FabSwingers.com forum: Learning French

By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

Bonjour Mr Bi here .

Been putting alot of effort in recently to improve my French,but now suffering overload .

We even have a tutor, who has helped alot but now I appear to have hit the wall and not retaining it .

Is it because I am trying too hard or just too old to take it all in quickly ?

How did other middle aged fellow fabbers learn ?

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By *oris and doris wolvesCouple
over a year ago

Wolverhampton

Try the duolingo app, it works for me.

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By *exy7Man
over a year ago

Bristol

"Bonjour Mr Bi here .

Been putting alot of effort in recently to improve my French,but now suffering overload .

We even have a tutor, who has helped alot but now I appear to have hit the wall and not retaining it .

Is it because I am trying too hard or just too old to take it all in quickly ?

How did other middle aged fellow fabbers learn ?

It depends what your expectations are. Do you just want to be able to be understood and communicate in shops, restaurants or are you intending to learn French thoroughly with grammar etc..?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Download coffee break French.

15 minute lessons and easy to follow or do what we did and open a restaurant in France with mainly French customers and it brings your French along nicely.

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By *coptoCouple
over a year ago

Côte d'Azur & Great Yarmouth

Don’t over-think it…

I speak German, French and Spanish, and have got by in other countries in which I’ve worked using pidgin Arabic and Bosnian.

But I’m certainly no linguist and if you analyse (or over-think) our own mother tongue we use unbelievably complicated structures without even thinking about it. Consider: “If I had known you were going to the cinema last Monday I would have liked to have gone with you”. You’re talking about a time past, referring to an action to take place later than that, but still in the past etc. My French is good, but if I had to translate that exactly under “exam” conditions I'd fail (I’ve given up after “Si j’avais su...”). But in the real world I’d make myself understood with no problem, the conversation would continue without pause. Similarly, if a non-English speaker asked you “Me want go train station. Is he right or left?” you’d know exactly what he meant.

Use the words and phrases you know, put them in some sort of order, the fluency will come more quickly than you can imagine…

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By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

Thanks all . I have done Duolingo for about 6 months non stop and at a level were it takes me aged to complete and i just focus on completing the days level rather than retaining the info so stopped it and took on the tutor .

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By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

"Download coffee break French.

15 minute lessons and easy to follow or do what we did and open a restaurant in France with mainly French customers and it brings your French along nicely.

Yes I've heard of that . Will try . Thanks

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By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

"Bonjour Mr Bi here .

Been putting alot of effort in recently to improve my French,but now suffering overload .

We even have a tutor, who has helped alot but now I appear to have hit the wall and not retaining it .

Is it because I am trying too hard or just too old to take it all in quickly ?

How did other middle aged fellow fabbers learn ?

It depends what your expectations are. Do you just want to be able to be understood and communicate in shops, restaurants or are you intending to learn French thoroughly with grammar etc..?

Focusing on the spoken French with ordering and shopping, which I can get by on . Until someone asks me something out of the usual.

Duolingo has improved my grammar and recognising words on signs etc . My aim to to get by but not be perfect . Fluent is my aim....

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By *exy7Man
over a year ago

Bristol

"Don’t over-think it…

I speak German, French and Spanish, and have got by in other countries in which I’ve worked using pidgin Arabic and Bosnian.

Use the words and phrases you know, put them in some sort of order, the fluency will come more quickly than you can imagine…"

Si j’avais su que tu allais au cinéma lundi dernier, j’aurais aimé venir avec toi.

. Plue perfect / imperfect / conditional perfect.

The main reason brits find it difficult to learn a foreign language is their lack of understanding of English grammar.

OP, if your objective is to make yourself understood in transactional situations, duolingo is probably ok. However, the best way to learn a language for me is with a proper French textbook that teaches you grammar and makes you progressively more competent. Conversations with a native speakers on a weekly basis are another alternative.

I would avoid phrase books though.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Don’t over-think it…

I speak German, French and Spanish, and have got by in other countries in which I’ve worked using pidgin Arabic and Bosnian.

Use the words and phrases you know, put them in some sort of order, the fluency will come more quickly than you can imagine…

Si j’avais su que tu allais au cinéma lundi dernier, j’aurais aimé venir avec toi.

. Plue perfect / imperfect / conditional perfect.

The main reason brits find it difficult to learn a foreign language is their lack of understanding of English grammar.

I would avoid phrase books though. "

I think you hit it exactly on the nail there. Certainly in my case.

I always thought that I had an excellent grasp of English and still do however; I do not fully understand English grammar.

Having just studied for my TCF, I found myself lost with past imperfect, conditional etc. as I have never needed to understand what I was using daily.

If you intend to be fluent in another language you must have the knowledge to understand your own language.

In my case, I speak good French as I use it daily, living here, but unless I go back to basics, it will never be perfect.

