Most adults have a hard time learning French.  You spend months and years learning from the usual books and methods and when you finally travel to Paris or another place in France, surprise!  Suddenly, you try to speak to the common person in the street or in a shop and are shocked when you are not understood. The sentences you used are correct, your pronunciation seems right… what’s happening?

The difference between spoken and written French

The problem with learning from books is that “street French” is very different from what you’ll find in mbooks.  Not only does the pronunciation change but the liaisons are different, the gliding’s are much more present and some of the pronouns or articles seem to disappear all together!   Your language skills could be book perfect but you will have a hard time on the street.  Of course, if your goal in learning French is just to read and analyze Poetry or become an expert at all the verb tenses (conjugation), then learning from books will be sufficient.  Most adults, however, learn French to be able to vacation in Francophone countries and be able to interact with people.  In this case, you need to learn today’s language and, especially, hear “real” spoken French.

The benefits of learning today’s French through audio

A perfect example of the difference between spoken French today and in books is the phrase: “Il n’y a pas de quoi”.  The average Parisian will pronounce it: “ya pad koa”. The seven syllables you learned on paper become four when spoken! No wonder you start doubting your language skills.  This is why lessons based on hearing, not jut reading, are key to bring your pronunciation and listening skills up to par with native “street” French.  Furthermore, listening to audio lessons can be done anywhere, in your car, on the treadmill, while gardening.

Where do I find French audio lessons online?

There are several sites on the internet that will offer free audio lessons.  Large sites such as French.About.com or BBC.co.uk will have a good selection of generic lessons but one site in particular, FrenchToday, specializes in modern French audio lessons for all levels.  All the audio lessons are professionally recorded with modern, street style French in mind. There are many free lessons with audio in all kinds of topics such as  grammar, vocabulary as well as specific French culture lessons that not only will teach you how to speak French but also introduce you to France and Parisian culture.

In conclusion, learning French can be very rewarding and a great skill in your arsenal but you have to make sure that what you learn can be used on your next trip to Paris, otherwise you will get discouraged very quickly with your language endeavors.

More than 36 hours of free audio-based French lessons can be found on FrenchToday.com

About the Author:

Camille Chevalier-Karfis has been teaching French to adults & children for the last 15 years. She has written two audio books, created several audio podcast series and recorded more than 56 hours of online audio French lessons that can be found at http://www.frenchtoday.com

Author: Camille Chevalier-Karfis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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