Recommendations - to learn French

Thank you so much for all your suggestions - and so quickly !

How wonderful you Gransnetters are ?
I’m going to get a notebook and write them all down so I can investigate them.
I haven’t heard of the memory programme on the tv but I need to look at that, as I lost a baked potato I’d just cooked the other week.

Golly there are certainly some proficient and talented linguists on here ! I admire all of you !

I can’t do a physical class as I can’t walk properly, and I couldn’t sit for a length of time.
I’m not worried about the cost of a course as it’s an investment, although if money were no object I’d be trying to entice one of you ex pats or Elianne to come round.
A Gransnet French club is a stroke of genius although I’ll probably be just watching ! All this talk of grammar etc nearly made me faint !

Personally, I have not found language classes run by Adult Community Learning or similar for any language that helpful. Participants tend to have too wide a range of abilities, lesson get bogged down with people stressing over tenses and conjugation and not enough emphasis on speaking even if one does make mistakes. Plus the perennial problem of student drop out and classes folding early due to lack of numbers.

I do realise that structure and grammar is important but that's not how we first start to learn our native language. Being understood, however haltingly and inaccurate is the most important thing.

What I've found helpful, enjoyable and social is a French Circle if you have one locally or can get to one. A mix of native French and English speakers but all Francophiles.

Pivotal to our local group are les soirées or conversation evenings where we just chat in French, some proficiently, some bumbly, over coffee, wine and nibbles. I'm somewhere in the middling to bumbly end of the scale depending on the topic but there is always someone to help.

I think the best way to learn a language is to immerse oneself in it even if unable to get to France or a French-speaking country. French Circle, France Culture radio and French cinema and TV are good substitutes.

Ellianne

PS Is there a trip to Paris for us please?

Good idea.
It will need to be virtual though.
Are you aware of Google street view?
If readers want to use the wonders of Google street view and are stuck, well, I can help out there (free)

Me voici ElderlyPerson.

Ellianne

Call me Madame Gazelle anna7! I'll be back in a bit to answer you, and any other requests!
Got to take GCs to school for the last day.

I put Peppa Pig on on Channel 5 one day some years ago so as to see what it was all about as I had seen Peppa Pig computer programs on sale in the supermarket*. and I was just watching

Suddenly a little boy called out to the teacher "Madame Gazelle" and I noticed the long horns on the teacher.

I laughed out loud, it seemed hilarious.

*Yes, computer programs on sale in the supermarket. What would suggesting that possibility have sounded like in the early 1970s before the first microprocessor was launched?

Merci EP.

If you're a beginner or a "near beginner", I would recommend using a structured course rather than random YouTube videos and trying to watch French TV/films.

I'm learning Norwegian with Duolingo, but find it incredibly boring.

The best French course in my opinion is "Façon de Parler", which includes a workbook and DVDs. Unfortunately, it's a bit expensive but worth it, if you think you'll stick at it. Don't go for the courses which promise that you'll be speaking French in three months. You need at least two years.

PS. I teach French to all ages.

Don't be frightened of verbs anna7. Admittedly people get hung up on them because you can't form a sentence without them, but if you learn the rules then it might be easier than scrabbling about and forgetting. You say you are ok with the present and past, so that's really good already. For future and conditional make sure you know the infinitives, and just add the avoir bits for the future . As someone suggested, start with common verbs you learnt at school like manger to give je manger*ai*, or finir to give je finir*ai*, vendre to give je vendr*ai*. Then tackle the irregular tricky ones like faire to give je fer*ai*, aller to give j'ir*ai*, voir to give je verr*ai*. Notice that because you already know about the avoir endings, half the future tense job is done already and you only now have to bother about the beginning part of the word. Je serai (être) and j'aurai (avoir) are vitally important and concentration is needed for the modal verbs, especially devoir.
The Conditional is similar just slap on the imperfect endings ais je mangerais etc.
Some people find it boring and tiresome because they just sit down to learn tables of verbs, followed by worksheets. Once I think I know the rules, I prefer to get up and talk to the dog saying, "demain j'irai aux magasins et j'acheterai ..... après tu ferras ton promenade, le facteur viendra avec les paquets et nous mangerons à midi. And so on making a little scenario. Make it meaningful to you. Otherwise pin a list by the loo and go through it several times a day!

Lucca

anna7

I have been working my way through duolingo all though lockdown. I would love a French cafe too. I was advised to watch Peppa Pig in French because it's clear, simple French. I have become a bit disheartened with trying to get to grips with the French verbs though lately. I'm ok with present and past but struggling remembering the rest. Any tips Ellianne? (Sorry to hijack your thread Infinity2)

Which past tense Anna ? There are a few. It’s so long since I taught French to recommend a good grammar book but it’s worth searching you tube for good PowerPoints, quizlet is quite good for vocabulary etc practising.

I don't quite know why, but I just loved all those circumflex accents in the Past Historic.

My Dad a real Francophile always kept his radio tuned to 'France Intern' (I think, I'm not sure of spelling). He found it very helpful to 'get his ear in' as it were.

