Posts Tagged ‘learning french in france’

Parlez-Vous Francais? – Learning French in France

If you want to pick up French as a second or third language, the best way to do so is to go to France. Learning French in France is easier than trying to learn it from a book. While a great many people in France can also speak English, there are many areas of France where the people only speak French. If you want to learn this language in a hurry, the best way to do so is to learn French in France.

Sure, the French speak English…

When you visit France, you can pick up French by visiting an area that is a bit off the beaten path. Many of the people in Paris speak English as well as French. If you visit a city that is a bit away from it all, or a small town, then you will find that many of the people do not speak English. In order for you to communicate with them, you will have to learn French. When you are forced into communication in this manner, you will pick up the language – it is human nature. You should bring along a French-to-English dictionary so that you can get by with a few words. Of course, you are better off if you have a basic concept of the language before you begin.

But then Again…

There are many areas of France where English is not spoken. These are also the most charming and least commercial areas of the country. Not only will you get a chance to learn how to speak French in France by visiting these areas, but you will get a chance to see how the real French people actually live, instead of the version that is shown to tourists. This will give you a chance to experience real French life as well as learn French in France.

Bring out the French Dictionary, Books & Tapes

Before you visit France to learn French, you should try to get a grasp on the language by listening to foreign language tapes or reading a book. You may even want to take a class in French so that you can pick up the language easier. If you once spoke French in school but have not used this language for a while, then you will have to learn it again. Language is not like riding a bike – you do not just pick it right back up after being away from it for a long period of time. You have to use the language in order to retain the information.

Once you get to France, you should make it a habit to only converse in French. This can be easier if you visit an area of the country where not many people speak English. You will be pressured into speaking French in order to communicate with others. The more you have to communicate in a language, the more you will pick it up. This is pretty much like a trial by ordeal, but it does work. If you want to learn a language quickly, the best way to do so is to have to speak it in order to communicate. You will be surprised at how fast you learn.

Do you want to learn how to speak French? Go to LanguageSchoolReviewer.com and see user-provided reviews of language schools in France.

Author: Joe Deacon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace

Learning French in France – Why It’s Not Necessarily the Best Way For You to Learn French

Learning French in France is a great thing to do and I wouldn’t want to put you off it for a second. There is perhaps no better way to improve your French than to be surrounded by the language and the sights and sounds of French life. Paris, for example, is a beautiful city and you can imagine the joys of a French lesson followed by a walk along the Rive Gauche of the Seine, stopping at a riverside caf for a coffee or a glass of something and just watching the people go by – to my mind it’s a marvellous way to pass an hour or two. What about Nice or Cannes? Places rightly renowned for their style and glamour. “Immersion Learning” is one of the current buzz-words when learning French so what better way to immerse yourself than to go to France?

If that’s the case, you might ask, why on earth would I suggest that learning French in France might not be the best way?

Well if you’ve got deep pockets then I’d thoroughly recommend it. As I said there’s probably no better way to improve your French. But the important word there is “improve”. If you haven’t got deep pockets and you’re just starting with learning French, I’d have to say there are not only much cheaper ways to learn but ones which, given your situation, are actually better for you, easier and will help you learn French faster.

The drawback with learning French in France if you’re just starting out is the pressure you’re almost certainly going to put on yourself. Many of us learn French long after we’ve left school, and we’re not all together comfortable with going back into the classroom situation. OK, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded individuals and it’s going to be a bit different to when you were fifteen, but it’s still a classroom. On top of that, you will have travelled a long way and paid a considerable amount of money to be amongst four, six or eight people you probably haven’t met before and who almost certainly all have different levels of French language skills. It can therefore be quite difficult for the teacher to give you adequate attention and you won’t be able to get the best out of it. The result is that you might well feel dissatisfied with your progress, you’ll put more pressure on yourself and end up trying to study outside of class time when you should be enjoying the many pleasures and beauties of France!

Now if you’re thinking of going to France on vacation, don’t let me put you off in the least. You’ll get on better if you can speak a few words of French, but if you’re in one of the larger towns or cities you can probably get by just fine with English. Go, you’ll have a great time!

But if you’re thinking of learning French in France – and I mean going there specifically to study the French language – I’ll offer a small piece of advice if I may, as someone who’s been there and done it. Before you invest a thousand dollars there, invest a few dollars – and I mean less than $100 – in a good home study course which gives you computer-based exercises, interactive games, written texts and MP3s that you can listen to at your PC or copy to a player to carry around with you.

Do that first, get a bit of a grasp of the basics, then go to France. Trust me, you’ll be so much better prepared and you’ll enjoy the whole experience so much more. As I said at the start, learning French in France is a great thing to do – a little work before you go can make it the trip of a lifetime.

Author: Dennis Cordy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty