Voulez-vous learn the français? There are several effective methods for doing this. For example, speaking the language regularly helps you improve your skills. There are so many other easy ways to learn. Read on to find out.
Steps
Method 1 of 1: Speak French
Step 1. Expose yourself to French media, such as cinema, news and music, so that you can hear native speakers
You can also hear internet radio, broadcasting from France or Québec. Additionally, you can find language channels, such as TV5, on television and on the web.
Step 2. Make friends with people who chew French well, and make an effort to practice the language with them
You can also find pen pals or an online community where you can ask questions and chat with other people who are learning.
Step 3. Try to find a language conversation group that meets in your area
If this is not possible, you always have the opportunity to practice online.
Step 4. You could enroll in a language course at a school in your city or university
Inquire to find a language institution in your area, or go to the CLA.
Step 5. Subscribe to a children's magazine written in French
Bayard Jeunesse and Milan Presse have websites where you can find various offers. Newspapers aimed at a child's audience are useful because they have pictures: they help you infer the meaning of words you don't yet know. They have rather short articles, which are useful when you are new to a new language.
Step 6. Try to take a trip to France
If you happen to go to North America, take a trip to Québec, New Brunswick or Louisiana. These areas are bilingual, so restaurants, shops, museums and many other places allow you to practice the language. On the go, you can buy books and other materials, and you surround yourself with native French speakers. Of course, in France it is possible to learn classic French, while in the United States and Canada you will have to deal with language variants. For example, in the Montreal area, the French spoken is more similar to the traditional variant than that of the Gaspésie region, also in Québec, where cultural heritage has influenced the development of the language over the centuries. In fact, many of the early settlers came from the Guernsey and Jersey islands, not mainland France. The French dialects common in New Brunswick and Louisiana belong to the category of Acadian French, therefore they present unique linguistic and cultural nuances.
- Learn the written form of everyday French words to use them smoothly.
- You can try watching DVD movies, but try to watch them in French. If you have recently started studying it, you may want to select Italian subtitles. Once you have improved, choose the ones in language, and, in the end, avoid them. Remember that the point of this exercise is to practice listening, so gradually you have to give up on subtitles.
- Practice using the words you learn in everyday situations.
- Buy or borrow a computer game that you can also use in French. There are some inspired by the animated series Caillou, but they are just an example. There are many others. Find out about the available languages of a game before choosing it.
Step 7. Words to learn right away:
- Bonjour. IPA (international phonetic alphabet) pronunciation: [bɔ̃.ʒuʁ].
- Oui. IPA pronunciation: [wi].
- Do not. IPA pronunciation: [not]. Say the first part of the word, no, like in English. As for the final n, do not touch the roof of the mouth with the tongue to emit it. The pronunciation therefore resembles that of the English no, only drier and more nasal.
- Parlez-vous italien?. Pronunciation: [paʀle vu italjẽ]. Translation: "Do you speak Italian?" (formal).
- Comment ça va?. Pronunciation: [kɔmɑ̃ sa va]. Translation: "How are you?".
- Au revoir. Pronunciation: [or ʀ (ə) vwaʀ]. Translation: “Goodbye”.
- Chaud. IPA pronunciation: [ʃo]. Translation: “Warm”.
- Froid. IPA pronunciation: [fʀwa]. Translation: “Cold”.
- Comment t'appelles-tu?. IPA pronunciation: [kɔmɑ̃ t'apɛl ty]. Translation: "What is your name?".
- Bonne chance!. IPA pronunciation: [bɔn ʃɑ̃s]. Translation: “Good luck!”.
- C'est la loi. IPA pronunciation: [sɛst la lwa]. Translation: “It is the law”.
Step 8. Learn the numbers (you can find more in this article):
- A. IPA pronunciation: [œ̃].
- Deux. IPA pronunciation: [dø].
- Trois. IPA pronunciation: [tʀwɑ].
- Quatre. IPA pronunciation: [katʀ].
- Cinq. IPA pronunciation: [sɛ̃k].
- Six. IPA pronunciation: [sis].
- Sept. IPA pronunciation: [sɛt].
- Huit. IPA pronunciation: [ɥi (t)].
- Neuf. IPA pronunciation: [nœf].
- Dix. IPA pronunciation: [dis].
Step 9. Remember that you are casual and unique
Vous, on the other hand, means "you", so use it when addressing more than one person; Also, use it when calling someone her.
Step 10. Address strangers and authorities using formal expressions and the pronoun vous, while using informal expressions only when talking to friends and family
Step 11. Depending on your mother tongue, French can present various obstacles
There is no need to worry: they are easily overcome. For example, for an Italian, the difficulties often refer to the difference between qui and que and to false friends, such as bougie, which means "candle" (not "lie), or gare, which means" station "(not" race "). For a native English speaker, however, there may be differences in the use of the verbs to be and to have. For example, in English, to say that you are hot you use the phrase I'm hot; to say that you are cold, I'm cold. In short, the verb to be is used, "to be". In French, as in Italian, the verb to have is used instead. It says J'ai froid, "I'm cold", and J'ai chaud, "I'm hot". Intuitively, an Englishman would say Je suis froid or Je suis chaud. These expressions have a totally different meaning; if a person were to use them by mistake, they would certainly receive bewildered looks. All this to say that there are absolutely no easy or difficult languages, learning is relative.
Step 12.
Just like in Italian, use the verb avoir to indicate your age.
Example: J'ai vingt ans, “I am 20 years old”. Again, a native English speaker may have problems, because in their language the verb to be is used to indicate age.
In conclusion, learning French is not impossible, but it shouldn't be underestimated either. Try to focus mainly on listening and language practice to be able to use it concretely. Record yourself as you speak, repeat and memorize the meaning of the words.
Advice
- Mark the moments to devote to study on your diary.
- Try to stick to the plan and avoid skipping classes.
- Make a plan after you decide to take a course or self-study. Decide how much time to spend on the language, how often to do it and where.
- If you don't have one, buy a French dictionary. Try to visit France. Always watch films in the language (perhaps without subtitles). Read books and newspapers. Use vocabulary when in doubt.
- Buy a French textbook or study program online. You can find several in bookstores or on the internet. Do some research to find the book or software that's right for you. Some recommend YouTube video series, which have the added benefit of helping you improve your listening skills. Either way, the choice is vast, so do your research and talk to an expert.
Warnings
- When you speak, pay attention to the pronunciation of vowels. In particular, don't get confused with diphthongs and nasal sounds.
- As in Italian, French words are masculine or feminine, singular or plural. The gender often corresponds to that of Italian words. Examples: chaise ("chair"), écran ("screen"), frites ("french fries"). However, there are also many words of different genres. Try to learn them and use the right articles. The definite articles are le (“the, lo”), la (“the”) and les (“the, the”). The indefinite articles are un (“un, uno”), une (“una”) and des (it is the plural form of indefinite articles; in Italian there is no exact translation, but it is possible to express it with the partitive article).
- The definite articles are used as in Italian: when the name refers to only one thing, with dates, etc.
- Indefinite articles are used as in Italian: in front of names of professions, with uncountable nouns, etc.
- Learn to pronounce well in French by listening to native speakers: it will be more difficult to get into bad habits.
- While French is a unique language and you can use it to understand and make yourself understood in the places where it is spoken, in various reasons there are dialects and typical words. For example, the language spoken in France differs from that spoken in Québec.
