Introduction:

French is a beautiful language. And it’s increasingly popular to learn. Thanks to France’s rich history and influence, the language hides a fascinating background too. Learning about this can help you appreciate the language even more. With nearly 80 million native speakers and over 274 million speakers worldwide, French is one of the most popular languages in the world. In fact, French is the official language of 29 countries and is the sixth most spoken language in the world. 

The United Nations works in six different languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, and French. But French is also the official working language of other international institutions too. In the European Union, it’s one of three procedural languages, along with German and English. But, the list doesn’t end there. French is also a working language for many international organizations such as UNESCO, WHO, NATO, and others.

Learning French, like any other new language, implies a lot of memorization, and often, as adults, our memory is not what it used to be. So what is the best way to learn French? 

Mine These 6 tips will help you memorize new information longer, and learn French more efficiently.

Let’s start with one truth that many French students don’t realize but which is key if you want to do more than just read novels or French magazines.

Written French and spoken French are almost two different languages.

There are many silent letters, glidings, liaisons, etc. and they are everywhere, including in French verb conjugations and grammar.

Many students are still learning French mostly with written material, or traditional methods that over enunciate every single word.

Formal school curriculum usually focuses on grammar and verb conjugations – the teachers don’t have a choice: they have to cover the imposed curriculum, and that leaves little time for anything else!

Now let’s talk about your own study style.

• Be In Touch With Your Own Learning Style

Do you need to write? Or do you need to listen? Or do you need to read to learn things by heart?

Whatever the method you are using to learn French, make sure you adapt it to YOUR learning style.

This being said, studying French with audio is a must if you want to learn French to communicate: understand modern spoken French and speak French yourself.

• Self Studying Is Not For Everybody

When it comes to learning languages, not everybody is the same. I’ve taught hundreds of students, and I can tell you from experience that some people have an easier time with languages than others. It’s not fair, and it’s not popular to say it… but it’s true.

It doesn’t mean that someone less gifted cannot learn French, but it means that self-studying is not for everybody.

Some students need the expertise of a teacher to guide them through their studies, motivate them and find creative ways to explain the same point until it is understood.

• Translate French Into English As Little As Possible

When you are a total beginner, some translation is going to occur. As you advance in your French studies, try as much as possible to avoid translating.

Translating adds a huge step in the process of speaking:

Idea –> English –> French

versus just

idea –>French

It makes your brain waste 30% more time and energy and will fool you into making a mistake when the literal translation doesn’t work – which is unfortunately often the case in French!

• Avoid Writing In Your Head

Many students “write” French in their heads before they speak. However, in French, may letter are silent, like the “ent” of the “ils” form, or the é sound at the end of a verb: parler, parlez, parlé, parlée, parlés, parlées. Writing in your head a huge waste of time and may lead to being scared to speak French.

• Prioritize

Often, to make learning more fun, many teachers try to present a text, a story. At least I do, as much as possible.

If your memory is great, go ahead and memorize everything!

But if it’s not the case, PRIORITIZE: what words in this story are YOU likely to use? Focus on learning these first, then revisit the story once you’ve mastered your first list.

The same logic applies to tenses: in conversation, most of the time we use the present indicative. So focus on the present when studying your French verb conjugations, and then move on to adjectives, essential vocabulary, asking questions, pronouns… things that will make an immediate difference in your ability to converse in French.

• Study French Regularly, For A Short Time, Not All In One Sitting

If you study French all afternoon,  chances are that you’ll exhaust yourself, and are much more likely to get frustrated, lose your motivation or attention.

Spending 15-30 minutes a day learning French – not multitasking but with 100% of your attention – will get you better results than two hours during the weekend with the kids playing in the background.

• Review – Repetition Is The Key!

This is probably the number one mistake students make.

They concentrate on learning new material and forget to review the older one.

Rule of thumb: for each hour spent learning new things, you need to spend a minimum of one hour reviewing older things.

Repetition is the key!