mind. If you’re intermediate, listen to News in Slow French. When your ears tune in to something repeatedly in a foreign language it helps listening and pronunciation skills which leads to improving your speaking eventually.
Speak French all the time
In my circle of new friends, we always spoke French even on weekends and outside of class. During lunch breaks at the park, a night out for drinks, or on day trips. We each had our challenges, some of us were better than others which helped us correct each other. I made a point to eat and breathe French from buying my train tickets to asking for directions, doing my grocery shopping even making friends with French shop owners, and if someone responded to me in English I pretended I didn’t understand. I only wavered in English a couple of times to Skype with family back home.
Surround myself with locals. Live with French people
In Rouen I lived with a young French couple in the Old Town of Rouen, a lawyer and a police officer. In Aix-en-Provence I lived with a French university student and a bartender, all who spoke a bit of English. We shared how our day went at dinnertime, talked politics or the differences between our cultures. By surrounding myself with local people it forced me to interact every day speaking (and listening) to others in the native tongue.
You don’t always need to live abroad to surround yourself in the language. Visit your city’s Chinatown to learn Chinese or shop in Little Italy to practise Italian. Give yourself lots of exposure to native speakers wherever you are, which brings me to my next tip…
Look for a Language Exchange Partner
Websites like Live Mocha and My Language Exchange help you find a language exchange partner to practise with. Even Craigslist or Meetup.com has listings for language meet ups.
Use Language Apps
Download free language apps to help you speak, spell, or put sentences together. I used free language apps like Conjugaison to cross-reference when I thought I was making a mistake (you can get these apps for different languages). I like this website for online quizzes to test my French writing and grammar. I also use Duolingo and Mango whenever I have down time – on the plane, train, or in my doctor’s waiting room.
Be Consistent
Consistency is the key to language learning. It’s better to study a new language for 15-30 minutes every day for a year than cramming a couple of hours here and there, stopping and starting again.
The more languages you know, the more you are human – Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
If you’re looking for an immersive experience I found mine through Latitude International. Jeanette is well-connected to different language schools and work abroad opportunities as well.
My husband and I have been wanting to visit Paris for a long time. We’re hoping to plan a vacation to go there for our tenth wedding anniversary. I really like your tip about reading pieces that interest you in the language you’re trying to learn. I also like your idea of watching French films with subtitles. We’re also thinking about finding a good tutor who can help get us started.
Trying more than one learning method is key because we all learn differently. A tutor is a great idea. A WorkAway experience is a great option too. Good luck!
GREAT tips! We always travel with the kids and feel like learning a few words and phrases is an important part of any family adventure. You can really get such a deeper appreciation and understanding of the culture you have traveled so far to explore! Right now we are learning the alphabet and a few phrases in Greek before our family vacation to Greece!
I think it’s so important for kids to learn another language. I grew up in an Italian-speaking household but I never really appreciated learning a new language until my adult years. I wish I hadn’t taken it for granted, I should’ve been more inquisitive about it!
I need to learn Spanish. hope your trick work.
Thanx for sharing and Happy New Year.
Good luck Rana! And please do come back to tell us how you’re progressing! Maybe you’ll have a few extra tips that worked for you 🙂
That’s it. I’m learning Spanish now.
What’s really terrible is that i have the Rosetta Stone Totale series (levels 1-5) and i don’t even use it. Time to change that.
I didn’t include Rosetta Stone in the list because I’ve never used it. It’s a bit expensive for me but I have heard from others who have used it that it really does work. I’m sure it’s a great resource.