Thanks to my French teacher at the university: despite the fact that I have not used this language for a long time, my knowledge and skills have been preserved. For example, I read any text flawlessly and have an excellent grasp of grammar. But: there was little speaking practice at the university. I plan to close this gap in the near future and bring my French back to life.
I want to start with my personal selection of sites for beginners. This list contains resources that will be useful to you in the basic stages of learning French.
FrenchPod101
My favorite English-language resource with a powerful database of dialogues, podcasts, printables and assignments for them. If you know and understand English at least a little, you can at least download podcasts to your laptop or phone and listen to them in transport. The tasks are divided into levels from beginner to advanced.
When registering, you can buy a whole set of materials for beginners for $1 to try out the training. Then it is convenient to get premium access to the service for several months with feedback from the teacher to ensure regular and high-quality practice.
A detailed overview of the Language Pod service.
Polyglot
I have repeatedly turned to Dmitry Petrov’s courses to remember and practice basic knowledge and skills in Italian and French. This year I plan to use his lessons to learn new languages. In my opinion, these are the best classes to get a first idea of the language, understand basic vocabulary, grammar, language system and start speaking.
Busuu
I'm currently studying French on the interactive French lessons service Busuu to fill in the gaps in the knowledge I have, and also to prepare for full-fledged advanced classes next month.
The tasks here are divided by learning level, it is very convenient to go through a small block every day. Vocabulary and grammar are given from simple to complex, there is voice acting, new information is immediately consolidated in practice. I like that the theory and practice are presented in small chunks so that everything is memorized.
Lingust
It is very important to understand correct French pronunciation from the very beginning. On this resource you will find a collection of lessons with a detailed explanation of the sounds of the French language, you can listen to audio files and test yourself by repeating after a native speaker.
Irgol
I have known this site for a very long time and have turned to it many times for reference information. The resource is run by a French teacher, so there is a lot of quality material here. In addition to the obligatory information on French vocabulary and grammar, the author publishes comprehensive articles about the culture and traditions of France, and offers lists of resources and tests.
Forvo
While you are just learning the basics of French phonetics, the Forvo website will help you out. Here you can check your pronunciation at any time.
Extra
Cool series in French. Of course, if you just started learning a language yesterday, it’s too early for you to watch it. But in the process of mastering the basic level, it is worth connecting it to classes. You need to learn to understand what you already know, to hear simple dialogues and phrases. This is a good alternative to regular TV series that are still difficult for you to watch.
BBC Learning French
Another English-language, but cool site. (Do you see how useful it is to know English?) If you have some knowledge of English, check out the site - there are a lot of cool video lessons, tests, riddles, and articles. There are good materials with basic phrases and voice acting. I took the Ma France advanced course a couple of times on this resource.
Les Verbes
Verbs in French are a different story. If you understand the logic, then it will not be difficult for you to automatically conjugate them in different tenses, persons and numbers. Not only individually, but also during a conversation. In the meantime, keep a hint!
Hello Pal
A convenient mobile application for communicating with native speakers by correspondence, conversation and voice messages. Join to chat anytime! Why do I recommend this program to beginners? Because inside there are tips and phrase templates that make communication easier at the initial stage.
Detailed review of the Hello Pal service.
Multitran
I often encourage you to use monolingual dictionaries. And I recommend starting to use them as early as possible. Read more about this and. But for beginners, a proven dictionary with Russian translation is simply necessary.
Study French
Lots of cool information on all aspects of learning French. There are sections dedicated to grammar, vocabulary, ready-made topics, tests, and dialogues. If you wish, you can even find a tutor, courses or a conversation club.
Italki
Not a single review of resources can do without this site.)) But this is not just like that. I'm really very pleased with this service. When you go there with a specific goal, you get results.
A beginner can set himself the task of mastering communication in French on basic topics, list a specific list and find a teacher who will help with this. Italki is the best tool for this. I am now looking for a native speaker teacher, as I need to improve my speaking level.
Detailed review of the Italki service.
Explore these sites, they will be enough to start learning French from scratch or remember what you once learned.
What stage of learning French are you at now? If you have good resources in mind, what would you recommend?
Do you like the article? Support our project and share with your friends!
Given:
September 2008- a naive young lady with a level of French: underA2. Random scraps of knowledge in my head after foreign language courses. Phonetics, grammar, vocabulary - entry level, speaking skills and listening comprehension tend to zero.
November 2010— level of French: B2 according to the young lady, or C1 according to DALF.
Hello, my name is Galya, I am that same young lady and I learned French on my own (almost). Two important caveats:
- I was taught to read (and in French this is important!)
