I have been through lots of trial classes for French speaking and have interacted with lots of people who took up French as a second language. We all tend to agree on a couple of things; first is that French is a really beautiful language that is worth all the time and effort you devoted to learning it, and second, that it will really take a lot of time and effort before you can even become a decent French speaker, much less a master of the language.

On the first thing we have agreed on, it is true that French is a beautiful language. It is common knowledge that French is considered the most romantic of all languages, due to its attention to detail and ability to describe situations and feelings that would leave other languages at loss for words, literally. Added to that, French also opens up the door to a variety of opportunities. It is a language spoken by a  lot of elite and members of the upper class, and really, when you’re in a corporate cocktail party and one of the foreign visitors is looking for company, he’d probably gravitate towards the girl who can say “Je ne parle pas français” and know that it is just a joke.

The second thing me and my friends have agreed on, the part about French being difficult or too time consuming to master, is a bit related to the first agreed upon factoid. The verity that the French language is concise, accurate, and able to describe things up to the minutest details means that it is a very complex language, full of rules and exceptions to the rules. All of these complexities should be learned by someone who wishes to learn how to speak French and should memorize it to the point that responding in French becomes second nature and would not require much thought. Some of my friends posited that this need for thinking before speaking is the reason why a lot of French speakers are polite. It’s going to be very hard to put your foot in your mouth if you have to take a long, close look at every word that you’re thinking before they leave your oral cavities.

However, I seem to have turned a corner in the past few years, and realized that there are ways of expediting the process, which means you can learn how to speak French fast. I’m not talking fast as in “speak 200 word per minute” but rather, learn how to converse with native French speakers in as little as 2 months. This change in perspective is brought forth by the discovery of Rocket French, a downloadable French-speaking course that actually does what it promises to do, and does so in record time. I initially found it while doing random searches for French tutorial programs and being intrigued by the testimonials provided by its past users. I downloaded the free 6-day trial course and realized that it works halfway through the trial period. I immediately procured the full package and Voila! A few weeks later and I have gained enough grasp of the French language that I can sustain an entire afternoon’s worth of conversation with my French-speaking friends who spend months and even years of French language classes.

Popularity: 26%

Learning another language is not really easy. It takes a lot of patience, time and effort, and not to mention money. So there is probably a good reason why people around the world are struggling to study other languages than their native tongue. As a matter of fact, aside from earning you bragging rights, being familiar to other languages can open doors a lot more opportunities that you could ever imagine.

French, the famous language of love, is one that is certainly worth all your effort. More than a hundred million people use French either as their first or second language, making it the 11th most spoken language in the world. Some of the best tourist spots in the world are located in countries where French is the native language. Learning to speak French fluently, therefore can give you a broader and richer experience if ever you decide to visit these places. It is definitely easier to recognize the value of the culture of a place if you understand their language. I’m sure that as you’re reading this, you can imagine yourself treading the roads of Paris and meeting interesting people along the way. Wouldn’t it be great if you could speak to them fluently, breaking down all language barriers that would otherwise hinder you to appreciate the place in all its glory? I really think so.

So visiting Paris is not on your short-term plans. Well, that’s not the only reason why you might want to learn to speak French fluently. Being well-versed with French can give you a competitive advantage in the job market. Just so you know, people who know other languages are very high in demand. Whether you want to be a diplomat or an international ambassador, or even simply a language interpreter or translator, being able to learn to speak French fluently can definitely give you an edge. There are tons of art works and pieces of literature out there that you could understand better if you know French. More so, you’ll never know how much you can learn about yourself and your own language until you get familiar with another one. In the case of the English language, you’ll be amazed to know that there are thousands of English words that are gotten directly from French.

If you are already convinced to learn to speak French fluently, then waste no more time. As I’ve said, learning another language is not as easy as it looks like.  It is not simply memorizing the translation of words and such. You have to know how to weave words in a logical pattern and all that jazz. You have to exert effort, of course. But don’t fret, because there are organizations and people out there who are willing to help you. From experience, the most effective way to learn another language is through immersion. By this, it means that you must listen to French music or watch French movies even if you don’t understand them. Just take it nice and slow. And most importantly, try to enjoy what you’re doing. You will learn to speak French fluently in no time.

