Thinking of really learning French? If you’re seriously considering joining the French-speaking world, you might want to consider going to a French school. I’m not talking about talking a French class – no, if you are serious about learning French fast, a French school in a foreign country can help you achieve your dream.

When picking a French school, you want to be sure to choose the school that’s right for you. You wouldn’t want to waste your resources on a school that promises the sky but delivers nothing but fluffy clouds. I plan more information of French school in the near-future, for now here are some things you need to consider when selecting a French-learning school:

1. Know your needs – Some schools offer excellent courses for beginners; others provide excellent training for more advanced French learners who have had prior experience and exposure to French. Which course type is best for you? You have to honestly assess your level and consider it when scouting for a school. Don’t be over-confident when estimating your French skills! When you have a fair idea where your French level is at, you’d be in a better position to start your research or discuss your options with an advisor.
2. Check the school’s reputation – Language schools are big businesses. Reputation is important to assure current and prospective students of the quality of learning the institution offers. How do you determine what a French school’s reputation is in education and learning circles? Check its affiliations and accreditations. School’s endorsed by reputable organizations are likely to be more effective at teaching French. You can be sure that their curriculum and methodology are up to scratch and up-to-date.
3. Consider the size of the school – This one is a bit tricky. On the one hand, large French language schools would normally have better facilities. Smaller schools, though, have more one-on-one instructor time for students. Then again, larger schools tend to have more homogeneous learner groups which may help students learn the language faster because they can practice it more often. So in deciding whether to go with a small or large school, do your research. Look the school up online and check out reviews. Ultimately, the school’s effectiveness in teaching French should be your main consideration.
4. Check the school’s facilities – When you sign up for a French school, your goal is fluency. Acquiring fluency is a skill you must work hard to develop. To do this, you need constant correct practice. Developing clear, understandable command of spoken French and being able to understand a native speaker is important in communicating in a new language. For this reason, speech labs are necessary. Students need to be able to practice with instructors looking on (or more aptly, listening), with their own language partners, and by themselves. When you can listen to how you pronounce the words, you can then check on how well or badly you’re progress with your lessons.
5. Do the Math – If there’s one thing shopping for shoes should have taught you by now, it’s that you get what you pay for. The same is true of language schools. Some schools offer lessons for the price of a whistle and a song while others demand heftier price tags. Naturally, you would want to learn from the best. But does the best fit your budget? So before you sign up for a school, take the time to go over how much you can afford to pay. Then, look up how much different schools charge. The fact that French language schools are abundant works in your favor. You can whittle your search down to language schools in countries where the cost of living is cheaper – Canada, for example, or Argentina.

Other considerations, such as location of the school or accessibility, are factors that don’t directly relate to language learning but which you might feel necessary as a student. Ultimately, your choice will have to be made based on personal circumstances, needs, or preferences.

Star Studded Testimonials

One name that seems impossible to ignore if you’re looking to learn French is the ubiquitous Michel Thomas. Just one look at the testimonials on his website will have you thinking you’ve landed on the red carpet in Hollywood – from film stars to high flying politicians, they’ve all learned a language with Michel!

However, we don’t all have a gold card which would cover the cost of private tuition for a couple of weeks with this foreign language phenomenon, so just how good are his CD audio courses?

Teacher Power

Michel Thomas’ system relies upon his ability to teach, rather than your ability as a student, and contrary to most methods where the ball is very much in your court when it comes to interacting, the Michel Thomas way requires you simply to relax and take things in!

There seems to be a mysterious aura surrounding this method of learning French. For example, most French learners have at some stage or another tried out language CD’s which require the listener to respond out loud to the recorded conversation, and then followed up with the corresponding written activity in the accompanying book, yet Michel Thomas actually instructs his students not to try to learn or remember anything and not to write things down.

On the CD’s, you hear Michel talking to two of his students in a rhythmical, almost hypnotic voice. It’s amazing how much more relaxing and less annoying this is than the CD’s where you hear snippets of improbable role-plays, and I have to confess that I was quite taken in by the whole process. The CD’s were really enjoyable, so much so that they earned a dedicated 30 minute slot every day for a few weeks.

What’s It Worth?