- I was not raped by Popova-Kazakova (this is about the second part of the title of the article).
After documenting my knowledge, I taught and continued to learn French, and now I have become so bold that I give advice on self-study. So, the best advice I can give so far is to travel to the country of the language you are learning! I did this in my time with French and never regretted it. Now I’m learning Spanish, and I would happily move to Latin America for a year, if not for a million “ifs”. If your “if only” still doesn’t allow you to do this, another piece of advice: create a language environment at home.
What is the language environment? If we take away the romantic and enthusiastic cries about “ahh there are French people around,” “ahhh I saw Paris and didn’t die,” what did I do differently? It took me 5 years of teaching to realize: NOTHING.
I just spent more time on the language than at home.
No magic pills or hidden secrets. No miraculous implantation of language into the brain occurs in a linguistic environment. I did the same things I did in the courses, the same things I did at home, I just spent a lot more time on it.
I read a lot
At first, children's books were used (I worked as a nanny, and my charges were 4.5 and 10 years old). First of all, I dealt with preschool publications, then with comics, then switched to teenage literature. Then I started looking at my parents’ library, but this happened after the first 3-4 months of being in the environment. But even without the environment you can download interesting adapted books.
In addition to books, I read everything I saw: for example, after museums I took with me booklets in different languages describing the paintings and the plan, and then translated the French version, looking at the English/Russian translation. But what’s stopping me from now opening the Louvre website http://www.louvre.fr/ and doing the same?
I listened a lot
I listened to radio and television, understanding only 10% for the first couple of months. I watched news, TV series and cartoons. Before, I never believed in “passive listening,” but it really improved my listening skills and helped me speak faster.
If I had known about this magical “immersion”, I could have done this from the very beginning and accompanied my studies with daily listening, and not once a week for 5 minutes in courses. I could select the right level of listening: listen to the news en français facile, for example. Listening to French is not just important, it is a prerequisite, if, of course, you want to understand not only written speech.
Speaking of writing. Although the French themselves can sometimes intimidate you with their spelling, understand all the superscripts from the very beginning and learn to type correctly.
I talked to the native speakers.
You will say: it is easy to look for carriers when there is no choice. But there was a choice. There are plenty of Russian-speaking people in Paris: ours are everywhere and you choose who to communicate with.
My classmate moved to New York and for the first year of her life did not speak English at all. She knows the language perfectly, she just had no one to practice it with. Her employers, colleagues and friends spoke Russian. So much for the language environment. If you create it at home, then in order to talk with native speakers, you have at your disposal excellent italki, polyglotclub and many more places where you can find a friend to communicate on Skype.
I studied using authentic textbooks.
This won’t surprise anyone now, however, some prefer Popova-Kazakova. Let tomatoes and slippers fly at me, but how good it is that no one gave me this famous “base”. Then I still had to go through it, but I’m sure that you need to start with a modern textbook, from the very beginning picking up live vocabulary and listening to live dialogues.
Conclusions from this story:
- Intensive is the best pace of language acquisition. By prolonging pleasure, we lose passion, desire and, accordingly, regularity
- You can create a language environment without leaving your computer. To do this you need internet, desire, and also concentration. So stop reading about how others learn languages, start doing it yourself!
If you decide to dive into French next year, here's a beginner's plan of action:
- We are looking for someone who could teach you to read or check your well-read texts. If you understand it yourself, then this is the only exception when it is better to take a Russian-language textbook. But in any case, let someone monitor you and correct mistakes. The worst thing you can think of is not knowing the rules of reading and taking on Passé Composé. Get your pronunciation straightened out once and for all. It is logical and also beautiful.
- Take the Latitudes 1 textbook - it will be the basis of your program. Follow it, never skipping the audio or tasks in the workbook. Answers to all this wealth can be found for free, as well as the manuals themselves.
- You can “dilute” this textbook with the books Grammaire en dialogues and Vocabulaire en dialogues, improving grammar and vocabulary. But no more than one chapter a day, because the learned material needs to be repeated. To practice new words, use the method that suits you.
- We listen to French spoken every day - the more, the better. You can start with the Coffee Break French podcast, the Extra series. Watch movies with subtitles, sing karaoke songs, watch interesting interviews or musicals. Immerse yourself, in a word. Here is a list of resources from which you can choose.
- After the first month of classes, we begin to read regularly. First, adapted or children's literature, like Petit Nicolas, then light books that you read in Russian, then something from modern authors. Balzac and Flaubert will wait for your confident B2.
In moments of despair, read “How I Learn Languages” by Kato Lomb and you will understand how lucky you are in the Internet era. There are now so many authentic materials of excellent quality that there will be enough for more than one lifetime.
