The shortest path to learning French
The best way to learn a language quickly is to immerse yourself in it. There are many good ways to do this, and in this guide you’ll find some advice. Tips include studying in France, taking French lessons at home, attending French courses, reading French and getting out there to talk to people.
Immerse yourself in French by studying in France
If you can do it, there’s no quicker way to get to grips with French than by going to study in France. There are plenty of schools dotted all over the country where you can immerse yourself in the language.
You’ll receive expert tuition and meet like-minded people who you can practise your new skills with. Add to that the fact that you’ll have to communicate in French to get by on a day to day basis and you’ll pick things up very quickly. Websites such as ESL UK provide information about various language courses on offer abroad.
Attend French lessons in your home country
It won’t be practical or financially viable for everyone to study the French language in France. Without doubt, the next best thing is to take French lessons in your own country.
Contact your local language school and enrol on a course to improve your French. Whether you want it for travel, business or just as an interest, you’ll learn quickly on a French course. You’ll also meet like-minded people to chat with, just like when you study abroad.
Reading books and watching TV
You can learn basic French from a text book and then build on those skills by reading other books. This means reading novels and other publications where the language used is more informal. This will help you get to grips with everyday words and phrases that are used in conversational French.Another good way to learn is to watch French TV programmes and films. If you’ve got a film with subtitles, you can watch it with the subtitles and follow along. Every now and then switch the subtitles off and test yourself to see how much you understood.
Use audio or internet programmes
Learning French independently is not as effective as it would be if you were attending classes. However, there are a number of audio and internet programmes you can follow. Whichever you opt for, you’ll need to supplement your learning by finding people you can communicate with in French.
Talk to people
As soon as you’ve got a grip of the basics, get out there and talk to people in French. That could be the people who you are studying with or people in the street. If you’re taking French language courses in France this will be easy, and if you’re taking lessons at home you can practise on fellow students. If you’re doing it another way you’ll have to actively seek people out, maybe in French restaurants and shops.
Resource box
French tourist office The official site of French tourism board
Languages French The BBC’s section on the French language
France Diplomatie All you need to know about studying in France