Michel Thomas is definitely not one for the kinesthetic learners amongst us, but for those for whom the “listen and imbibe” philosophy works, it can be useful. If it all sounds a little too good to be true, you might be better off checking out Fluenz French or Tell Me More. Whether you’re of the opinion that this is some sort of hypnosis mumbo jumbo remains to be seen, and I reckon that if it was good enough for the likes of Grace Kelly and other cinema greats, it’s alright by me

**Update: Based on reader feedback I don’t think I was clear with this review. Michel Thomas is great if you want to brush up on the French you know. But I’m not sure it will teach you much new French. For that, you’ll have to shell out the big bucks and get Michel to teach you in person! That said, I did enjoy the hypnotic approach – it was very relaxing!**

Top French Site Awards

The internet is a amazing tool for learning French. But with so many sites to sift through, it can be tough to find the best learn French sites.

That’s why I created the Top French Site Award to honour the cream of the crop on the internet. Below is the list of winners, I’ve split the list into topics to make it easier to sort through.

Did I miss a worthy site? Leave your comments and let me know.

Educational Resources

The quality of free learn French material online is astounding. My hat goes off to all the sites below.

BBC French – The mother of all learn French websites. I reviewed BBC French in a previous post.

About.com French – Comprehensive resource for learning French.

Carnegie Mellon Free French – The prestigious university’s French courses aren’t easy, as they feature natural French speakers – but they are high quality and free!

French Assistant – Free French language lessons, with over 150000 French words and phrases.

Learn French Video – Scores of lessons and tutorials on phrasese, grammar, verbs, and more.

French Revision – Interactive French lessons for the younger crowd (11-18).

Anne Fox Learning French – A collection of educational tools to help your French.

French Culture dot org – The official website of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy has tons of links to educational resources throughout the USA. Fantastic design on this site – something you don’t see often on government sites.

French in Action – Dozens of instructional learn French videos.

Wild French – A site that compiles various online learning resources that are made available through courses and textbooks.

Learn French with Quebec Gov’t- This is the official Quebec immigration site aimed at helping new Quebeckers master French. Quizzes, exercises, resources and more.

Zut Junior French – Between 9am and 4pm, this site offers free French activities to help kids learn French.

Frenchtastic People – Fantastic resource with lessons, exercises, and exams broken into 23 weeks.

French Teachers dot net – This site run by three French teachers in the UK started as a way to share teaching resources with other teachers. It has since grown into a site packed full of great learning resources.

Interactive French- Great resource from the University of Texas. Video and audio lessons will help your French.

Francophone Louisiana – This site was created by the Consulate General of France in New Orleans. Rich in learning resources and links.

French as a Second Language – French teacher Pierre Renaud has put together a great site with activities and print-outs for kids.

Mango French – Free French courses with slideshows and quizzes. Also features a number of other languages.

Blogs

I love the blogs below because they each give you a different perspective to French and learning French.

Foreign Language Fun – Diane, a French teacher, has put together a great blog here.

La Dame Dragon – A Canadian blog that focuses on corporate training of French.

I Heart France – Warm and funny blog by a high school French teacher in Texas.

Bringing up Baby Bilingual – Fascinating blog about raising a bilingual child. By a former French teacher.

The French Corner – Learning French Blog with lots of links. Check out their custom French Facebook applications!

Polly Vous Francais – Great blog about an American in Paris.

Naked Translations – Céline Graciet is an accomplished English-to-French translator who authors this engaging blog.

Too Many Frogs & One Brit – Hilarious blog about a Brit in France. Be prepared to laugh!

The French Journal – A great blog on French culture. Unfortunately the author does not post as frequently as I’d like to see!

Le Franco Phoney – Funny and well-written blog about life in France from an Australian’s perspective.

French Culture and Life

While these sites may not directly teach you French, they will give you a deeper insight into what it means to be French. The more cultural knowledge you have, the richer your understanding of French will be.

This French Life – Robust and active site focusing on French life. A must read if you want to move to France.

The Paris Blog – Group blog covering life in Paris.

Paris Daily Photo – The title says it all – one picture from Paris everyday by skilled Parisian photographer Eric.

From Paris With Love – A cool Paris blog for those planning to visit.

Montreal City Blog – Kate McDonnell’s blog about Montreal will keep you up on life in Canada’s coolest city.

Web in France Magazine – An English magazine about life in France.

Link Lists

In my searches I found a number of fantastic link lists to high-quality French sites. Many of the sites on this list were orginally discovered through the sites below.

Best French Websites – University of Northern Iowa’s Jim Becker has put together a massive list of recommended French resources. I’ve spent many an hour on this site following Jim’s links.

Tennessee Bob’s French Links – Loads of great French sites are linked from the University of Tennessee Martin’s teacher site.

College City of San Francisco’s Links – A huge list of French sites can be found here.

French Links – Geoff Hare’s site currently contains over 700 French sites.

