Learning French

[ZephyrusX]

I am trying to teach my self French. I've taken a introductory course at my university and I was able to pick up on it pretty fast, but I've forgotten most of what I had learned. The plan is to re-teach my self the basic grammar and vocabulary so that I can hold decent conversations in French.

So... Do you know any good online resources for learning French? I've already found a couple, but I figured I'd throw this out here just in case I find better resources

[supertom]

Have you looked at michel thomas products, I heard a spanish beginner product only twice and i Still remember it despiting not having used any spanish since listening to the product almost two years, he doesnt use memorization just problem solving. He was in a doc where he taught 6 graders french in 5 days.

[ZephyrusX]

No, I haven't. Thanks for the reply. I'll check it out

[cacheborn]

Some sites I use.

Learn French Online for Free: Phrases, Vocabulary, Grammar, Pronunciation, & Listening Resources - Free MP3s and Exercises ? Basic French ? French Phrases

Also,

YouTube - ‪Basic French Lesson #1‬‏

BASIC FRENCH LESSONS

The blog is not updated so frequently.
Bon chance.

[aelle]

Free courses (developped by the US gov, now in the public domain): FSI Language Courses - Home

I hear great things about Live Mocha, although I haven't used it personally.

[ZephyrusX]

Thanks cache and aelle.

I've only had time to look at a couple of links, but they look really helpful.

[Velorien]

If you're looking for useful articles and resources on self-study of any language, AJATT: All Japanese All The Time is an excellent place to go. All you have to do is skip the parts on kanji study, and then replace "Japanese" with "French" - there's a vast amount of advice on how to succeed in language self-study that applies to all learners. (for reference, the author got himself from zero to fluency in Japanese in 18 months without leaving the USA, and is now working in Japan, so he knows what he's talking about)

[sweety]

has anyone tried Rosetta stone? i also want to learn French,i have tried some online sites but seems like the content isn't enough

[growingmom]

about.com has a really good french grammar/vocab section

Free French Lessons - Learn French at About - Learn, Speak, Teach French - How to Speak French

[Cochonette]

I taught myself French online. I'd say I am semi-fluent, and I have never taken a class or been to a Francophone country. My best resources were french.about.com and RFI en français facile sur rfi.fr. I mostly learned via practice - that's why I don't forget. I chatted with a lot of people in French online and read a lot. Japanese, on the other hand, I learned in a class. I can't remember much.

[ZephyrusX]

Thanks for this

Originally Posted by Velorien

If you're looking for useful articles and resources on self-study of any language, AJATT: All Japanese All The Time is an excellent place to go. All you have to do is skip the parts on kanji study, and then replace "Japanese" with "French" - there's a vast amount of advice on how to succeed in language self-study that applies to all learners. (for reference, the author got himself from zero to fluency in Japanese in 18 months without leaving the USA, and is now working in Japan, so he knows what he's talking about)

And thanks for the other replies. Coco - yah, the reason why I forgot my French was because I never practiced it after my course. I'll have to make more of an effort to practice speaking and listening to conversations in French. My brother learned French in Montreal, so I can practice on him

sweety, I've heard of Rosetta Stone, but it is really expensive. There are so many resources online. I honestly don't think you need to buy Rosetta Stone in order to learn French.

[Cochonette]

Originally Posted by ZephyrusX

Coco - yah, the reason why I forgot my French was because I never practiced it after my course. I'll have to make more of an effort to practice speaking and listening to conversations in French. My brother learned French in Montreal, so I can practice on him

Yeah, my mom's partner learned it in Montreal, and I practiced with him. He mostly helped me practice very basic phrases over and over. After that, he wasn't very helpful.

I learned words and grammar as I was using them. I would be chatting with someone in French and look up the words I needed. I'd read a news article and look up the words that I saw the most but didn't know... and I read books and learned the words from context.

Originally Posted by ZephyrusX

sweety, I've heard of Rosetta Stone, but it is really expensive. There are so many resources online. I honestly don't think you need to buy Rosetta Stone in order to learn French.

Totally agree. I don't trust such resources anyway, and I never spent a dime on learning French. Well, except for one French novel I bought.

