Best Way to Learn French

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Last Updated: August 26, 2022

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Is there a way to make learning a new language easier? How long does it take to learn French? Is French hard to learn?

Learning a second language can be rather challenging and daunting, but it needn’t be. There are several different ways for you to try, and the best part is that they can all work in conjunction with one another.

The length of time that learning a new language can take depends on the person learning and how much time they have to spare on it. The fastest way to learn French is to spend a little time each day on the subject.

Learn French

Revision

As with most lessons, the vocabulary and grammar that you are learning is more likely to stick in your head when you go back and review what you have already learnt. By doing this, you are able to revisit areas that you struggled with originally. Or, you could develop your understanding and use the area you are revising with what you have learnt since then.


Practice

Ever heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”? This is true. The more you practice a skill, which a new language certainly is, the more likely it is that you will get better with each try. 

Practicing what you have learnt links in with revision because you are more likely to improve in the language by practicing outside of your lesson, and potentially returning to a session that you have previously studied to make sure that you haven’t forgotten how to say the words.

The best way to learn French is to practice every day, and while that can sound like a massive time commitment, you can find some tips to help you with this here.


Use the Extra Resources at Your Disposal

Learn Using Music

YouTube is a great resource when learning anything at the moment. There are a wide variety of clips on how to learn French online as well as French music. By listening to French music while you learn the language, you are more likely to be able to pick up different words that are spoken in French.

Although it isn’t the best way to learn how to speak French, listening to French music or educational videos will give you the ability to listen to how the words are supposed to sound when they are spoken aloud.

It works best in conjunction with a second method of learning French, but if you look up the lyrics and once you feel confident enough, potentially sing along with them you won’t only be improving your audio skills, but also your pronunciation.

Should you wish to know more about learning this way, you can find the information here.

Learn Using the News

In a similar way to using music to learn French, watching the news can improve your audio skills. Although, it is again best to use this in conjunction with another method as while you will be able to pick up what is going on through the images used, you may not get the right translation for each word.

By using the news to learn French you will be able to immerse yourself in the French culture a little bit more and learn subconsciously at the same time.

Read French Literature

It goes without saying that sometimes reading a well-known book in a foreign language will help you with the translation for the text. It can be slow going sometimes, but with practice you will soon be able to read more challenging texts and pick up more words and grammar techniques in what you are reading.

It is best to start off with a children’s text instead of going straight for a book aimed at your age group. You have to remember that you are only just starting off so the best way to learn French in this way is to act as you would have done when learning to read in English.

You can find a few suggestions here.

Watch French Films or TV Shows

Another resource at your disposal is the readily available collection of French films and TV shows. By watching these either with or without subtitles, you will pick up more vocabulary that is linked to what you are watching.

Again, it may not be an exact translation, so it is important that you go back and consolidate what you have picked up by making sure it is what you believe it to be.

This method is a particularly popular way to learn French for kids because they don’t feel like they are learning a new language, merely having fun watching the TV.


Test Yourself

When learning French at school, you would be subjected to regular testing each time you finished a topic. So, it stands to reason that some people may find that they feel better about what they have learnt when they have tested their knowledge after completing a milestone.

The best way to learn French by using this method, is to remember not to put too much pressure on yourself. If you don’t know the answer that is fine too, it is just a topic that may need revision. And, after all, not everyone does well in tests, but you may just surprise yourself.


Give Yourself Incentives

Sometimes finding the motivation to continue with learning French can be a struggle because of how much else is going on around you. By giving yourself a target to reach and a reward should you do so, not only do you motivate yourself to continue but you may feel a greater sense of accomplishment as well.


Find Someone to Talk to

Having conversations with someone else where you only speak French can be one of the best ways to learn French. Or, having a pen pal who is a native will help you to practice your writing skills.

This way is similar to immersion, because it will mean that you can’t fall back on your English in a conversation. However, it will only work if you have someone available to you that can do this for you and knows a decent amount of the French language, so that they would be able to correct and understand you.

There are several different websites and companies that you can look into getting a pen pal through, which should make this task a little easier for you, should you choose.


Adapt Your Method to Your Style

Everyone is different, everyone learns in different ways. Some learn better by listening, others by taking notes. So, the best way for you to learn French would be to adapt what you are learning to the style that best works for you.

If you learn by listening, focus on podcasts or listen to yourself explaining the lessons. If you learn best with visual cues, either use films and TV shows like suggested above, or create your own little images to help you remember.


Incorporate French into Your Everyday Life

It can be difficult to find the time to practice every day, or even once a week sometimes. So, a solution is to incorporate what you are learning into your everyday life. Perhaps, talk to yourself in French or listen to French music instead of your own on the way to work.

There are some people who will label objects at their homes to learn the words in French, because it helps the vocabulary to sink in subconsciously when they are seeing it all day every day.

There are many suggestions that are available for you to learn French in this way here.


Conclusion

The best way to learn French largely depends on how you best learn, but the overarching theme is to practice regularly and often so that it sinks in. There are so many different resources and techniques that you can use at the moment to help you in your quest to find the best way to learn French.

If you are learning French online for free it is easy to work it around your schedule, but it is important to remember to combine different methods of learning so that you are able to listen to the language as well as read it and speak it.

You can find some other tips that may help you here.

About the author 

Sarah grew up in Northampton, England. She loves to travel, write, and explore because of the ability to immerse herself in a different culture and potentially learn a new skill. Sarah uses her writing to share these experiences with other people to help them choose a location for their holiday or learn the skills for themselves.

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