Check Out The Best Way To Learn To Speak French



by Adrian Fletcher


If you are thinking of learning a second language then French is a good one to consider. English and French are closely related. Many French and English words are exactly the same except for the pronunciation and a few accents here and there. By learning French you will improve your understanding of English. And having English as your native tongue will give you a head start in your study of the French language.

French has many similarities to English due to centuries of 'cross pollination'. Indeed many words in French and English are exactly the same apart from pronunciation. This will help you in your studies of the language but also improve your understanding of English too.

So if you are settled on learning French, no doubt you want to learn it as quickly as possible. I can't blame you, the best bit of learning a new language is being able to speak to people. The other stuff like learning vocabulary or how to form verb endings is pretty monotonous. So what is the best way to learn French so that all the good stuff is in and the bad stuff is out (or at least not as apparent ) ? This article will deal with the best way to learn French.

So, in my opinion the best way to learn a language like French is to take an immersion course. An immersion course is the idea of taking a course in a country where that language is the native tongue. So taking a course in France is ideal but you could also go to Canada, Switzerland or Belgium. To get to most out of the experience you should try to stay on after the course is completed. This will give you the chance to build on the learning in the course.

Obviously you need a bit of time to do something like this. Maybe you could do it as part of a gap year between school and college. Or you could take a bit of time off work " long service leave or a sabbatical. You should try to live in the country and even work there.

The more you take part in the daily activities of the country the better your understanding of the language will become. For instance, a simple job will give you real world experiences that will make the academic learning stick in you brain.

So why is immersion learning so effective ?

For two reasons. You have no excuses and fall backs to learn and speak the language. Nobody speaks your native language so if you want to get by you have to speak French. This gets you out of your comfort zone and any worries of sounding like a fool are banished. In short, you are extremely motivated.

The second reason is that your learning seems so much more real. You can use your learning immediately rather than filing it away for a vacation in a few years time. The sights and sounds make it so much more real and this makes it easier to understand things that may be vague if you learned then in a book.

Doing a French immersion course is the best way to learn French in my opinion, however it is no idle undertaking. It will come at a considerable cost in both time and money. This may not suit everyone or even be practical for some lifestyles. Other ways to learn French include doing a night course or a home study course.




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