Being immersed in the language goes a great deal towards helping you speak and understand but the only way to fully understand and fluently speak the language is by studying it.

How this helps the OP

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By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

Many thanks to all your help and the direct messages giving me support and hopefully on the right path ..... I may see the light at the end of the tunnel in a few years or more

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Read the news daily that'll keep you motivated

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By *elly39devonCouple
over a year ago

tavistock

I agree, I thought I understood english grammer well but trying to put that into french, I found the best way was to say everything in the present tense with a few ky sentences other than that you can learn , worked for me

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

French radio in the background helps get your ear for la langue

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Bonjour Mr Bi here .

Been putting alot of effort in recently to improve my French,but now suffering overload .

We even have a tutor, who has helped alot but now I appear to have hit the wall and not retaining it .

Is it because I am trying too hard or just too old to take it all in quickly ?

How did other middle aged fellow fabbers learn ?

"
I go paris a lot for work and have gotten lessons too. Lessons only go so far but actually speaking words you know builds confidence and if you can start having conversations... Coffee shop, taxi etc.. the confidence builds. Oh and watch TV.. Canal+ might help. Bonne chance!!

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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago

Dubai & Nottingham

[Removed by poster at 17/11/20 22:59:13]

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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago

Dubai & Nottingham

D'accord avec ci-dessus pour vous y immerger. L'année dernière, j'ai passé beaucoup de temps au Cameroun francophone et en Côte d'Ivoire, cela s'est si bien passé à interagir dans les bars et les cafés que presque personne ne parle anglais. Même la France peut être difficile surtout dans les zones touristiques car tout le monde veut parler anglais. Lorsque je suis vraiment coincé, j'utilise Google Translate sur l'audio et je ne fais que lire le clip à quelqu'un. Je recommanderais également de lire des livres que vous connaissez en français, mon plus jeune a lu tous les livres de harry potter en français récemment

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By *esFranceMan
over a year ago

France

I agree well said x

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By *unroamin40Man
over a year ago

Bradford

Duolingo is the best free App that I've found.

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By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

"Duolingo is the best free App that I've found.

Used it for nearly a year but it's served a purpose but now reached overload

Now listening to coffee break French with my headphones on

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By *i de Bi OP Couple
over a year ago

Leicester

"D'accord avec ci-dessus pour vous y immerger. L'année dernière, j'ai passé beaucoup de temps au Cameroun francophone et en Côte d'Ivoire, cela s'est si bien passé à interagir dans les bars et les cafés que presque personne ne parle anglais. Même la France peut être difficile surtout dans les zones touristiques car tout le monde veut parler anglais. Lorsque je suis vraiment coincé, j'utilise Google Translate sur l'audio et je ne fais que lire le clip à quelqu'un. Je recommanderais également de lire des livres que vous connaissez en français, mon plus jeune a lu tous les livres de harry potter en français récemment"

I was out in Senegal for a time but never really wanted to get into French then . As my security looked after the language barriers

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By *edonistsatplayCouple
over a year ago

Portsmouth, North Brittany, France

Pffft!!! (Gaelic shrug.. lift shoulders, forearms out and invert hands - the only thing that you really need to learn)

'tis easy to get yourself understood in France nes pas...

You just need to speak English VEEERY LOUDLY AND S L O W L Y with an outrageous French accent...............

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Pffft!!! (Gaelic shrug.. lift shoulders, forearms out and invert hands - the only thing that you really need to learn)

'tis easy to get yourself understood in France nes pas...

You just need to speak English VEEERY LOUDLY AND S L O W L Y with an outrageous French accent...............

"
Une peu comme le policier en "Allo Allo".... He was hilarious

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By *arry WindsorMan
over a year ago

Heaton Park Manchester

[Removed by poster at 19/11/20 18:47:17]

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By *arry WindsorMan
over a year ago

Heaton Park Manchester

"[Removed by poster at 19/11/20 18:47:17]"

Gaelic or Gallic. Autocarrot tends to butt in and change things.

Then again where you're from adds the mystery of whether it was accidental or on purpose.

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By *edonistsatplayCouple
over a year ago

Portsmouth, North Brittany, France

"Pffft!!! (Gaelic shrug.. lift shoulders, forearms out and invert hands - the only thing that you really need to learn)

'tis easy to get yourself understood in France nes pas...

You just need to speak English VEEERY LOUDLY AND S L O W L Y with an outrageous French accent...............

Une peu comme le policier en "Allo Allo".... He was hilarious

Actually, I was aiming more along the lines of Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9DCAFUerzs

la vache!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Hi all

Duolingo and memrise are great to start

Than witch to netflix and co with french audio/english subtitle and read books in french

I am french I guess my english is OK and this is how I did to increase it.