Popularity: 19%

One of the most intriguing languages, French is also called the language of love and romance.  So many people are interested in learning the language and are willing to shell out money to do so. As such, over hundreds of fake teachers abound. Also, how the students are taught is not really aligned with the correct pattern or format in teaching the language. Many fake teachers will rush the students into learning something that is of no consequence. Having a lesson that has no form or structure will only lead you to your own failure in learning the French language. Better to spend more in a professional than get duped by an online criminal.

It has been said time and again that one needs to have patience when learning French. It is not an easy language to learn since it is a product of Latin, Greek, and Celtic languages that were transformed into a lovely language. So many people who enroll easily lose their passion because the language in itself is also difficult to master. As a result, so much money and effort are wasted. But how does one know what is there to learn? What should everybody need to know other than the common “hi” and “Hello” phrases? Naturally, the first things that will be taught you are the greetings, polite words, and so on.

Generally speaking, once the basic things are learned, it is now time to learn French verb and its conjugation. There are two main categories of verbs in the French language—these are the simple tenses and the compound tenses. Obviously, simple tenses are only comprised of one part as opposed to the compound, which has two.

What needs to be given attention is the compound tenses. A compound tense has two more parts. These are past participle and the conjugated auxiliary verb. There are two types of auxiliary verbs that determine the verb classification. These are called avoir or etre. Just like English, the past participle of verbs classified under etre should   be grammatically correct with the subject’s number whether it is in the singular or plural form.  However, the avoir verbs should agree with the object of the sentence.

Etre means “to be”. Perhaps in the English language this is the equivalent of “is” and “are” linking verbs.  On the other hand, avoir means “to have”. Below you will see the other top verbs used in the French language. Just like in any language, there are over hundreds and possibly thousands of verbs in the French language but some are used more often that the others.

Faire – this means “to make”. This is often used in present tense and is a verb used for signifying what a person can do or make. This is translated or converted to rendre if it is followed by an adjective. On the other hand, the verb dire means “to say” or to “tell.” Keep in mind that French words, especially verbs, do sound as they appear and are not used as they are.

Popularity: 22%

As one of the most popular languages in the world, both as a conversational and business means of discourse, French is studied by a lot of people regardless of age; as an elective in most schools, and through private tutorial classes, or through self-studies, and while a large number of individuals who have only recently decided to take up or learn French tutorial start by doing self-studies or with the help of a computer tutorial program, there are times when outside help is very much needed. Here are some basic tips that will help people learn French faster and more efficiently:

1. Choose one computer tutorial program that works best for you and stick with it. Using too many of them could complicate the entire process, particularly if the programs you are using are overly complicated, which could result in you spending more time mastering the software than mastering the French language.

2. Avoid showing off. It is normal for you to tell people that you’re studying a new language, and demonstration may be in order. But demonstrating your new skill without being asked to do so may only result in being told off, and could demoralize you instead of encourage.

3. Expose yourself to French media, such as French TV shows or movies (those with subtitles work best), French songs, and try to see if you can find a French translation of your favorite novel or book.

4. When memorizing French verbs, nouns or adjectives, try to relate it to your daily activities. For example, while preparing a coffee, say Cafe, or Chocolat for chocolate. This works to your advantage in two ways, first is that it maximizes your time so that you are doing your daily activities while exercising your French vocabulary, and two, you are learning French while doing things that you do out of routine, which ingratiates the language into your life and makes learning less of a chore.

5. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Don’t believe the negative stereotype that the French people are arrogant, rude, and will take every opportunity to point out your wrong grammar or accent – the truth is that the French are very polite, accommodating, and willing to help you improve your language skills.

6. In the beginning, stick with things that relate to you or interest you. For example, if you are a movie buff instead of a bookworm, you may want to use a video tutorial instead of a written one. You should only branch out to other things to serve as supplements when you feel as though you have maximized your primary tutorial.

7. Last but not the least, Practice. The best way to learn skills is by practicing it consistently. Don’t be content with repeating words heard on a recorder or loudly enunciating words you read in a manual…find someone who speaks French and try to start a conversation with him. Apply what you have learned and will learn in your day-to-day life and it won’t be long before you find yourself mastering your new second language.