P.S. If you have already started, stopped, or are in the process of learning a language, then all these tips are already clear to you, and you, of course, have not learned anything new.
I just wanted to say that the language environment is not a panacea. In the language environment, it’s just the same laziness and the same “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Moreover, neither a collection of links to valuable resources, nor advice from polyglots, nor unlimited Internet will save you. It's all about motivation and discipline, and then you can learn French on your own!
As for me, I did not give up studying foreign languages, although I returned home. My little secret: like-minded people from Language Heroes. This is something more than a language environment :)
Many thanks to Galina Lyapun for writing this article. You can find even more excellent and useful materials on French at her
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If you've ever heard a conversation in French, you'll definitely want to learn it. There is no consensus regarding the complexity of this language. After all, learning it is different for everyone. Like any other language, French can be learned in a short time. The main thing is desire and perseverance.
You will need:
- Scientific literature;
- French dictionary;
- Films and music in French with subtitles.
You will need:
Start with...
Decide how best you perceive and remember information.
You will have to choose from: textbooks, audio and video lessons.
Track effective techniques. The more you narrow it down, the easier it will be to get started.
Self-study means that you will write a lot. But don’t forget to speak, as communicating in the target language is the best practice.
If conversational French is important to you, pay more attention to learning vocabulary and pronunciation.
Grammar and spelling can be covered at the end of the course.
What to do daily
Pay attention to the rules
Read about how to correctly combine nouns and other parts of speech. You have to learn 3 forms of verbs, without this knowledge you will always speak with errors.
For example, in English we say guest room, but in French it would be more correct to say guest room.
Pronunciation is very important for the French. He needs a lot of attention.
Since the spelling and pronunciation are completely different from each other. For example, the vowel “oi” is not pronounced like “oh” or “oi”, but sounds like “ua”.
Read and write a lot in French
In order to remember words faster, you need to write them down several times, or better yet, a whole page. This will save them in memory faster.
For reading, use books for children, they will lay a good start.
Another option is to choose your favorite book translated into French. This will interest you and will allow you to not spend so much time with the dictionary, because you already know what it says.
Don't take difficult books. After all, if you feel like you don’t understand anything, you may lose interest in learning the language.
You can also keep your diary in the language of your choice. Try to write in sentences. After some time, you will notice your progress.
French audio recordings
If you do exercises in the morning, include a lesson with a trainer in French.
This will be interesting to you and with the help of the exercises shown, it will be easier for you to understand what is being said. At the same time, do not forget to memorize the words, and then look up their exact designation in the dictionary.
If you love music, turn on French performers, after listening, look at the lyrics of the song with translation and write down unfamiliar words. Music will also help you remember pronunciation.
When watching movies, use subtitles. This will help you learn how to spell the words spoken by the actors.
Talk as often as possible
Without speaking practice you won't get far. Try to talk as much as possible. You can simply tell your friend how this or that word will be in French.
If you talk to him on Skype, ask him to correct your pronunciation. This will give you the opportunity to understand your mistakes and correct yourself in the future.
Without practice you can't get anywhere
- Set aside a certain amount of time to devote to practice.
- Try to exercise every day.
- You can perform different tasks. One day it might be grammar exercises, and another it might be a vocabulary test.
- Try setting up some social network in French and slowly figure it out.
- Transferring phone usage would also be a good option.
They say that the more languages a person knows, the more human he is. There is a certain amount of truth in this, and it is quite difficult to argue with it. We see and understand the whole world through words; it is language that shapes our consciousness, connecting images with sound. From time immemorial, polyglots were considered the most valuable employees, acquaintances and figures. This attitude towards them has continued to this day.
A little history
Recall, for example, the global desire of the Russian people to master the French language. His knowledge was considered a sign of belonging to a noble, aristocratic family and raised him higher in the eyes of the whole society. In almost every one there lived governesses and tutors who taught children this language from childhood.
The desire to join Europe in this way was extremely great, and the consequences of this are still felt today.
Romantic France
It is quite natural that, listening to the songs of Edith Piaf, smelling French croissants, buying perfume, it is simply impossible not to fall in love with this magnificent country, recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world.
In addition, a huge percentage of the cultural heritage of the whole world is associated with France. The country of revolutions and pantomime has always been a trendsetter not only of fashion, but also of literature, art in general and, of course, etiquette. It is difficult to find a nation with more refined manners than the French.
Stumbling blocks
First of all, a person who decides to master the French language (like any other) faces the question of material investments. Good certified courses are quite expensive today, not to mention private lessons, which very few can afford.
