In this video, I'm going to tell you about a growing trend in language learning and the invisible difficulties it poses for learners. If you're a solo language learner, you absolutely must see this video, as it will solve a lot of your problems!
Language learning today
Learning a language is no mean feat, yet there are currently over 1.2 billion people learning a second language. That's a huge number. In fact, French leads the way as the second most-learned foreign language and the 4th most-used on the Internet. Well done, if you've chosen French!
In fact, when you get right down to it, a lot of people learn languages on their own. And it's not always easy to learn on your own, despite all the resources available. Among the most popular are apps, of course, especially those that use gamification to teach the rudiments of a language.
They're really effective for beginners, focusing on basic vocabulary, active listening, challenges and spaced repetition. However, you quickly reach your limits, lack of authenticity, you know, the famous spoken French, je ne sais pas, chais pas, and above all no personalized feedback. How can you personalize feedback when you're selling to the masses? It's simply impossible.
And that's where the trap lies! So, you fall into an impression of ease, you do a year or two and when you talk to a native, it's a disaster, you don't understand anything and you get stuck. So how do you go about it?
The shiny object syndrome
I don't know why, but we Humans always make life difficult for ourselves, even when it comes to learning languages. We all succumb to the shiny object syndrome. Something new comes out, it's revolutionary, it achieves incredible results in a short space of time, so we're seduced.
Unfortunately, it almost never works. It wastes time, energy and money. So let me tell you about the method I use with my students, and how they always achieve their goals. I can't give you a specific time frame because everyone learns differently, but in the end, they do. Are you ready?
First point: Determine your French level
Before you know where to go, you need to know where you are, otherwise you won't be able to chart your course. You can easily determine your level using the CEFRL chart, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
For example, I think I'm B1. I'll check the boxes associated with each skill. For listening comprehension, I need to be able to understand familiar topics relating to work, school, leisure and the main points of many radio programs.
So if someone talks to me about work, if I listen to a podcast and I understand 60/70%, then I have a B1 listening level. Do the same for the other skills, average them out and you'll have your current level.
Second point: Learn things in order
You can't run before you can walk, you've heard that saying before. It's the same with languages. You start with the simple and useful things, I insist on the useful because you don't want to saturate your brain for nothing.
Let's take conjugation: you start with the verbs to be and to have in the present tense, then all the verbs in the present tense, the recent past, the near future and, why not, the imperative, then if you've mastered it, you continue with the major past tenses, passé composé and imparfait, then logically plus-que-parfait, conditional, subjunctive and so on.
As you can see, there's a certain logic to it: the difficulty increases and you learn the most useful things at the beginning, so you can get up to speed quickly.
Third point: Lay the ground work
Now that you know your level and can prioritize the order of learning, you need to prepare a plan.
If you're aiming for a trip to Paris in French only, then you need to master a few things: the present tense, the passé composé, the imparfait, polite expressions, so a little conditional, knowing how to socialize, ask questions, understand instructions, know the vocabulary of heritage, transport, gastronomy, French history etc...
You don't need to know everything, is it useful to know the subjunctive for tourism, I don't think so. But do things in order. If you already know the present, the passé composé and the imparfait, consolidate them to be sure and move on to the next point, concerning vocabulary and cultural knowledge, listen to podcasts and watch videos on French sites or on Youtube but choose content related to your objective otherwise you'll be going off in all directions and wasting your precious time. Finally...
Fourth point: Evaluate your French level every now and then
Evaluating yourself is the key! If you don't know what you've acquired, what you're acquiring or what you need to acquire, then you won't have any visibility, you won't know what to work on and you won't be able to progress. Use the principle of quality gates. This allows you to validate one step before moving on to the next.
To validate the quality gate of the passé composé, you need to know how and when to use it, i.e. how to conjugate it, choose the right auxiliary, know the main past participles and the rules of agreement. If you feel at ease, if you don't hesitate too much, then you've validated the notion and you can move on to the next one.
Remember, you don't have to be perfect unless you want to be a writer. In fact, just like in video games, you have to complete missions to reach the next level. If you don't complete them, you're stuck.
Want to know more about French language, take French lessons with me!
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