Popularity: 15%

Anyone who has attempted to learn how to speak French should know by now that French is one of the most difficult languages in the world. Other than that, it is the one of the most sophisticated, too. Considered as the language of love and romance, so many people are engrossed to learn this language. Each one has his own reason or justification. Some want to learn it just get by a vacation. Some want to learn it because they simply love it. Some want to master and learn French pronounciation.

It is observed that so many people also flunk this subject. The enunciation is different and the way the words are spelled are also different. French is not a phonetic language, just like English. This means that they are not enunciated as they are spelled, as opposed to Spanish, in which every letter in a word’s written form is enunciated. As always, learning French in writing is to really that much helpful in terms of pronunciation. Then problem is that if one has no idea how a language is verbalized, it is also very likely that one does not have any idea what the words mean even if he can read them.

The other thing that can be looked into is that the very people who own the language have different ways of pronouncing them. This is because the way they enunciate is affected by their own local dialects. One will observe that this is very true of France. One should not be surprised the way French is spoken in Southern France sounds different form that of the people from the Northern part.

In line with this known differences, a standard French was created. This is called the Parisian French. As a general rule of thumb, some consonants are not pronounced if they are found at the end of the word. These consonants are n, d, p, r, s, x, and t. In reality, there are a lot of exceptions to the French enunciation rules. On would really have to practice and listen to find out the differences.

Taking a look at the letter R, the way this is pronounced is almost guttural. Commonly, R is pronounce softly especially in English. The J, on the other hand, sounds like G. This means this should not be confused as the way it is used in the word JAR. The letter J in French sounds like G in GARDEN.

The real G, on the other hand, has no standard enunciation but it is dependent on the following letter or vowel. If the G is followed by A, O, or U, it is pronounced like G in GARDEN. However, if it is followed by E or I, it sounds like G in tongue.

The CH in French is also similar to the SH of English. The GN is pronounced as the Spanish “ñ”. This is why fillet mignon is pronounced fillet “min-yon.” Lastly, the letter H in French is not pronounced if found in the first part of the word.

Popularity: 20%

It’s common knowledge that French is considered by many as the most romantic language in the world, and its popularity has led to a lot of people learning several words here and there. It is a safe bet that you know the French word Oui and its meaning. The same goes for Merci and Bonjour. Unfortunately, random words and phrases will do you no good if you find yourself in a situation where you need to communicate with a native French speaker; if you are really serious about the French language, you need to be able to speak in conversational French, and to do so, you need to learn French grammar.

I know that it can be hard mastering another language’s intricacies, especially since there are Americans who are having trouble mastering the grammar of their own language, much less a foreign one. But as they used to say, hardship is good for the soul. If you take the extra time and effort to master one of the best languages in the world, the results will be worth it. To set you off on the right track, here are some examples of how French grammar works:

When it comes to nouns, French nouns are given their own specific article depending on their gender; “le” is for the male article while “la” represents the female noun. However, there are certain nuances involved in this grammar rule. Particularly when it comes to the plural form of both male and female nouns. In this case, both “le” and “la” are pluralized as “les”, which means “the women” becomes “les femmes” and at the same time, “the men” becomes “les hommes”. Additionally, when a noun begins with a silent “H” or a vowel, both “la” and “le” will become simply “l’”. For example, “the shade” is “l’ombre” and “the bee” is “l’abeille”.

The French language places a lot of emphasis on gender, to the point that even their indefinite articles will denote it. For example, “a building” is “un batiment” and “a house is “une maison” – with “un” being a male article, while “une” represents female”. The article “some” on the other hand, is always “des” regardless of gender. For example, “des femmes” for some women and “des hommes” for some men.”

In a way, this extra emphasis on genders makes the French language a lot more concise and more efficient than other languages. Whereas simply saying “the kid” will leave the child’s gender vague, its French equivalent would require the speaker to denote the gender firsthand; “le gosse” if the kid is male, and “la gosse” if she is female.

These quirks in the French language are barely the tip of the iceberg, which just goes to show how fun it is to learn French. Add the fact that they can be quite useful especially if you plan on taking a month’s long trip to Paris, where you will need to converse with native French speakers if you plan on going outside of your hotel and befriending the locals.