[Sai]

I would recommend the Michel Thomas courses too. As for Rosetta Stone, I recall that language hacker Tim Ferriss hates it, something about its basic approach being flawed, that you can't learn language the way you did as a child. It's far more effective if you learn to translate in your head. Then it means you can produce it. I think that's what he said; it's been a while back.

Speaking of Tim Ferriss, here are some articles by him on hacking languages if you haven't read them already:
How to Resurrect Your High School Spanish… or Any Language (Plus: Be on the CBS Early Show!)
How to Learn (But Not Master) Any Language in 1 Hour (Plus: A Favor)
Why Language Classes Don’t Work: How to Cut Classes and Double Your Learning Rate (Plus: Madrid Update)
How to Learn Any Language in 3 Months

Good luck!

[Angelique]

Don't forget stories and music, too!

[Weena]

Originally Posted by Angelique

Don't forget stories and music, too!

+1 for Carla Bruni

For witty/funny song, check out Thomas Fersen too: Hyacinthe (Music Video) Video | Thomas Fersen | Contactmusic.com

[alexb5784]

I highly recommend the French learning system Assmil to learn any language. I studied at a University in France and took a French course for foreign students. But I was the class clown and used whatever I learned to tell jokes. Everyday I had the class rolling in laughter, even the teacher

Seriously though, Assimil works wonderfully, I use it everyday. In fact I'm doing a review lesson tonight! My Godmother is French and an English professor outside Paris and she bought the system for me when I was 19. At 30, I haven't switched to another program yet. I tried Busuu.com the other day, but found the system to be terribly slow and boring. But that's just me, you might like it. Maybe I might give it another chance

Here's the website for Assimil: Assimil ? éditeur de méthodes de langues étrangères
Here's where you can buy it from Amazon.com: Amazon.com: New French With Ease (Assimil Method Books - Book and CD Edition)) (9782700520132): Anthony Bulger: Books

I also watch France 2 to practice my listening skills. Sometimes I watch TV5, which is a French language channel out of Quebec.

Let me know if this helps

Another reason why I'm keeping up on my French is because I need fluency in order to present papers at medical conferences and speak with French researchers. I love France, it's my second home and I always want be able to stay connected to it, even if for a couple of months a year.

I think I'm addicted to smiley faces, lol ....I did it again!!!

[alexb5784]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

I taught myself French online. I'd say I am semi-fluent, and I have never taken a class or been to a Francophone country. My best resources were french.about.com and RFI en français facile sur rfi.fr. I mostly learned via practice - that's why I don't forget. I chatted with a lot of people in French online and read a lot. Japanese, on the other hand, I learned in a class. I can't remember much.

Yeah, I here you about learning in a formal classroom. I took a Russian class once and all I remember is how to say Понимаете ли вы Россию? (Do you understand Russian?), брюки (pants), and да (Yes). That's it. I think I spent most of my time in that class thinking about my Anthropology coursework. And boy was that Anthropology class boring, so you know the Russian class couldn't have been much better, lol

[cacheborn]

A French fairy tale. Note that it's not necessary to understand all the plot complexities.

Once upon a time... on Vimeo

[Velorien]

Originally Posted by alexb5784

Yeah, I here you about learning in a formal classroom. I took a Russian class once and all I remember is how to say Понимаете ли вы Россию? (Do you understand Russian?), брюки (pants), and да (Yes). That's it. I think I spent most of my time in that class thinking about my Anthropology coursework. And boy was that Anthropology class boring, so you know the Russian class couldn't have been much better, lol

Evidently, that class had more problems than just being boring. Понимаете ли вы Россию? means "Do you understand Russia?"

[Neobian]

I highly recommend finding a French speaking friend nearby or online and use skype or even text chat with him in French, it will boost the progress.

To start with, find some French who is learning English so both can improve and stay in touch with new language.

[Velorien]

On the off-chance that you're in London, Language Chain - language exchange with native speakers in London is a godsend for following Neobian's advice. If not, it might be worth your while to check if there are any such schemes in your area.

[C33]

I used to teach French. One of the things I found out tripped the students the most was not knowing the key basic verbs:

To be - être
To have - avoir
To go - aller

With to have and to be, you can form the past tense, with to go, the future just like in English: I'm going to wash the dishes.

You should know these verbs like the back of your hand. A good way to memorize them is to use them in the affirmative, negative, interrogative.

