Learnfrenchquicklyandeasily

a blog to hopefully motivate and help you in your French studies I am a French and English student who (as you can see by the subjects I am studying) loves languages ;) ask questions about anything :)

[spectralhwa]

If I’m not literally perfectly fluent in french by tomorrow I’m gonna fucking die

[kid-does-stuff]

stop that.

I’m certain that you’re a lot stronger in French than what you are giving yourself credit for <3

[spectralhwa]

Not enough

[kid-does-stuff]

It’s a process. France isn’t going anywhere, so there’s no sense in making yourself stressed over something that you already swore to do in time.

[spectralhwa]

Except that I’m practically constantly around French speakers, and I’m probably going to France next year with them, and they all think I’m an idiot because every time they say anything to me I panic and act like I don’t even know how to conjugate a verb. Except that I know my written and reading fluency is really high but yet I can’t say a single sentence without shaking and fucking up so I’m practically useless.

[decouvertes-francaises]

Sorry to interrupt, I stumbled upon your post accidentally, and I just wanted to say: don’t worry! 

I’ve been learning French for almost 11 years, and I still make mistakes when speaking. I am currently in France, living with French family, and you know what? They don’t care at all if you make mistakes. In fact, they are super happy if you’re able to speak just a few words. I’ve never been confident with my French (my friend @learnfrenchquicklyandeasily can conform this), and still I somehow manage to have amazing conversations here. 

I’ve encountered that it’s pretty normal to be better at reading/writing than at listening/speaking. Pretty much my whole class knows this problem, and we’re at level C1. It’s totally normal to have better writing skills. However, you will improve your speaking skills quickly once you are in France. 

Don’t think about it too much and enjoy your time in France next year. It’s really amazing, and you’ll see that there is nothing to worry about. 😊🇫🇷

[spectralhwa]

I don’t care if it’s natural I just want to be perfect and it’s fucking rediculous that I can’t talk even though I’ve spent the last year agonizingly perfecting my grammar and teaching myself tenses for nothing

It’s not that I CAN’T say anything or CAN’T form sentences, I simply can’t force myself to talk. It’s like I go mute

[decouvertes-francaises]

I was exactly like you. I’ve discovered that no matter how hard you study grammar, it doesn’t automatically improve your speaking skills. That may sound depressing but in the end, spoken French relies on so much more than perfect grammar, and there is a huge difference between spoken French and written French (in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar etc.) On the other hand, it relies on so much less than people think it does. 

What is your current level of French? The other exchange student at my host family’s house started on level A1 and within a few weeks reached level A2, almost B1. His grammar is far from perfect, but he has improved SO MUCH and he never encountered any real problem or misunderstanding even though our host family doesn’t even speak English (apart from a few basic sentences). 

As I said, don’t worry about it too much. Some of my friends are native speakers of French and they have never heard me speaking, because like you, I couldn’t force myself to talk. The situation in France is a lot different, though. I know it sounds hard but just try to be patient. With time and practice, your French will gradually improve even if you might not notice it initially. 

[spectralhwa]

I haven’t actually taken the test but judging by the way they’re described and the materials, B2-C1. It wasn’t an official DELF test but I’ve gotten B2 before and recently was described as an “advanced learner” on another but I don’t really know the frame of reference or what that means…especially when neither tested speaking or listening and focused on grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Hii :) learning languages can be frustrating. I can't relate to this in terms of French as it is my mothertongue, however, I had a similar situation in Spanish where I couldn't get myself to talk other than basic sentences in class. Similarly to @decouvertes-francaises, I went to the country of my target language and it helped greatly to learn how to express myself and was a massive confidence boost. (also I can confirm I haven't heard @decouvertes-francaises talk French yet but I know that France is helping them gain confidence and we are now messaging in French :D) It is frustrating when your fluency levels and reading/writing levels do not match up, but they rarely do for anyone. Native language speakers might have the opposite situation where they can talk, but have difficulty writing. Stay at it and I hope that your stay in France in the future will help you gain confidence!! You can do it!!!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

YouTube channel recommendation

I learned about a YouTube channel called “What the F*** France” a while back. It has that use both French and English. When English is being spoken, the videos have French subtitles and vice-versa. Those videos are entertaining and might put a more fun side to your French learning.

Warning: the videos do contain swearing, also keep that in mind when using vocabulary acquired in those videos

I highly recommend watching the videos if you are learning French and don’t mind swearing :D

Here is the link to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9pVaOtZ8vdLBrlHu5xaaOA

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

How do you say "I am the cutest being to ever exist and I make people very happy"? Bc that's true about you.

Hello :)

Je suis l’être le plus mignon à jamais exister et je rends les gens très heureux.