Fred Riley’s French Links – 50+ great French links.

The French Connection - Australian National University French links. UPDATE: Unforunately this page is no longer live.

Fun

Sometimes you need a break from studying – on your break be sure to check out these fun French sites.

Social Networking for Languages – Busuu.com lets you connect with native speakers of the French language. Offers standard educational components too.

Live Mocha – Social networking site that connects you with free learn French tools and a way to connect with French speakers that want to learn English.

Real French – Thousands of games and activities to help you learn French.

French Slang – Finally, a site that teaches slang! Features audio and lessons.

French Mystery - If you can already read some French, this is a great site to help you brush up without making it feel like work. Play a detective and solve a mystery – in French!

French Podcasts

Podcasts are a great use of technology. They allow you to learn French on the go – whether it’s the gym or the train, you can be brushing up on your French!

Beginner French Podcasts – Great series of podcasts for those just starting out.

Daily French Podcast – Learn French via podcasts! A great use of technology to help you learn.

The Verbcast – The Verbcast is a podcast that focuses on French verbs and their tenses.

Peace Corps Podcast – 17 podcasts by the Peace Corps to teach you the French spoken in Mali.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Bonjour, mes amis!

Alors, je suis arrivée in the most romantic city in the world, Paris, even if it is only for a few days of business! You can’t imagine how good it feels to land on foreign soil and actually understand the best part of what is being said – I’m even enjoying looking at all the advertising hoardings and figuring out the messages on them.

I remember our school trip to Paris when I was 13; I was more interested in finding the nearest MacDonald’s and buying lots of tacky souvenirs than I was in learning anything about the people and the culture. Somehow the Eiffel Tower holds a special symbolic significance for me now.

My French in Action

In the taxi to my hotel, I struck up a conversation with the driver. At first he was more interested in trying out his English, but once I explained to him that I’d put so much effort into learning French, he duly obliged and pointed out the landmarks, explaining some of the history connected with them.

My studies really paid off, and I remembered a tip I’d read on a couple of the online French sites about how to talk about future plans. As with English, you phrase future activities by saying that you’re “going to…” do something using the verb “aller”. Once I’d reeled off a list of things I wanted to do whilst in Paris, the taxi driver laughed and asked if I was staying for 4 days or 4 years!

My French at Work

The working part of my stay has been surprisingly stress-free, thanks to the post-it note reminders for key cosmetic French vocabulary which I’ve placed strategically in my hotel room! It’s nice to be able to chat a bit before getting down to business, and I’ve found that I’m more confident when describing our products now as the overall marketing strategy is built around the French product names.

I haven’t even been put off by the grey skies – tomorrow my French counterparts have arranged a visit to the Louvres (love the glass pyramid effect!) and dinner on a bateau-mouche sailing down the Seine. Obviously, I’ve still got lots to learn when it comes to keeping up with fast-talking Parisians, but I’ve learned not to panic, and to follow the gist of the conversation.

Learning French Pays Off!

Best of all, I got a call from my boss this afternoon to say that Head Office have approved funding for me to undertake an intensive one week French course on my next trip to Paris, and are looking at investing heavily in French learning tools and activities for all employees. Je suis très heureuse!

Bonne chance if you’re trying to learn French yourself – I thoroughly recommend it!

Au revoir,
Nic

Salut!

Hey, for those of you who’ve been following my progress in learning French for the past few weeks, you may be interested to know that I reckon I’ve nearly cracked it! With one week to go before take-off to Paris, I feel as though I can just about hold my own in a variety of situations which should see me through my 4 day French business trip. Of course, I’m hoping that once my company sees how well I get on in France, these visits will become a very pleasant permanent feature of my work.

I’ve found that I learn French quickest when I’m really interested in the particular subject that I’m listening to or talking about. This week, there was a report on a French news channel about how people are cutting back on the little luxuries of life due to the current financial situation. I almost forgot about the less familiar words which I couldn’t understand as there were enough bits which made sense, and the images helped me to grasp what was going on too. The next day, I was discussing it with my colleagues and didn’t realise that my boss had overheard me – she was so impressed, and said she’d happily invest in more French learning software if this was the result. I’m so proud of myself.

The evening French class is now quite competitive, in the nicest possible way, and I’m going to sign up for the Intermediate classes once they start. I don’t want to let things slip, and although the online learning resources are ideal for learning at your own rate, it’s good to be pushed sometimes by participating in a “live” situation.