Obviously, my english is a bit rusty and I need to brush it uo but I tend to think that I can easily communicate with a native speaker

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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago

Dubai & Nottingham

"Duolingo is the best free App that I've found.

Used it for nearly a year but it's served a purpose but now reached overload

Now listening to coffee break French with my headphones on "

After you have done the basics in Duolingo , the paid version of Rosetta Stone is a good app

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'll try the Duolingo and CBF apps as well. I took French in high school for 4 years in a country where I couldn't, and still can't, use it much sadly. So it all went bye-bye after a year. Looking forward to using the apps.

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By *ompip3Couple
over a year ago

Paisley

I started to learn French in my mid 30's by attending The Alliance Francaise de Glasgow. 3hr night class where you were immersed in the French language and culture. (No English spoken) It really brought my knowledge on quickly and in my opinion better than from any text book or App.

I just googled and I see there is a website https://www.leicesterfrenchcircle.co.uk/ which might be of use to you?

Although no classes I imagine during the pandemic.?

As said above, watch French TV or listening to the radio, will greatly help too.

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By *orrezzMan
over a year ago

dordogne france

best way is to go to the bar every night for a year,,,,french dosent get any better but you sure think it does,,worked for me lol

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By *antra MassageMan
over a year ago

South Side.

When i used commute to work, I listened to French language CDs for 2hours every day in the car.

Also, at home listen to French radio, and TV if you can get it.

While I hated it at the time, I studied Latin for three years, but it gave me a great knowledge of grammar which is useful for French.

I then studied for and sat the DELF, the French Min of Education, A levels, i think. It was slow progress over a few years, but now im quite fluent. Hope that helps.

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By *asques and boxersCouple
over a year ago

Ashford and dept16

As a dyslexic I have used Duolingo for 2 years, I found it helped me with both English and French.

I still cannot tell you a verb or pro nouns(that might not be right). But i now watch a lot of french films and series I pick bits up slowly. I can tell you m'appelle je peux ordre mon bieres et ma femmes vin d'rose. Je voudrais plus mais lentement lentement.

Well something like that.

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By *asques and boxersCouple
over a year ago

Ashford and dept16

Boxer not basque

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By *DW1983Man
over a year ago

Aberdeen, Leeds, Sheffield

I have a degree in French and am a professional writer of English but still would struggle to actually explian the 'why's sometimes.

Others above have recommended some good resources. All I'd add is to not be afraid. Having the basics helps but learning by doing is great too - either by getting involved in conversations, or even simple things like doing shopping lists in French, that way you learn the names of everyday items. Don't be afraid to keep little notes of vocabulary or stick post-it notes on stuff to help you learn. As someone said above, a big hurdle is being able to be understood, even if perfect not your French is be, if results gets it and buy you can what want then already success

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By *aughtyintownMan
over a year ago

Newport

I joined the local AVF (accueil villes /villages françaises) and found them friendly and with a learning English group, so I did a swap and made some friends.

I also asked at the mairie and was put in contact with some welcoming locals.

Mike

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Has anyone tried Babel?

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By *nceuponatimecplCouple
over a year ago

The edge of town

We're watching this thread with interest as we are both starting to learn French for our trip there later this year.

At the moment we're using Google translate & videos on YouTube to learn basic phrases. We also bought "Learn French with Paul Noble" CDs. They are quite good for basic stuff and as I (Hansel) am driving most of the day I had plenty if time to listen to them.

I tried Babel a few years ago for German but found it annoying ad it kept asking you to type in words & pick the correct word from the list. I suppose it works if you are going to sit & give it your undivided attention, but not really suitable for learning while you go about other stuff.

I think the real key would be to find native French speakers to converse with & help to get pronunciation etc, correct.

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By *reatformeatWoman
over a year ago

my own bubble

"We're watching this thread with interest as we are both starting to learn French for our trip there later this year.

I think the real key would be to find native French speakers to converse with & help to get pronunciation etc, correct."

Took me 10 years to speak perfect French although I could speak it within 3 years i found the french were struggling to understand me . Similar to us they have different accents in different areas some being very broad , I now speak perfect peasant french but still not fully understood in Paris .

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By *nceuponatimecplCouple
over a year ago

The edge of town

I doubt I'll ever have perfect French, I'm a quiet sort of gig anyway... As long as I can get by I'll be happy. G would be more of a perfectionist & a lot of her school Fench is coming back so I'll just let her do all the talking for the both of us out there... like most married men really

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By *istalloverCouple
over a year ago

Pays de la Loire -Normandie -Brittany borderFrance

used duo lingo for a while.

Still not found a rich elephant wearing a red dress

We learn from our French wedding guests.

They don't speak a word of English before they go out ,but speak it real well when they come back pissed at 3 am

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Keeping an eye on this, as im keen to learn the french language.

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