LEARN FRENCH in FRANCE:
Tips to immerse yourself in the language
As we all know, the best
way to learn a language is to spend time in the country where the language
is spoken and be fully immersed.
Wherever you are, whether in France or in your home country, the
way to learn French is to listen to the French radio, watch French
movies, read French newspapers, talk to French natives speakers, etc.
The more you can immerse yourself in the language, the quicker your
progress will be.
Listening
For adult learners, listening is the key to learning
to communicate. The sound of French is very different to English; spoken
French is just a noise where it is hard to you to “hear” individual
words. What can you listen to?
Radio: France Inter can be picked up throughout
Europe on 162 KHz long-wave.
Computer: while you work at your computer listen
to:
France Inter: www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/accueil
France Culture: www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/sommaire
DVD’s: Choose a film you know well in your mother tongue, and then
watch it in French.
TV: maybe you can watch French programs if you have satellite or cable TV?
Reading out loud
Reading, especially reading out loud,
is a very good way of increasing your range of vocabulary and your confidence
with saying things in French. Read things that interest you. A newspaper,
a magazine or a book, perhaps a book you know already in English.
Don't worry about making mistakes
The quicker we learn to
make and accept mistakes, the faster we will progress. This is the key to
learning a foreign language – to
not be afraid to go for it!
We all make mistakes in our own language so it is normal that we may
make mistakes in a foreign language. The great thing about mistakes
is that we usually learn from them pretty quickly. In fact, the bigger
and the more embarrassing our mistakes are, the quicker we learn French.
Be patient with yourself
Learning French can be frustrating as progress happens in steps.
You may at times feel that you are making good progress, and at other
times you may feel that you are not getting anywhere. Be patient as
this is part of the process. When it gets a little too much, make
sure you step back a little, review all that you have learnt and practice
it before you move on.
Think about how you learn best
We all have different learning styles and it is important that we
are aware of our individual needs. A visual learner may benefit from
reading books and newspapers in French, while an auditory learner
may improve more by listening to French tapes or radio. A kinaesthetic
learner however may prefer role playing or listening to French tapes
while going for a walk. Think carefully about how you learn French
best!
A little every day
Make learning French part of your daily
routine. Listen to the French radio over breakfast or during the day, read
in French on your way to work or during your lunch break. Listen to that
CD in the car, talk to yourself in French on your way home or in the bath
or whenever you have a moment alone.
Enjoy it!
Learning a language should be fun and exciting! Why not make a holiday
of it and come on a French course in France.
Thanks to Experience Language Ltd, www.experiencelanguage.co.uk,
for some of the ideas on this page.