Naturally, for many, this fact becomes the biggest problem and a significant reason to give up and put off learning the language until better times.
Another thing is our fear in all its manifestations. We may be afraid of seeming stupid or never mastering grammatical wisdom, not realizing that absolutely nothing in this life is given right away.
Solving the problem
Fortunately, there is a way out of this situation. In order for the problem to be solved, it is enough to ask yourself a simple question: “How to learn French on your own?” A single encounter with it easily motivates one to take action, and the first rung of the ladder, at the top of which is perfect knowledge, will be overcome.
Several options
To find out how to learn French on your own, you can refer to the relevant literature. Fortunately, in our age of civilization, there are simply a huge number of such manuals, and the answer to absolutely any question can be found in them.
A teacher or consultant, who is sure to be found in any linguistic school, can perfectly explain how to learn French on your own. Finally, you can ask the same question to a friend who has already walked this path. It is absolutely not necessary that he comprehend this system of signs without anyone's help. A person who has achieved results in studying will always be able to give some good advice on what to pay attention to.
Several suggestions
So, how to learn French on your own? First of all, make this your goal that you will work towards every day. You need to be prepared for the fact that the process will be long, but the result will be especially pleasant.
Secondly, learning French from scratch without anyone’s help is quite difficult, so it would be a good idea to seek advice from someone who has already mastered it. This does not mean, of course, tutoring. In this case, we are talking about a simple explanation of the basic principles of grammar, syntax and spelling. There you can also ask about literature that may be useful in your business.
A few myths
On the vastness of social networks, there has long been a frequent statement that the easiest way to learn French from scratch is through TV series and programs. Of course, there is some truth in it, but a person who is not even familiar with the alphabet, not to mention the vocabulary, simply will not be able to gain absolutely anything from such an activity.
Another myth is the tempting offer to learn French on your own in a week or even a month. This is impossible because... impossible at all. In fact, to know a language, a lifetime is often not enough, and mastering a new one requires long, thorough preparation and constant practice.
Multiple Strategies
If we learn French on our own, we should stick to a specific plan. First of all, you should be prepared for the fact that you will need dictionaries and all kinds of teaching aids. There is no way to do without them, since they will provide a minimal basis for understanding the very structure of the language.
Learning French from scratch on your own should begin by becoming familiar with the organization of this language. There are a huge number of books, lectures, videos and audio recordings on this topic. In general, those who seek will always find.
The next point will be mastering the order of words in a sentence, pronouns and tense forms - this will be the very basis on which we will build the whole process.
Further, when the basics, fundamentals, and a priori knowledge have been mastered, you can work on expanding your vocabulary. The easiest way to do this is in blocks, thematically, the way they taught you at school. This is very easy to do - even the lack of a special textbook is not a hindrance. You can look up new words on a particular topic in the dictionary and learn 20-30 of them a day.
This way our vocabulary will grow rapidly, allowing us to form sentences and even texts over time. And then it’s a matter of little things - books in the original, TV series, films, audio recordings - all this will become accessible and raise it to a new level.
Finally, one of the most effective formulas for happiness in this regard is the so-called translation of curiosity. The method is that, when encountering this or that object, you need to immediately turn to the dictionary and find out the French equivalent of the word. The more it is repeated, the more firmly it will remain in memory.
In short, there is nothing complicated about learning a language on your own - you just need to make it your goal, approach the process with curiosity and believe that everything will work out.
At all times, it was generally accepted that the more languages a person knows, the greater his chances for a promising future. Learning French as a foreign language is (for various reasons) one of the main aspirations of many people. For some, learning French is a necessity related to life circumstances, for others it is a hobby, for others it is just a dream. But everyone is equally faced with the question of investing money in this business. Certified courses are not a cheap pleasure, and private lessons can only be affordable by a few and there is nothing to say. Therefore, let's talk about independent learning of the French language: methods, methods and means.
When faced with the need or your own will to start learning French from scratch, it is enough to have the proper level of motivation. For the rest, you will be helped by the presence of a huge amount of educational material: relevant didactic literature, reference books, dictionary sources, tutorials, etc. All this can be found in libraries, bookstores, and on the Internet. In addition, there are also video and audio courses, teaching foreign languages via Skype, etc. The most important thing is the correct approach to planning and organizing classes and a clear allocation of time.
In order to learn French from scratch, the first stage (40-50 lessons) is usually devoted to reading rules and pronunciation. These are basic skills that are extremely important, since their development affects the ability to read French texts and listen to French speech.
