If you’re taking French lessons outside of France, one of the most difficult things to do is to put it into practice. While absolutely essential to learn the basics, most French courses are focused on learning vocabulary and constructing sentences. You’ll be able to get by with this, but like me you’ll probably find that you’re still thinking in English – and trying to translate on the fly into French.
In order to become completely fluent, you need to start thinking in French and using common expressions that the French use every day. So what did I do?
I started talking to myself
If you don’t have a French friend with whom to practice what you’ve learned in your lessons, do what a five-year-old would do: invent one! No, you don’t have to start blathering to yourself in French while you’re on the subway or in the park, but if you’re at home alone, who’s going to notice?
I imagined there was a five-year-old French kid following me around, asking me questions. What are you doing? Why are you doing it? What colour is it? Where are you going? Ask yourself these questions out loud or in your head, and respond to yourself. Do this every day for fifteen minutes or so, and you’ll start to see that your French becomes more naturally.
I read the news online
France has many famous newspapers, both local and national. I’m a big news junkie, so chances are I already knew the story. This helped me to recognise words that are similar to English or figure out phrases that I may not have been able to make out if I didn’t already have a context.
Start with newspapers like Le Monde or Le Figaro, or for a more local flavour try Le Parisian or Ouest-France.
I joined forums and chatrooms
Back in the days before Facebook and Myspace I’d spend some time writing in forums or chatting online on MSN with native French people. It’s important to find one that’s related to something you’re interested in. Do a quick search on Google for “forum” followed by the French word for one of your interests, and have a look. After a while, start replying and starting threads. You’ll be surprised by the new words and expressions you’ll learn!
I listened to the radio and podcasts
France has plenty of radio stations that stream online – and you can listen to it live by going to their website. For intermediate learners, try the ‘Journal en français facile’ from RFI.
I also subscribed to several podcasts so I could listen to them on my iPod. You can do a quick search on iTunes for French lessons you can download, or if your French is more advanced, change your iTunes from your home country to France, and have a look through the podcast directory.
I joined a club
Once I was at university, I joined the university French club. It gave me the opportunity to explore French cinema and culture, and luckily we had many French students at the uni who were very active in the club, which gave me the opportunity to practice with native speakers. Check with your uni to see if there’s a French club you can join. If you’ve already graduated, try asking at your local Alliance Française to see if they have social events that you can attend to meet French speakers.
What do you do to practice your French? Share your tips in the comments!
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