Learning French: Immerse, Translate and Speaking

 

Most students think that learning French is an instant thing. They figure that since there are quite a few words in English that are the same as French, speaking it will be really easy. Unfortunately, that just isn't the case.

You can learn much more quickly if you just concentrate on one language. Don't mix up your Spanish and French, for example, and then add in Portuguese just for fun. You will really get confused and make yourself discouraged very easily.

Immerse yourself in the language to make it easier to learn. That doesn't mean that you have to study for four hours a day, though. Do little things like watching a movie or TV show in French, listening to French music, or chatting to a buddy over the internet in French.

The worst thing you can do while learning rocket french is translate whatever it is into English! Teach yourself to think in French so you'll bypass translating, which slows you up and confuses you even more. It's really different from English, even if it shares some similarities in vocabulary and grammar, so forget trying. Think in concepts and in ideas; don't just concentrate on the words.

Don't get discouraged if you forget some things while you're studying. Even native French speakers flub the grammar or forget a word. It's perfectly natural to do so. In the same vein, having someone correct your every mistake gets your frustrated and is not encouraging at all.

Why not try acting French? Taking up a French cooking class, taking a look at how French people dress, or adopting a few French habits like having cafe au lait and a croissant for breakfast every Sunday helps you get into the mood.

You don't need to be actively studying in order to learn. Listen to French passively while exercising, taking a commute, or cleaning up. It's just another way to immerse yourself in French.