Learn French — The Fast, Easy & Fun Way
French is a Romance language that was first spoken in France. It is also spoken in Belgium (Wallonia), Luxembourg, Quebec (Canada), Switzerland (Romandy) and many different countries in Africa (Francophone Africa). About 220 million people speak French as a native or a second language.
French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture. A knowledge of French offers access to great works of literature in the original French, as well as films and songs.
Here are my tips to learn French the fun easy way!
Do Written French Exercises (with an Answer Guide)
Written exercises tend to be the bane of many students’ French learning experiences, but don’t knock this useful practice tool. It helps you make the most of all those grammar rules you try to memorize by ingraining them into the way that you write and speak.
Make and Use French Flashcards
Remember memorizing your algebra equations or periodic table with flashcards? There’s a reason this time-honoured technique has been popular for generations—it works! So when you start wondering how to learn French words and all those confusing irregular verb conjugations, don’t be afraid to go old school. Flashcards are obviously not ideal for all aspects of learning French, but the simpler elements of the language like vocabulary definitions or translations, genders of words and different verb forms can be effectively practiced using homemade flashcards.
Use Songs to Replace French Dictations
The dictée (dictation) is a common exercise for young French children in elementary school. With a dictée they’re ensuring that they learn how to write in French correctly—and it can be just as effective for learning French as a second language! All it takes is a text and someone to read it to you.
Watch French TV and Movies
When you’re learning on your own, learning doesn’t stop when you leave the classroom. Learning French by yourself can extend into your free time as well. Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you do grammar exercises all day and night, but something as simple as kicking back in front of the TV or watching a movie can be helpful for your French language learning.
Write in French with a Goal in Mind
One of the most difficult tasks to accomplish when you’re learning French by yourself can be developing writing skills. You won’t be able to achieve writing perfection all on your own, but you can definitely refine certain skills.The key is writing with a specific goal in mind, such as practicing the simple future or the different uses of the conditional—which is really how French teachers in lower and intermediate levels function as well.
Keep Up With the News
Today’s news media is so widespread that the day’s top news stories make it onto your radar without you even seeking them out! Wouldn’t it be great then if you could learn French while keeping up with the headlines!
Best of all, you don’t even need to visit a newsstand or get a physical subscription to a newspaper or magazine in French. Using online news will not only keep you up to date with current events, but you can learn French at the same time.
Scroll Your Way to Fluency
Have you ever looked into that place in your smartphone settings where you can see a daily breakdown of how long you spend on each app? If you’re anything like me, that is a scary place. In short, I spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and I have a feeling I’m not alone. Instead of feeling bad, turn all that wasted time on its head! Social media and other online activities are great ways to learn French.
For starters, there is a gigantic YouTube community aimed at teaching the French language to beginner and intermediate learners. Some of the best include Learn French with Alexa and Learn French with Vincent, two YouTube channels that offer grammatical tutorials, vocabulary explanations and easy dialogues in French.
Play Games & Master French
At the end of a long day at work or school, playing games is a fun way to relax. They can also be educational and a great way to learn French.
Finally,
French is a great foreign language to learn because you can learn a lot quite quickly. This means you get to the fun stuff like having conversations or engaging with French culture faster. You can make real connections with French people.
So go ahead and start learning today!