Ex:
Etre: Je suis, je ne suis pas, suis-je?

Have a French native make a tape for you, if you can.

One thing that's great too, is to buy ( Amazon France or Canada) books for pre- schoolers of the native language.

Bonne chance!

[Angelique]

Originally Posted by C33

I used to teach French. One of the things I found out tripped the students the most was not knowing the key basic verbs:

To be - être
To have - avoir
To go - aller

With to have and to be, you can form the past tense, with to go, the future just like in English: I'm going to wash the dishes.

You should know these verbs like the back of your hand. A good way to memorize them is to use them in the affirmative, negative, interrogative.

Ex:
Etre: Je suis, je ne suis pas, suis-je?

Have a French native make a tape for you, if you can.

One thing that's great too, is to buy ( Amazon France or Canada) books for pre- schoolers of the native language.

Bonne chance!

Thank you! I've been trying to figure out a way to get to the basics of self-expression from products catered to children. Amazon didn't even occur to me. Ha! Beats boring grammar books.

[ZephyrusX]

Thanks for all the replies.

Originally Posted by Velorien

On the off-chance that you're in London, Language Chain - language exchange with native speakers in London is a godsend for following Neobian's advice. If not, it might be worth your while to check if there are any such schemes in your area.

I know there are a few programs in Montreal and there is a program sponsored by the federal government. They are not really something I can realistic participate in right now though (I live on the opposite side of the country). The university might have some mentorship programs though. In general, I don't really have trouble learning how to write and read French (I was able to pick up on it fast in the past). I just have trouble listening and replying in French, so I'll need to find somone to talk to. One of my co-workers is from Quebec actually. I'll practice on her

[cacheborn]

Found another good resource while doing my lessons today.

Tex's French Grammar

[Clint Cora]

To do decent conversations in any language, you need more than online courses. You need time with native speakers. Maybe there are tutors or even students who speak good French and can do sessions with you. This would be real world and they can correct you immediately as you go.

[ZephyrusX]

Thanks Cachy

Originally Posted by cacheborn

Found another good resource while doing my lessons today.

Tex's French Grammar

[TueurAxR]

I'm at a (very) beginner's stage in French at the moment, and I've decided to use the LingQ online service. I really like the fact that you can listen to a copious amount of dialogue, along with the text and translation of it at your disposal, on the same page. Plus you can highlight the words that you don't know yet, while accumulating a list of those that you do. It seems to me a very natural form of learning a language as opposed to a direct (word-word) flashcard type of method. I hope to actually think in French and not have to translate everything in my mind, before speaking. You should check it out and add me as a friend if you'd like to have a friendly competition, and see who can learn (read-speak) fastest

http://www.lingq.com/learn/fr/welcome/

[Dulma]

What I do is read as many blogs in French as I can find, listen to French music, watch films (preferably children's or ones I've already seen) in French with subtitles, talk to as many French people as circumstances permit, read rather simple books in French (Le Petit Prince, L'Etranger, Harry Potter, etc.), and just talk to myself in French all the time, by myself and in public, like a nut.

Immersion is critical, the specific programs and resources you choose to immerse yourself in are secondary, in my opinion.

Edit: Also, try iTunes podcasts and radio stations in French. Awesome resources because they're free, abundant, and potentially portable.

[ZephyrusX]

Thanks. I'll check it out some time, and if I like it, I'll add you as a friend.

Originally Posted by TueurAxR

I'm at a (very) beginner's stage in French at the moment, and I've decided to use the LingQ online service. I really like the fact that you can listen to a copious amount of dialogue, along with the text and translation of it at your disposal, on the same page. Plus you can highlight the words that you don't know yet, while accumulating a list of those that you do. It seems to me a very natural form of learning a language as opposed to a direct (word-word) flashcard type of method. I hope to actually think in French and not have to translate everything in my mind, before speaking. You should check it out and add me as a friend if you'd like to have a friendly competition, and see who can learn (read-speak) fastest

http://www.lingq.com/learn/fr/welcome/

Originally Posted by Dulma

Immersion is critical, the specific programs and resources you choose to immerse yourself in are secondary, in my opinion.

Yes, this makes sense. I can find lots of French material to read and to listen to. Actually speaking and thinking in French is a little bit trickier. But hey, I've been talking to the cat in French!