If you want to learn French the best place to study and practice the language is obviously where it is spoken, so France (and Annecy specifically) is the perfect location. This is where you get the chance of hearing local people speaking in their native tongue. Where better could there be for you to hear exactly how to pronounce French words and to try out your own command of the language? Of course, it is possible to learn French without going to France. Let’s take a look at some of the best tips for learning french.
Tip Number 1: Regular Study
One of the most important tips for learning French is to study the language on a very regular basis. If you are in France or a French-speaking country you can try chatting with local people in their own tongue and hear how they sound the words. Regular study also includes learning from books, videos or DVDs and a very good way to ensure you learn French is by taking a course in it, and if the French language course you are enrolled on is held in France then it is even better.
Being enrolled for French classes is an excellent way to make sure you are studying on a regular basis, and with professional teachers to help you and to monitor your progress. Of course, you can take classes in French at colleges and schools in many parts of the world.
Tip Number 2: Listen to French
Hearing how French words are pronounced is most important when learning to speak this language. There are silent letters in many words and this can be confusing for newcomers to French. Listening to how French people speak is the best way to get used to the correct pronunciations of words. Written and spoken French are very different, and while you may well be able to read the language in French books and magazines, understanding it when you hear it can be a struggle.
Tuning in to French radio stations is an excellent way to listen to the spoken language.
French audiobooks are another excellent tool for studying the language. With these you can find out how much you can understand from listening to a book being read.
Tip Number 3: Watch French movies
Watching movies in French is a very good way of hearing the language and the visual images you see help you to remember the words you are hearing. Of course, watching French TV is just as good.
Tip Number 4: Learn the Gender
French has masculine and feminine nouns so it is very important to learn the gender of the subjects of our conversation. The definite articles and adjectives have specific gender forms too that are used with words they correspond to. For example, une belle femme is “a pretty woman” and un bel homme means “a handsome man.”
Tip Number 5: Get a good French Dictionary
A good French dictionary is invaluable too. Not only can you look up all the words you don’t know but you can brush up on your grammar at the same time because most dictionaries have sections detailing the correct use of verbs and pronouns.
Tip Number 6: Find some French friends
Last but certainly not least, an excellent way to learn French is to make friends with some French-speakers. Then you can ask them to help you learn to Parler en français.
IFALPES international student meet regularly French students from our partner university IPAC School of Management (www.ipac-france.com) to discuss and exchange.
Students from both schools meet outside school and take part in outing activities such as bowling or meeting up for a drink.