Popularity: 21%

Learning a different language is something that most people want to do but cannot accomplish for several reasons. However, no matter how busy a person is, there certainly is a way to learn a total strange language if only one will really put passion in it. As observed, majority of people want to learn French. This is probably because the French language is sophisticated and difficult to learn. The enunciations are different and what how the words are pronounced are different from how they are spelled. The placement of the accent is also different and commonplace and it can simply drive one nuts.

This should not be a cause for worry, though. There are curriculums available to learn French for beginners. Many schools offer courses that can be easily comprehended even if the student has zero knowledge about the French language. Of course, it is widely assumed that the most famous French quotes or words are found in the movie Moulin Rouge. Many of the French curriculums are made up of grammar, enunciation, and vocabulary. The learning experience may range from very simple to complex depending on how the language is intended to be used. Sometimes, a few words and phrases will be enough if the purpose is only to get by in France for a vacation.

The target of curriculums to learn French for beginners is to be able to recognize simple vocabulary. Other than this, the new words learned should be put into proper use. There will be practices and exercises on enunciation and sentence formation for beginner’s classes. Another part of learning basic French is to enunciate clearly and put emphasis where they should be. This is one of the most difficult parts of speaking French. It has been said time and again that the French accent is difficult to emulate and that it is a glorious thing to be able to be recognized as someone who is a native of France. To learn French for beginners may sound elementary but it is not.

Beginners are strongly advised to know why they are learning the language. This is because many people who have attempted to learn a different language either quit or got tired of it. As mentioned earlier, people who just want to feel the France spirit through their language can get by by simply learning a few phrases and a few words. Of course, this will range from common greetings and asking for directions for haggling for discount.

Another thing that beginner may check into the availability of resources. There has to be a rich resource of video CDs that can teach the student even of the instructor is not around. An access to the Internet is also necessary because the information highway is a rich resource for learning materials not only for French language but other educational pieces as well. There are websites that offer services to translate English to French. There are even websites that have audio files in them and these files demonstrate how a word should be enunciated.

Popularity: 18%

If you are planning on a vacation or a trip to France at some point, it is important to learn French greetings. French people place a lot of importance in courtesy, and will take a liking to tourists who behave nicely and use basic French words and phrases in normal and everyday conversations. Contrary to the negative stereotype shown by a lot of films and TV shows, the French people are neither arrogant nor rude. They will not deride tourists who speak French. They tend to smile at strangers when greeted in a friendly manner, and those that you have acquainted yourself with will even help you if your pronunciation isn’t good or wrong. One thing you have to remember is that you have to speak quietly if you are in a public place such as the mall, or in public transportation. Otherwise, they may find you callous and rude.

Even if you are not traveling soon, learning these sets of phrases may help you prepare in knowing what to say or do when you communicate with French natives either on the Internet or if they visit your own city.

Greetings are called “La rencontre” in French, which roughly translated means “the meeting”, or “les salutations”. You will find that the proper greetings tend to change depending on whether the two adults concerned are already familiar with each other.

For example, if two people who don’t know each other met and would like to exchange pleasantries, the initiator would say Bonjour, which literally means “Good Day”, which allows it to be used in the morning and in the afternoon, although some people will use it after 6 in the afternoon without any problem at all. If the person greeting would like to be more specific about the time of day, he can substitute Bonne apres-midi, which means “Good Afternoon” or Bonsoir, meaning “Good Evening”. People will reply with the same greetings, which means a “Bonjour” will get another “Bonjour” as a reply, while a “Bonsoir” will get a “Bonsoir”.

When two people who are already well acquainted with each meet, they tend to greet each other differently. For instance, instead of saying Bonjour, the initiator might ask “Comment allez-vous?” which is equivalent to asking “How are you?” in English. The other person may then reply with “Je vais tres bien, merci?” which means “I am fine, thank you.”  The word “vous” in this situation may be replaced with “tu” , which also means “you” if you are greeting a family member or a very close friend, whereas “vous” is of a more formal tone, which may be used with a boss or a senior.

This short example is barely scratching the surface of greetings in the French language, but I hope it has helped, since learning to greet and meet people is one of the most important parts of learning a new language, and may help further ones practice by allowing you to strike up conversations with people that you don’t normally speak to.

Popularity: 23%

Most people don’t believe that it is possible to learn French fast enough to be able to converse with native French speakers in as little as 2 months. I didn’t believe it at first, and neither did a friend of mine who found himself in the face of a company promotion that would completely jumpstart his career with only one catch: He needs to migrate to Paris, France.