The next 50-60 lessons, aimed at adults or adapted for children, are accompanied by a number of exercises, audio material and an introduction to texts and assignments for them. At this stage, basic lexical and grammatical material is mastered, including relevant texts for consolidating existing (studied) skills.
It should also be noted that each lesson should last on average 3 hours.
As a result of these two stages (of course, with perseverance and patience), you will be able to conduct and maintain a conversation on basic, everyday topics, read French and understand the general meaning of what you read. You will be able to understand texts of basic and intermediate difficulty. You will also be able to perceive elementary audio texts by ear and know basic communication norms.
To help beginners
“Is it possible to learn French on your own?” It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question. After all, people are different: each person has a certain potential, each has their own degree of motivation, and few can boast of willpower. Some people easily sit down to their daily classes, while others find it difficult to pull themselves together and force themselves to learn a foreign language, doing dozens of exercises every day and learning new words and phrases.
To help those who still dare to learn French on their own and firmly stand on their position, we can advise the most common and accessible ways of learning, allowing you to save not only money, but also time.
The first option: using book aids (tutorial guides, phrase books, textbooks, etc.), among which the most popular and suitable are:
- textbook “French language. Manuel de Français”, authors – I.N. Popova, Zh.N. Kazakova and G.M. Kovalchuk;
- textbook “Beginner course of French”, Potushanskaya L.L., Kolesnikova N.I., Kotova G.M.
- textbook “French Language Course”, author – Gaston Mauger.
The disadvantage of this method of learning is that a person opens books, flips through them, running his eyes over the first pages, and... closes them. Because he understands that it is almost impossible to figure out the material on your own without help or at least consultation from a knowledgeable specialist.
More diligent students open textbooks, try to read, learning new sounds and memorizing new words, independently write down some rules in a notebook and even begin to do the first exercises... But gradually, doubts arise in them: “Am I pronouncing this or that sound correctly?” “Is this the kind of intonation that this phrase should have?” “Am I reading this word correctly?” and many other questions that arise in the process of studying.
As a result, some give up on this matter, while others call on professionals for help, enrolling in French language courses or hiring tutors.
The second option: try to learn French from scratch using online methods.
Today, there are many resources on the Internet with a specific thematic focus. With their help, you can also try to learn French from scratch, either completely free of charge or for a small fee.
An excellent assistant for beginners can be the BBC portal, which includes a French section dedicated to learning the French language. The section contains a large number of grammar exercises, dictionaries, reference books, a weekly newsletter with new lessons, a video course for those who study on their own, and even open access to radio and French TV. Each lesson is supplemented with detailed comments and audio files necessary for correct pronunciation.
However, there is one drawback: the site is in English, so it is advisable for users to speak English.
Independent study of foreign languages is always associated with some difficulties, even with strong motivation and exemplary diligence. The difficulty is that there is no one to give an objective assessment of your training. Therefore, there is a risk of erroneous knowledge and skills in one aspect or another. It is better to start learning French, like any other language, under the guidance of a qualified specialist. When the basic foundation is laid and the initial level is reached, then you can try to move on to independent study.
Instructions for self-studying the language
First of all, special attention should be paid to phonetics. In French, pronunciation is key. Read different texts out loud every day, even if you don’t know their translation. Accustom your speech apparatus to French speech by repeating French words as often as possible. The speed of mastering French speech depends on the frequency of training.
To be able to speak French, you also need to understand what is being said. Find opportunities to regularly watch films and TV shows in French. It is better if they are accompanied by subtitles in their native language. Watch carefully the intonation and manner of pronunciation, try to reproduce some of the lines you heard. Record all your efforts on a voice recorder so that after listening, you can compare them with the original.
Learn new words every day, memorize speech patterns and common expressions. Beginners can use a dictionary or phrasebook, this will help in mastering lexical material. When studying grammar, try to immediately form sentences in French without translating into Russian. Start with phrases, simple sentences and gradually try to compose complex long sentences on your own. It is recommended to learn about ten words every day.
Using a dictionary, try to translate simple texts yourself, read three to four pages every day. Try not to skip or delay learning for minor reasons, listen and try to translate the lyrics of songs by French performers. Work two to three hours a day and consolidate your skills, then you will be able to learn French faster.
You can check to what extent your goal has been achieved and how much you have managed to increase your level, moving it from “0” to intermediate or even advanced (B), using appropriate testing. You can easily take the test online. Similar checks are also carried out in full-time and correspondence French language courses.
And in the end, one more piece of advice: remember that any language, if it is not used in practice, is considered dead, therefore, having mastered the first basics, try to communicate in writing or orally with native French speakers, be it correspondence on the Internet or oral conversations in real life life.