Ellianne

^If you and maybe others are interested in having a French café thread in Gransnet that could be good.^
Great idea ElderlyPerson, bring it on! Do we get to eat croissants while chatting en français? I'm more than happy to help having taught French to young children from age 5 through to adults.
I do admire people that can speak more than one language. Sometimes it just happens cornishpasty. No boasting here, I speak 4 languages, but struggle to add 3 + 2.
Great ideas on here. Just remember, it is proven that learning a new language keeps dementia away!

www.gransnet.com/forums/chat/1298889-Le-Caf-des-flamants-roses-crivez-seulement-en-fran-ais-si-possible

@lucca I'm ok with passse compose I think, but the rest! Present conditional , future indicatif, imperfect etc. I just can't stick them in my head. I think I've got it and then when I come back to them I'm lost again. I have the verbsquirt app, which is useful. The problem is , I think, that I find it boring so I get lazy and give up. I need a plan. I will look at quizlet , thanks and you tube.

Lucca

anna7

I have been working my way through duolingo all though lockdown. I would love a French cafe too. I was advised to watch Peppa Pig in French because it's clear, simple French. I have become a bit disheartened with trying to get to grips with the French verbs though lately. I'm ok with present and past but struggling remembering the rest. Any tips Ellianne? (Sorry to hijack your thread Infinity2)

Which past tense Anna ? There are a few. It’s so long since I taught French to recommend a good grammar book but it’s worth searching you tube for good PowerPoints, quizlet is quite good for vocabulary etc practising.

I had a quick look at Quizlet. Example here. Mme Page is an ex colleague and v good !
Explore !

Michel Thomas is/was the absolute bees' knees when it comes to learning a language - expensive but very much worth it.

anna7

I have been working my way through duolingo all though lockdown. I would love a French cafe too. I was advised to watch Peppa Pig in French because it's clear, simple French. I have become a bit disheartened with trying to get to grips with the French verbs though lately. I'm ok with present and past but struggling remembering the rest. Any tips Ellianne? (Sorry to hijack your thread Infinity2)

Which past tense Anna ? There are a few. It’s so long since I taught French to recommend a good grammar book but it’s worth searching you tube for good PowerPoints, quizlet is quite good for vocabulary etc practising.

Have you been watching 'Can I Improve My Memory' on Channel 4 Thursdays at 8pm?
Celebrities have been taught amazing memory techniques with great results. I believe episode 4 will set them the challenge of learning a different language in a week. It will be interesting to see how it is done! You might learn some tips.

Many years ago I learnt a little Spanish using cassette tapes in the car but didn't persevere.

I wish you luck, hope you enjoy yourself.

Call me Madame Gazelle anna7! I'll be back in a bit to answer you, and any other requests!
Got to take GCs to school for the last day.

Michael Thomas CD’s are good. Listening to well known ‘pop’ songs you know the words to, in French. French children’s TV/DVD’s and books too.

I have been working my way through duolingo all though lockdown. I would love a French cafe too. I was advised to watch Peppa Pig in French because it's clear, simple French. I have become a bit disheartened with trying to get to grips with the French verbs though lately. I'm ok with present and past but struggling remembering the rest. Any tips Ellianne? (Sorry to hijack your thread Infinity2)

I would echo the suggestion to do an adult Ed class if you have access to that in your area. More sociable .

I also echo what Ellianne says. I speak several languages too but was and am hopeless at anything mathematical or scientific, just as I can do cryptic crosswords but not even the easiest Sudoku.

Can I suggest joining a REAL beginners class.
Try to get a course that starts in the morning or early afternoon and runs monday to friday for four/five/six weeks.
for about three hours. The evening class's for approx one hour a week is not a good idea in my opinion.As most of us get tired in the evening and another event could crop up.Good luck.

PS Is there a trip to Paris for us please?

If you and maybe others are interested in having a French café thread in Gransnet that could be good.
Great idea ElderlyPerson, bring it on! Do we get to eat croissants while chatting en français? I'm more than happy to help having taught French to young children from age 5 through to adults.
I do admire people that can speak more than one language. Sometimes it just happens cornishpasty. No boasting here, I speak 4 languages, but struggle to add 3 + 2.
Great ideas on here. Just remember, it is proven that learning a new language keeps dementia away!

It is a shame about not being able to use an app because Duolingo is excellent. If not, the Michel Thomas CDs are pretty good if you can still get them.
Netflix in French with French subtitles is helpful. The radio is too hard I think. If you watch clips of TV from fifty or so years ago the language is easier to follow, modern French is much faster.
I live in France and speak it pretty fluently, but have learnt Spanish using the methods above.

geekesse

Once you have the basics, try watching dvds of films / tv series that you already know well, with the language set to French. So much of understanding and speaking a language is about tuning your ear in, and that’s a fun way to do it.

Good idea, geekesse. I'd also rcommend trying radio station France Culture to tune the ear, France's version of Radio 4. You may only recognise one word in ten at first but the more you listen the more you understand.

www.franceculture.fr/

The Europan Bookshop London had a very good selection of books. You might try Easy Readers, simplified versions of well-know novels or children's stories to start.

www.europeanbookshop.com/results.php?title=easy+readers&publisheddate=999999&search_bargains=&_searchtype=quick&subject%5B%5D=FRE&_search=1