It’s true about you too though; tu es l’être le plus mignon!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Comment devient-on aussi mignon que toi?

Je ne sais pas 🙈☺️, je peux te poser la même question :)

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Hello.I have taken a French course for 7 months , but my listening skill is still really bad ! Could you guide me how to improve my listening ? Thank you so so much !

Hello,

a way you can improve your listening skills is to watch movies that you already know in French (as a first step you can watch them with subtitles and then at a later stage without). Another way is by watching Youtube videos in French or by listening to French music (with the music you could have a look at the lyrics).

I hope that helps :)

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Bonjour, je voudrais bien savoir la différence entre ( programme et émission) ?

Bonjour,

désolée d’avoir pris tant de temps pour répondre mais j’étais en vacances.

“Émission” est litéralement “ce qui est transmit” (Le Petit Robert) mais est généralement utilisé pour décrire les différents “shows” à la télé. Par exemple:

”Le téléjournal commence à quelle heure?” “L’émission commence à 19:30.”

Le “programme” désigne l’ensemble d’émissions d’une chaîne.

J’espère que ceci est utile!

Merci pour la question et désolée pour le retard! Maintenant je suis plus en vacances donc je vais pouvoir répondre à des questions plus vite :)

Bonne journée!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Hi! Found a french learning app that I haven`t seen here before. It`s called Lingvist. You can use it on computer but it has an app versioon too. You can learn english with it too and other languages should come soon. At the moment it`s free :) Hope this helps somebody

Hi!

Thank you very much for adding this! I checked out the app and it looks really good.

The app helps you improve your vocabulary and your reading and listening comprehension. So it seems to cover a few different aspects.

So I recommend that those interested in learning or consolidating their French check out Lingvist.

Thank you @jussake!! Have a nice day!

PS: (only downside, unlike duolingo you can’t seem to be able to start at a level other than the beginner’s as far as I have seen)

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

I want study french, but I can't take a course for now. So, how can I study by myself? How can I start? Do you have any tips? Please, help me 😄

Bonjour :)

Cool that you want to learn French! Learning French without a course is rather hard but you can do it with determination :). If I were you, I would buy an introductory grammar book with exercises and a vocabulary book and work on those two things in parallel whilst consolidating your knowledge with duolingo. Once you have acquired some vocabulary, I would listen to songs, YouTube videos, etc. so that you practise understanding the spoken language.

Most important thing: try to practise your French regularly and even if you don’t advance as quickly as you’d like to: don’t give up!

I hope that helped :), don’t hesitate to ask me in case you have some other questions

Bonne journée!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

A further tip by @shaolina is to check your local library for language learning materials Thank you for telling me, I completely forgot!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

I want study french, but I can't take a course for now. So, how can I study by myself? How can I start? Do you have any tips? Please, help me 😄

Bonjour :)

Cool that you want to learn French! Learning French without a course is rather hard but you can do it with determination :). If I were you, I would buy an introductory grammar book with exercises and a vocabulary book and work on those two things in parallel whilst consolidating your knowledge with duolingo. Once you have acquired some vocabulary, I would listen to songs, YouTube videos, etc. so that you practise understanding the spoken language.

Most important thing: try to practise your French regularly and even if you don’t advance as quickly as you’d like to: don’t give up!

I hope that helped :), don’t hesitate to ask me in case you have some other questions

Bonne journée!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Something different :) (I am going to answer in French and English)

I was tagged by @fommo thanks for tagging me :D!

Rules: Answer the questions with the first letter of your name, then tag 10 people. If the person who tagged you has the same initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use the same word twice.

What is your name? learnfrenchquicklyandeasily

A four-letter word? lait/late

A boy’s name? Léo/Luke

An occupation? libraire/lawyer

Something you wear? leggings/legging

A colour? lavande/lilac

A food? litchi/lime

A place? Lausanne/London

Something you shout? lala/leave

A movie title? L’auberge espagnole/Lion King

Something you drink? limonade/lassi

An animal? lion/ladybug

A type of car? Land Rover

Title of a song? L’Horloge Tourne (Mickael Miro)/Let it Be (The Beatles) 

I’m gonna tag @a-second-soul have fun!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Survey

Salut :)

I am incredibly sorry for not having been active for a very long time :(, exams and travels took up a lot of my time.

I was wondering if I could ask you for a favour. I am currently working on a linguistics paper for a seminar and to be able to write it I need answers to a survey. The survey will of course be anonymous. However, by participating you are allowing me to use your answers for the paper.

Here is the link to the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzZnAwmUYrId9Eu67ucodVGLp6IFW8ooHUx1i4qE5C4lsCUQ/viewform

Could you please fill it out and maybe reblog it? I would really appreciate that!!

