1. Always study French with audio
Let’s start with one that many people don’t realise but it 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.
Picking the right audio tool though is essential: a French beginner will be discouraged with a French movie, so picking the right French audiobook is your first challenge, and on your choice may very well depend the success or failure of your French studies.
2. 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 spoken French and speak French yourself.
3. 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.
4. Translate French into English as little as possible
When you are a total beginner, some translation is going to occur but try as much as possible to avoid it. Translating adds a huge step in the process of speaking (“Idea –> English –> French” versus just “idea –>French”). It makes your brain waste time and energy, and will fool you into making a mistake when literal translation doesn’t work.
5. Link to images and visual situations, not English words
So if you don’t translate, what should you do? Try as much as possible to link the new French vocabulary to images, situations, feelings and NOT to English words.
For example, when learning “j’ai froid”, visualise that you are cold, bring up the feeling, not the English words “I – am – cold” – which won’t translate well since we don’t use “I am”, but “I have” in French…
6. Beware of French cognates
This is exactly why you should be particularly careful with cognates – words that are the same in the two languages. Many students approach them thinking “ah, that’s easy, I know that one”. But then when they need to use that word, they don’t remember it’s the same word as in English…
7. Learn French in sentences
Learn the new French vocabulary in a sentence. Like that you will learn “in context”, you’ll remember the situation and words longer, and you’ll already have a series of words that go well together handy for your next French conversation.
8. Make your French examples close to your own world
Let’s say your teacher told you to write some sentences for homework – or maybe let’s imagine you are doing French flashcards.
You want to learn “the black dog” in French. Instead of writing down “Le chien est noir”, look for a black dog you personally know, and write: “le chien de Peter est noir, Fluffy est noir”. (Peter’s dog is black, Fluffy is black). Your brain will remember a sentence describing a truth or a memory much longer than it will remember a sentence of made up facts.
9. Group related vocabulary together
This is the same idea as the concept of learning French in context.
Use larger flashcards and on the same flashcard, write all related French vocabulary as you come across it. You’ll get to the info faster if you have memorised it all together.
10. Don’t try to learn everything = prioritise
Often, to make learning more fun, we try to present a text, a story. At least I do, as much as possible. If your memory is great, go ahead and memorise everything! But if it’s not the case, PRIORITISE: 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.
11. 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 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.
12. 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 one hour reviewing older things.
You can read more about Camille’s French teaching methods, as well as about immersion courses in a teacher’s home and remote learning (via Skype) at www.frenchtoday.com