The moving itself was not a big problem for my friend, being single and having his parents in another country, his only problem was that he doesn’t know how to speak French, and he only has a span of 3 months to say yes before they give the promotion to another one. He is deathly afraid of being stuck in a foreign country unable to interact with them through speech (his job entails him to talk to people, so this fear is really understandable).

His only option other than to refuse the job offer is to bend time and space itself so that he can learn a foreign language in a few weeks’ time. We tried to look for ways he can learn French but all of them take a lot of time. Even the private tutorial class that boasts of speed and efficiency could only promise him 5 to 7 months of daily sessions before he can be able to converse comfortably with native French speakers.

Fortunately, at that time I was also made aware of Rocket French, which is a set or series of French lessons I found on the net. It boasts of being able to teach people how to speak French within the span of 8 weeks or 2 months time. I was skeptical at first so I did some searching on the Internet and looked for reviews, praises or criticisms and was surprised to see that there are even people who managed to learn in less than 8 weeks. I figured Rocket French would be the right choice for my friend. Trusting my judgment, he downloaded Rocket French’s 6-day trial course and accepted the job promotion at the same day.

A few days later when I ran into him again, he already ordered the full course, claiming that the 6 day course proved to him on the first day how effective the program is. He demonstrated what he learned by talking to me in French. He was already able to converse depending topics he chose, which is a far cry from before, where all he knew was random French words and phrases. It took him another week to get a decent grasp of the accents, and by the time he boarded the plane, he was already confident enough that he didn’t bother buying one of those tourist pocketbooks with useful French phrases.

Of course, I already knew how effective Rocket French is, due to my own experiences with it. However, I chalked up the exceptional performance of the program to me having a lot of free time and really wanting to learn French. I was a bit surprised that it worked so well for my friend, who is generally a very busy person, and did not really want to learn French and was just forced into it by time and circumstances.

Popularity: 16%

My travel papers for my French escapade are all set! I’ve read French history and culture in the public library and over the Internet. I’ve also acquainted myself with a few French cuisines I plan to try when I get there. The only thing I’m worried about now is how to act around French people. That is why I decided to learn conversational French before I fly to France.

I  didn’t want to buy another language book, like I did when I went to Korea, unless I’m pretty sure I’d be back there. Instead, I checked the ever reliable Internet for crash courses on French language only to realize that I don’t need to get one to survive my first trip to France. For now, I only need to learn conversational French to gear me up which I can get online for free! I now know a few basic phrases such as “Qui” for “Yes” and “Non” for “No” as well as “Merci” for “Thank you.” I now know how and when to say “Bonjour,” “Bonsoir,” and “Bonne nuit” – for “Good morning,” “Good evening,” and “Good night,” respectively.

See it’s not really difficult to learn conversational French. The most challenging part is learning the pronunciation which is way different from how we articulate and phonate English words. I mean, the phrase “Excusez-moi” for “Excuse me” is not syllabicated like the way we will pronounce this if it’s an English phrase. That’s why learning conversational French needs to be done orally. Good thing some websites also provide audio samples for us to know how a phrase sounds like.

The key in basic spoken French is imitation. That’s what I’ve been doing every day to practice the very few conversational phrases I learned while browsing the Internet. I really don’t need to learn much. I just needed to know what to tell people the moment I step out of the airport or if ever I get lost in urban France only to find myself drinking beer in some unknown tavern in Paris which is actually how I want it to be. I just really need to know a few phrases I can easily blurt out even if I’m intoxicated so I can ask Francois or Pierre how to get back to my hotel room alive.

Another thing about the French language is the fact that learning how to speak French doesn’t equate to understanding spoken French. I tried to watch a few French films with subtitle and realized that French people can really talk so fast I couldn’t catch up! Good thing I was able to hear my “Comment allez-vous?” and “Je vais bien, merci” before the movie ends.

Then again the best way to practice my French is to use it in actual conversation. What I did is logged on to French chat rooms and befriended a few French bilinguals with whom I got the chance to converse using my messenger’s PC-to-PC call features. I told them where I was lodging so they can pick me up for that most awaited French night out! Having said that, I think I’m all geared up. La France, ici je viens!

Popularity: 31%