I've been studying French since the past few years. It all started back in my high school days, but I hated it back then. Giving myself some time, I really began appreciating the process of language learning and so I resumed learning the language, this time on my own, via an app called, “Duolingo”.
After that, I liked French and therefore, I decided to take it up again by studying it in the formal education system (since we had that option).
As a student, I get bored easily. Even when it comes to studying subjects I like. But I also wanted to do well and so I tried many ways to learn this language. Here are the best ways I found to learn French :
1. Establish why you want to learn the language
Is it for travel? Is it for impressing your friends? Is it to get a good grade? Is it just for the sake of learning something new?
Get to know why you want to do something so that in times you feel demotivated, you can remind yourself why you took it up in the first place.
2. Duolingo
If you wish to learn the basics thoroughly, this is a good way to. It's also helpful to get your vocabulary nice and sharp. You will get familiar with French words which will enable you to take up bigger, greater challenges in the language.
3. Watch a French show in a genre you enjoy
Or a show you already like, but in French. Use no subtitles at all. This makes you force your brain to listen attentively to the way words are pronounced and the conversations one can have in the language. It helps you with your sentence structure, keeps you interested and helps you speak the language for real.
I used to watch “The adventures of the Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir”. It was awesome. I highly recommend.
4. Study a little everyday
The difference between learning a language versus any other subject is the fact that you can learn other subjects the day before and probably manage passing a test on it. But when it comes to languages, you can't really do that.
So do learn a little everyday, even if it's just for 15 minutes. Just make sure, it's 15 minutes of dedicated study time.
5. Write things you would normally write… In French.
Your shopping lists, your planner, your diary… at least a few words/sentences will be helpful for you. This ties the language to your everyday life.
6. Google translate
This goes without saying. Download the offline French pack also if you need to. I can't explain how helpful this application has been to me. Most of the translations are extremely accurate. If not, there's always a dictionary.
7. When translating passages from French…
Try to find out the meaning for each word… Don't just blindly write all the translated sentences.
8. Travel to a French speaking place if you can
I went to Pondicherry. I went for a mass there in French. There were also many native French speakers around the place. I felt super dumb for not understanding much anything they spoke. But it was a wonderful experience, it reminded me of the fact that when it comes to fluency, it's an ongoing journey, I mean, I've been learning English since I was a child and I still learn new words every other day!
9. The curse of the similar words
French and English have lots of similar words that confuse me. Even within the French language there's similar words. Polish yourself in these areas, as they surely play tricks on your brain.
10. Try speaking it
Start with one/two word responses and work your way to more advanced sentences. I'm still working on this one.
11. Switch the language on your phone to French.
I'm not talking about keyboard language….that would be cool too. I'm talking about your whole device. Try it out for a few days. See if you survive. (Try this out only once you're moderately knowledgeable of the language.)
Learning French is great. And so is learning other languages.
You could try these tips in combinations or use all of them. Tell me how it goes using the contact form/comment section below.
Did you find this post helpful? Do you have any other ideas to learn this language? Please let me know.
*Please note : I said "How to easily learn French". Learning a language can't happen overnight.
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