Salut mes amis, (Hello my friends)
J’espère que vous allez bien! (I hope you are well)!
Do you remember that time in SS3 that you had to write the French exam for WAEC and could barely spell ‘comment allez vous’? Or the many times you scrolled through LinkedIn and could not apply for that job you knew you were qualified for because French was a prerequisite? Or not understanding a single word of French when you visited France?
I’ve been in your shoes as well! I’m here to tell you that you too can learn and love the French language after going through these 5 useful steps that changed my life.
- Choose wisely. Do not spend all your hard-earned money on just any material that anyone suggests. I would advise you to look for free resources online and try them out for a while before you make a decision. A costly mistake I made was buying various books that promised to teach me how to learn in a few days. An option would be to follow people from Francophone countries to read their captions in French or listen to them speak via social media e.g. Instagram.
- Relocation is not needed. You do not need to move to a francophone country to learn how to speak the language. Check out videos online that can help with the pronunciation of words you may be having trouble with. French with Alexa is a very good resource for beginners and intermediate speakers. I used her videos to teach my junior secondary school students and still use it occasionally for my tenses.
- Be accountable. Being answerable to people who will push you to continue even when you feel like you aren’t making headway and considering giving up. Having an accountability partner/group that helps you maintain momentum throughout your learning process can be quite useful. My group consists of my sister and some friends who love the language. This makes it easier for us to check up on our progress whilst picturing ourselves in Cote d’Azur.
- Be driven. Try and stay motivated. It might be challenging in a country riddled with various distractions from constant traffic to poor Internet connectivity. But at least once a day when you’re home and you’ve hung your superhero cape after fighting all the battles during the day, you could listen to French songs and pick up new words, look up a children’s book in French (allows newbies break into the language quicker) or watch a French movie (I’m currently watching Dix Pour Cent on Netflix). You can also take advantage of your daily commute to and from work and listen to podcasts.
- Embrace fear. Let go of the fear of making errors whilst speaking the language. Every single person who was once a beginner made mistakes with the simplest of words and the only way to get better is by making them so you can be corrected. So as much as you can, speak it, record yourself and share it with native speakers. Write it down and check the proper tenses on Google translate or with a French dictionary.
In conclusion, check out various resources and see which suits your personality, e.g., self-study versus learning better in a classroom. A lot of videos on YouTube or even Google translate can teach you how to pronounce a word or a phrase. Having an accountability group keeps you on your toes and makes you feel responsible. Knowing there’s light at the end of the tunnel is a great way to always remain motivated. Finally, always speak, no matter how shy or embarrassed you are about making mistakes.
So tell me, which one of these strategies are you going to adopt, are you currently engaged in, or have you done? Let me know in the comment section. I’d love to hear from you!
Jusqu’à la prochaine fois! (Until next time)!
Thanks for sharing. I really didn’t take French seriously in the early days, but now I feel the need to learn French. However, getting my self to learn is where then real wahala lies. I’ll have to trying out some of the beginner’s resources you’ve recommended – movies especially! Hopefully, I’ll be disciplined enough to take it seriously this time. Merci encore 🙂
This is awesome.!
Thank you! 😊
Hi Emeka! I can imagine. It took me a while to be disciplined as well but eventually I stuck to a routine and also tried out fun ways of learning. Let me know your thoughts on the movies. Thanks for stopping by! 😊
Nice.
Thanks for sharing these tips. My struggle with learning French has been real, from French school to private tutors, to apps and yet I have nothing tangible to show for it. I think I just need to be more driven and more accountable.
Hi Flakky! Awww. I can relate. I used different apps as well but it’s actually the mind and being disciplined. Try having a calendar and pick days you’d like to practice. You could rotate between reading a French book, watching a French movie or listening to French songs. Let me know how that goes. Thanks for stopping by! 😊
This is Amazing ❤
Thank you!! 😊
Thank you Damilola! 😊
Great way to learn. Thanks a lot for sharing. It has always been a struggle for me to learn French. Sometimes I begin and a few days later I no longer feel motivated but now I know there are lots of ways for me to stay driven and this blog might just be the perfect way for me to begin the journey again. Looking forward to more.
Hi Brorhie! I’m glad this blog has given you that nudge to continue on your French journey. I’ll be sharing more tips and resources! Thank you so much for stopping by. 😊
I honestly find this amazing and very interesting! I kindly suggest everyone to subscribe because it would be very helpful for all of us who are beginners in French! Greetings from Serbia ❤️
I honestly find this amazing and very interesting! I kindly suggest everyone to subscribe because it would be very helpful for all of us who are beginners in French! Greetings from Serbia ❤️
Hi Jelena! I’m glad you found it interesting. Thank you so much! 😊
Lovely ❤️
Thank you Nelson! 😊
Thanks for sharing!
I was a French guru in secondary school. I was so good I’ll help junior secondary school students translate passages with little or no aid from a dictionary. After school, that was it. I tried picking it up again during NYSC but didn’t continue afterwards so I’ve become VERY rusty.
This has spurred me to give it a try again.
Hi Uchechi! You can start again by listening to French songs or watching French cartoons. You’d soon realize that you still remember some things. I’m delighted to know this has encouraged you to continue! Thank you for stopping by! 😊
Beyond bonjour, let’s see how far this takes me😂😂
I’ll stay posted.
Hi Dipo! Haha. You would definitely pick up more words along the line. Thank you for stopping by! 😊
Fantastic!! I’m a sucker for learning new languages. I remember seeing you consistently listening to your podcasts in the car and was always really impressed by your determination and focus.
I guess this will make me try learning because In the world we live in presently being bi or multilingual will take you places you can never imagine.
With the help of this blog I will now put in more effort and see where this takes me.
Thanks once again for this.
Hi Bayo! Can’t believe you still remember! 😄 You’re very right about languages taking you places seeing as we live in a global village. I’m thrilled to have you here and certain you’d learn more. Thank you so much for stopping by! 🤗
Great piece.
I am intentional about speaking French for several reasons- from jobs to travel to food and everything else.
Hi Buchi! We share some of the same reasons. Learning French really opened my eyes to a whole new world. Thank you so much for stopping by!😊
Don i don’t need a trip to Abuja to learn. Perfect!
Hi Tony! Hahaha. No you don’t seeing as I’m right here. Thank you for stopping by! 😊
Thanks for sharing. i was in french school in abuja and i found a wife and forgot the language. trying hard to pick up but life with kids isnt easy. Thanks for the encouragement. i feel challenged.
Hi Kingsley! You’re most welcome! So happy to have given you the push you needed. Keep me abreast of your journey please and you can also make it fun by teaching your kids French! Thank you for stopping by and look out for periodic blog posts! 😊
This is nice. Now I feel more motivated than ever before. I love French and would like to have a mastery of the language. I used to have an accountability partner but he slacked along the way. Maybe it’s because I forced it on him.
I have only learnt basic French for 2 weeks and can conveniently make small conversations. Thanks to a friend who gave me the materials I am using.
I have also made friends with people in French speaking countries to push my limit further and I’m giving myself 3 months to advance in both writing, speaking and hearing.
Salut Lolade! Yaay! Glad to see you’re motivated to continue learning this amazing language. That’s an amazing goal. Do keep it up and I’d love to hear about your progress 3 months from now! 😊
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Bonsoir! Thank you.