Merci beaucoup!!

À bientôt

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

L’Horloge de Charles Baudelaire

Horloge ! dieu sinistre, effrayant, impassible, Dont le doigt nous menace et nous dit : " Souviens-toi ! Les vibrantes Douleurs dans ton coeur plein d'effroi Se planteront bientôt comme dans une cible, Le plaisir vaporeux fuira vers l'horizon Ainsi qu'une sylphide au fond de la coulisse ; Chaque instant te dévore un morceau du délice A chaque homme accordé pour toute sa saison. Trois mille six cents fois par heure, la Seconde Chuchote : Souviens-toi ! - Rapide, avec sa voix D'insecte, Maintenant dit : Je suis Autrefois, Et j'ai pompé ta vie avec ma trompe immonde ! Remember ! Souviens-toi, prodigue ! Esto memor ! (Mon gosier de métal parle toutes les langues.) Les minutes, mortel folâtre, sont des gangues Qu'il ne faut pas lâcher sans en extraire l'or ! Souviens-toi que le Temps est un joueur avide Qui gagne sans tricher, à tout coup ! c'est la loi. Le jour décroît ; la nuit augmente, souviens-toi ! Le gouffre a toujours soif ; la clepsydre se vide. Tantôt sonnera l'heure où le divin Hasard, Où l'auguste Vertu, ton épouse encor vierge, Où le repentir même (oh ! la dernière auberge !), Où tout te dira : Meurs, vieux lâche ! il est trop tard ! "

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

On utilise de adjectifs masculins après avoir l'air, mais quand on peut utiliser de adjectifs féminines après avoir l'air ?

Salut :)

“avoir l’air” est une expression un peu bizarre. La majorité du temps, l’adjectif s’accorde avec le sujet, donc: Elle a l’air fâchée. Par contre, il y a des instances où l’auteur d’une phrase veut souligner “l’air” qu’une personne a. Dans ce cas, on peut dire: Elle a l’air fâché. Ceci est plutôt l’exception et est plutôt employé ainsi dans des contextes littéraires.

Alors, pour résumer, on peut utiliser des adjectifs féminins après avoir l’air si le sujet est féminin (singulier ou pluriel: elle a l’air fâchée, elles ont l’air fâchées). On peut toujours utiliser l’adjectif sous sa forme masculine du singulier après avoir l’air mais quand on fait ceci l’énoncé est stylistiquement marqué.

N’hésite pas à me recontacter si tu as d’autres questions :)

Bonne journée!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

hi, I need help! If I wanted to say "You will have what you want sometime soon" which one is more "acceptable" and more close to that; "Vous aurez ce que vous voulez très bientôt" or "Vous aurez ce que vous voulez un jour"? or do you have any recommendation to say that in other way? THANK YOU

Hello :)

I am sorry that it took me so long to answer.

personally, I would say “vous aurez ce que vous voulez bientôt” (which corresponds to your first option just without the “très” because otherwise in English it would be “sometime very soon”).

I hope this helped :)

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

How do you say 'a rose is still a rose' I heard it is' une rose est toujours une rose' but I wasn't sure if it made sense??? Thankyou !!

Hello :)

it depends if you mean the literal or metaphorical meaning of ‘a rose is still a rose’

If you mean the literal meaning, then ‘une rose est toujours une rose’ is correct.

However, if you mean the metaphorical meaning (aka something like it is as it is), the translation would rather be something like ‘c’est comme ça’ or ‘c’est la vie’.

You’re welcome, have a nice day! :)

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

Hi:))) please could you help me with the difference between 'vous voir' and 'te voir'

Hi :)

these two expressions can be difficult for some learners because they are translated as the same thing ‘to see you’.

In French, you use a different grammatical person when talking to a person you don’t know to when you talk to a person you know.

You would use ‘vous voir’ if you are talking to your teacher, someone you do not know, or more generally someone you have a certain distance to.

You would use ‘te voir’ when talking to your family and friends. You can also use it with someone you have just met (e.g. classmate) but usually when you meet a new adult you would use vous.

I hope this helped :) Have a nice day!

[learnfrenchquicklyandeasily]

How do u recommend to study for French exams and how to remember the grammar

Hello :)

there is not really an easy way to study for French exams.

The best way I think is to learn which e.g. verbs are regular and which aren’t (since this is usually a big component of French exams). It is important that you know the regular conjugations by heart (try to find patterns within them; this makes it easier).

Expanding your vocabulary is also good if you have to write your own sentences and it’s useful for your French skills in general ;). One way of doing that would be to read (either read texts in your textbook that you have not read in class or read books).

Solving exercises is another way to remember and simultaneously learn how to apply grammar so these can be quite useful too.

Hope this helped :)