If you have read my introduction here, you’ll realise how I used the online course, which is called Rocket French. Now I must admit, when I decided I wanted to learn French, I wanted to do it as quick as possible, so I opted straight into buying a course, rather than learning how to speak French online for free.

This doesn’t of course mean you have to do the same but what I will say is this; I really don’t think I could have learned the language as quick as I did without Rocket French. This is mainly because Rocket French not only teaches you the words and phrases, it teaches you how to SPEAK the language. This is an absolute awesome feature because it allowed me to learn the correct grammar and pronunciation of the French language.

After all, there’s no point knowing all the words and phrases if you cannot actually speak them is there? No one will understand a word you’re saying!

I had heard of one course called Pimsleur but when I looked into it more closely, it was really expensive. When I say expensive it was like over $900 expensive! So I took the cheaper option and went for the online course instead.

OK, back to my review of Rocket French. Like I say, I wasn’t playing around I really wanted to learn French fast. So I bought the course and it gave me immediate access to the training area. So I download the guides and started to watch the video tutorials. I just couldn’t believe how quickly I started to speak French. Yes, I’m talking same day!

I’ll never forget when my husband came home from work and I welcomed him in French! He didn’t understand a word of what I was saying! OK, I’m not saying for a minute here that I learned the language in a day, it took me quite a few weeks but it got me started and I started to learn the basic phrases very quickly.

So I started listening to the 31 audio tutorials, just one each day, for the next month. I would practice the phrases on my husband each day when he came home, I think it annoyed him at first but he soon got used to it! I was learning everything from basic introduction phrases to more advanced tutorials of learning the exact pronunciations of the words.

The illustrated grammar lessons helped me personally to, as sometimes I have to see something written down to be able to memorize it completely.

Oh and did I mention the French games that come with the course? These were so much fun and we all enjoyed playing them. You don’t actually realise you are learning French at the same time as playing them.

So, all in all I would recommend Rocket French to anyone who not only wants to learn French quickly but also very fluently too.

Popularity: 39%

The concept of telecommuting has become widely accepted these days, as a result of more and more people getting access to faster computers and even faster Internet connections. With the sheer amount of people leaving behind the toil and hardships associated with the daily commute, it is no wonder that a large number of what used to be offline-exclusive job opportunities are now making their way on the web.

Naturally, it has paved the way for even non-English speakers to use the World Wide Web as their means of employing or employment. In line with this development, I tried to find ways on how to learn another language by using tools that are already available to me, and of course, the Internet. My favorite language is French, so it is natural that my first subject would be “How to learn French”.

“Salut, Bonjour, Bonsoir!” I found out that the World Wide Web is littered with tons upon tons of repositories filled with random French words and phrases. Unfortunately, very few of them actually have any use other than fill your head with French words and phrases. When it comes to learning how to speak French, they could only be of slight help, but not major facilitators.

There are also lots of computer aided tutorials available online, and while this may allow people how to learn French online, I found out that a lot of these computer tutorials, particularly the free ones, don’t work, and were made by programmers whose priorities are to make a program instead of make a language tutorial. There are even programs that are nothing more than glorified and automated versions of the French phrase and verb repositories I mentioned earlier, with the gist of their purpose perfectly encapsulated by the phrase “click a button and see what this French word means”. These programs will not work especially since it totally misses all the complexities of the French language. Not to mention none of the ones I have tried has even dealt with accent and pronunciation.

Luckily I found Rocket French through random searches for “French tutorial programs that really work”, and please don’t ask me why I thought of that phrase to put in google. It’s weird but it has done its job and found me a French learning program that does what its supposed to do.

As icing on the cake, Rocket French not only succeeds in teaching you French efficiently, it does so in record time, giving you an estimate of as short as 2 months or 8 weeks before you start getting comfortable with the language. It’s not free (I told you, very few FREE things on the net are worth your time), but there’s no risk involved since they offer a downloadable 6-day trial course for FREE, which should be enough to show you how good it is. I actually bought the entire program even before I finished the trial course.

As with everything, it will also help if you have a native speaker that you can practice your French on. Since no computer program can ever replace the joy of striking an interesting conversation with another individual. Drop me a line and maybe we can help each other.

Popularity: 9%

It has been estimated that French is the fourth most widely spoken language in the world, with roughly 75 million native speakers and being proclaimed as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is no wonder then that a lot of people choose French language tuition over any other language or dialect in the world.

Not only is French widely publicized as a romantic language in countless novels, movies and poems, French is also considered an ideal business language due to its large amount of formalities and specifics, and its emphasis on gender, which gives the language a surprising degree of accuracy that would be beneficial in a professional environment.

English speakers take kindly to French language tuition due to the comfort brought by the ability to recognize a few words in their vocabulary. Although it should be warned that while English and French share a lot of words and expressions, there would be times when their meanings differ. For example, the French word “comment” does not have the same meaning as its English counterpart.

Another aspect of French that is appealing to English speakers is the concept of formal and informal addressing. The French language has different kinds of forms and tones that will be used depending on whether you know the person you’re talking to very well or if you are talking to an authority figure. For example, when speaking French to an older person, to someone you don’t know very well, or to an authority figure, the “vous” word should be used, as opposed to talking to a friend or family member, where you use the informal “tu” instead of “vous.

