What is the best way of self-learning French?
French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, being official in 29 countries. It is one of the many Romance languages and it is also known as the language of love. French is not a very difficult language which most people will try to convince you to believe. At the same time, French reading isn’t quite as straightforward as other Romance languages you may have studied, or heard of. Unless you approach it in the right manner.
The best way to learn French is to first start off by figuring out your own goals and then formulating a plan from there. To define your fluency goals and develop realistic expectations is extremely vital to your learning process. It’s also a great way to set realistic goals and determine an achievable plan for reaching them.
So what can you do to help yourself progress?
1. Practice daily
While this seems extremely obvious, It can be easy to forget this step. It is important to remember that daily writing and reading practice is vital to your growth. So, every day pick a paragraph from a book, first read it then
write it.
2. Speak to yourself
While this might sound odd but speaking to yourself will actually benefit you a lot in the long run. So, as you practice your writing and your reading, go up to a mirror and try pronouncing the words like you’re in a real conversation as well. This will also help you gain a lot of confidence.
3. Entertain yourself
No language can be learnt if you get bored with it.
French is no stranger to this notion and therefore it becomes highly important that you keep yourself entertained as well. You can watch French movies with subtitles or listen to French music and even listen to French podcasts. As long as you stay motivated, anything that you watch or listen to in French is good.
4. Converse
While this might sound scary, hold on. First of all, if you’ve followed the 3 previous steps then you should already be a little comfortable speaking to a third person. If you’re still uncomfortable then honestly conversing with someone is the best way to gain confidence.
Talk to someone who knows French so that you can figure out your areas of improvement and you can also ask for feedback to rectify your mistakes.
5. Stay Dedicated
It is easy for us to slack off when we don’t have any deadlines or pressure on us. While self-learning definitely reduces the burden and stress that normal classes would have, it is important to not derail from your previously formulated plan. Stick to the rigid plan and stay focused and dedicated.
Finally,
These are some of those steps that you can incorporate in your self-learning process. French is a rather easy language to learn when compared to Arabic or Chinese but that doesn’t mean it is extremely easy either. If you underestimate the language, chances are you’ll eventually lose interest in learning it because it is not as easy as you presumed it to be. Keep clear goals and mind and you’ll master this language in no time.