The big test comes next Wednesday quand je vais a Paris, but I’m feeling pretty confident. I’ve made some little flashcards based on what I’ve found on Fluenz French and Rocket French just as a quick refresher for the memory before I go into different situations such as meetings and restaurants over there, and I’m talking to myself in the car – the CD’s which I found pointless at first are now making a lot more sense. Not long now, I can’t wait!

A bientot,
Nic

Salut!

Thought I’d come clean and share one of the downsides to my French learning experiences with you, just so you’re not under the illusion that it’s all plain sailing. I suffered a bit of a setback in the fourth evening class which made me realize that I need to be a bit more realistic when setting my learning targets!

The tutor asked for volunteers to do a role-play; she would be the shop assistant, we would play the customers. Don’t ask me why, but I thought I could handle it no problem. We played a scenario where I went into a charcuterie to buy various meat products. I was doing fine with the basic pleasantries, but when it came to thinking up three different products to ask for, I dried up after asking for saucissons, and started gesticulating wildly whilst trying to change things into a French version of English!

My instinct was to run out of the door and never return, but I knew that wasn’t going to solve anything. I was grateful to the rest of the class for helping me to laugh it off, and to be fair, they all said my accent was very realistic. The tutor made some recommendations for resources which might be helpful for putting conversations together. Apparently, there are a couple of online resources which I haven’t tried yet which are well respected in the business. I’d heard a lot about the ‘Rosetta Stone’ system, but it’s pricey – I’m going to ask at work if they’ll invest in it for me. The other one, ‘Rocket French’, is more affordable, so I’ll treat myself to that. They both have some free trial materials on the web which will keep me busy.

I’m trying to keep the positives in mind – after all, I’m only just halfway through my learn French fast experience, and still have over 3 weeks left before jetting off to Paris. Onwards and upwards!

Ciao!

Nic

Salut!

So, the evening classes have finally begun, and I’ve realized the whole point of my efforts to learn French – in other words, to communicate with other people! I was so nervous before I entered the room for the first time because I could hear a couple of people chatting away in fluent French – I thought we were all supposed to be beginners here! It turned out to be our tutor talking to a young French student who’s doing some work experience at the college, and who’d offered to come and lend a hand with the class!

For me, half the battle of learning French is getting away from the idea that I have to understand all those boring grammatical rules which did my head in at school! The tutor assured us that we were going to concentrate on vocabulary and phrases which we could use in everyday conversations in France, and that she’d “slip in” the grammar along the way without it dominating the conversational emphasis. Phew!

Quite a few of my fellow students were there either because they wanted to be able to use French for business purposes, or simply because they were fed up of going on holiday and not being able to put across even the most basic ideas. It was great to know that I’m not the only one who feels a mild wave of panic sweep over me if I’m faced with having to order a taxi or decipher a menu in France, and I found that it was useful to be able to ask our tutor specific questions related to the vocabulary I’ll need for my business trips.

The only downside that I found with the evening class was having to wait for some people in the class to catch up to the rest of us. It turns out that, perhaps thanks to the revision of my dim and distant knowledge of French from my school days, I know a bit more than I think! I found this a bit frustrating, but on the other hand, I enjoyed the lively bits of conversation I managed to engage in. The coffee and croissants were especially welcome!

A bientôt!

Nic

Salut!

Well, this is it – I’m finally taking the plunge and putting aside my fear of foreign languages to have a go at French. Why? It’s not really something that’s been top of the agenda before, but for my new Sales job with a major cosmetics company, I need to be able to use a bit of the lingo. To be fair, I will get some nice all expenses paid trips to Paris in return for all my studying – it’s more of an incentive than I ever had at school!

Question is how to go about this mammoth task? A friend of mine swears that her father learnt from some of those language tapes; he just used to switch one on every night before he fell asleep, and snore his way through the whole thing! Bet the sleep talking was quite entertaining.

I’ve checked out a few online French learning materials, and I’m feeling a lot happier now that I’ve played a few vocabulary games. It’s pretty surprising how much I remembered from my time in the classroom. The flashcards and word searches helped to jog my memory on the French words for members of the family, everyday items around the home, and colours – especially handy for the lipsticks and eye shadows I’ll be selling!

I reckon I’m going to do some more visual stuff before moving on to listening and – horror of horrors – speaking! Thing is, I’ve only got 8 weeks to learn enough French to get me by on my first business trip to Paris, so I’m going to have to start learning quickly. I might enrol in an evening class to get accustomed to the sound of French again and give me a bit of a lift with the oral activities. I’ve also seen a couple of online courses which would be good because I can fit them in around my work…I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

A bientôt!

Nic