Where can I learn to speak French outside of school?
French is a Romance language with approximately 76 million native speakers; approximately 235 million daily, fluent speakers; and another 77–110 million secondary speakers who speak it as a second language to varying degrees of proficiency, primarily in Africa, in addition to another 300 million people worldwide who are “able to speak the language.” French is the sole working language (for example, at the European Union Court of Justice), the 18th most natively spoken language in the world, the 6th most spoken language by a total number of speakers, and the second or third most studied language in the world (with about 120 million current learners).
Students are rarely given enough attention in the classroom to develop their spoken language skills, so the system rarely works effectively. Reading and writing skills are heavily emphasised in school exams, despite the fact that speaking and listening skills are probably the most important of the four! Furthermore, you cannot learn to speak French in school because the emphasis is solely on learning grammar rules. So, if you want to improve your spoken French, you should look outside of the classroom.
Let's look at how you can learn French outside of school!
One-on-one French lessons at a nearby language school. While these can be expensive, I found them to be the most effective way to learn the fundamentals of French because you have a dedicated teacher.
Learn a language for free by using online apps like Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise, Anki, Awabe, Multibhashi, and others. These apps are extremely useful because you can study from them whenever you want and use them whenever you have free time. The apps also keep you interested in the subject by presenting you with interesting quizzes.
Read comic/ storybooks or magazines, books, articles that interest you loudly in front of mirror your pet or a plant, to practise. Learn it the fun way by playing video games, listening to podcasts, Spotify playlists, audiobooks and so on. It’s not only a fun way to learn but also helps you learn about their culture.
Find conversation partners at italki, Hello Learner, Tandem etc, for yourself through online language exchange programmes; they will keep you motivated by challenging you every day, even if you are not motivated.
Employ the shadowing technique and speak the dialogues along with the French speakers while watching a French movie with subtitles in English.
Taking the immersion route!
You could also spend some time in France or another francophone country! This is highly recommended once you have a basic understanding of a language. You may feel out of your element at first, but it is a fantastic way to quickly improve your French.
Participate in exchange programmes.
Find an outside company that can assist you in finding a French host family to stay with during the holidays.
Explore experimenting with a variety of YouTube channels, including but not limited to Learn French with Alexa and Learn French with VINCENT.
Finally,
France has earned the most Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country in the world. It has some of Europe’s top universities, making it an appealing country for further studies. However, basic knowledge of French is expected for admission to the majority of public universities. France is now one of the world’s most popular international tourist destinations, with over 100 million visitors per year to see world-famous attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Lovre Museum, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, the Palace of Versailles, and famous sports stadiums.
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