English speakers who are only starting to learn French may encounter trouble when it comes to the conjugation of their verbs. French verbs are divided into two subcategories, irregular and regular types; Regular verbs are generally conjugated in a consistent way, with the stem unchanged and the endings remaining regular. Irregular French verbs, on the other hand, are very inconsistent and tense when it comes to formation, making them change both in stem and ending. The most difficult part is that the conjugation of each irregular French verb will have to be memorized by a person individually.

Numbers will also posit an amusing set of difference for non-native French speakers. For instance, commas are written as decimals while decimals are written as commas. This means people who are accustomed to seeing 5,000 may be surprised to see that French people will write it as 5.000. French people also write the number seven with the line through it, in order to prevent confusion with the number 1.

The French language usually follows a set of consistent rules, but the fact that English speakers have been accustomed to a different language and due to the richer ruleset, immediate mastery may not be possible, which makes French language tuition that much more important, allowing a person to learn at a specific, predefine phase. As with all languages, regular and consistent practice will also be key in mastering French.

Popularity: 12%

Learning to speak another language is as challenging as getting the first syllable out of a baby’s mouth.  When you are a native speaker of a certain language, you will certainly have a difficult time adjusting to the pronunciation and enunciation of another language. The reason for this is obvious and it is because you are so used to the language you are currently adept at.  But certain situations require you to learn something new and you are now faced with a task to do so, in this case learn to speak French effectively.

There are some things that you can follow in order to speak French effectively. A more formal approach to speaking French is to get enrolled in a language course in your local college.  Here you know you will get the lessons right as compared to doing self-study on the language. You also get to interact with other French enthusiasts and will end up learning something new from each other. Taking online French courses achieve the same type of result as going to a local college, so it is really up to you to choose whichever option you are most comfortable with.

Another way to ensure that you are on the right track in learning to speak French is to converse with someone who is a native speaker of the language. This is also a good way to make new friends and to practice your French.  You can find native French speakers through online social community sites or through a French conversation group in your neighborhood.

Watching French media is also very helpful in learning to speak French effectively.  This is because you can constantly hear native speakers deliver their lines.  Constantly exposing yourself to the French media will enable you to enhance your listening and comprehension skills.  You can even take note of the way they pronounce the words and try imitating them as practice on your part.

To be able to speak French effectively, you can also get a subscription to a French magazine, ideally a kid’s magazine, so that you will be able to identify the words with its corresponding pictures.  You can also visit kid friendly French websites which achieves just about the same effect with a kid’s magazine, only difference is that viewing these websites is done for free.  Reading short  French articles can also be a way to make you speak French effectively because it is easily comprehensible by new speakers of the language.

But the most effective way to learn to speak French is to actually be immersed in such a situation where everything French is around you. This is because you will be forced to think, read, hear, see, and speak French no matter what you do.  An immersion to a French-speaking place is the best thing you can do if you want to speak French the right way and in the fastest possible time. This experience will temporarily make you unlearn the native language that you are used to, in order to make way for the second language to be learned – in this case, the romantic language that is French.

Popularity: 11%

The French language is one of the more romantic languages in the world, if not the most romantic. It is the world’s second widely used language next to English.  Learning French is not hard to do, in fact, it can be learned faster compared to other languages. Contrary to what most people think, learning a second language like French is very much fun to undergo.

In order to learn French the fast and easy way, you must know the right methods into learning this romantic language.  You also need to have the dedication and patience to go through all the challenges of learning a new language other than your native one. One very good reason to learn French is that it is now being spoken by over 300 million people.  With the increasing number of people that speak French, being able to speak the language will help in furthering communication between races.

Before even beginning to learn a second language, you must be able to rationalize why you want to learn that particular language. Ask yourself if you are learning French to meet certain job requirements or if you are a student wanting to impress your French teacher with your superb French skills or, as the case may be, if learning French will better the communication you have with your neighbors especially if you are living in a French speaking country.   Identifying the reasons for the need in learning the French language will lead to a deeper realization and motivation of getting to know the language beyond what it was primarily for.  It will also allow you to focus all your efforts to achieving the ultimate goal of learning to speak the language fluently.

Let’s face it, learning a second language is a goal that is easily achieved if dedication and patience is invested into doing so.  You have to make sure that you are ready to put in a lot of effort and time to learn a particular language, because if you are having second thoughts, all your previous efforts will be to no avail.  Half-baked learning should not be done when learning a new language because nothing is achieved with an on-off effort on your part.

Once you have had a reality check of the time and effort that is to be put in learning French and still want to pursue this goal of yours, the best way to go about it is to put yourself in a situation where you will be surrounded by the French language.  This does not mean that you will travel to France just to learn the language, although this option can be done at the end of learning French in your home country as a sort of immersion process of putting your French skills into test.  Surrounding yourself with the French language just means that you have to see, speak, and hear French whenever possible.  You can take French courses, buy French audio tapes, read French articles, etc. so that you will become comfortable with the language.  Becoming comfortable with it will result to a better grasp of the ins and outs of the grammar structure and will make learning easier.

Popularity: 6%

Learning a second language can be a challenge for most people especially if they are learning it just for the sake of getting through a course in school.  However, when learning a second language comes from the personal desire of the person to do so, it can really be fun to discover a new way of being able to express oneself.

French is one language that many people are attracted to learning.  The beauty of the French language lies in society’s perception of it being a very romantic language.  The reasons of learning French can vary from one individual to another but the process of learning it is generally the same.

There are some tips and tricks to take note of when thinking of ways on how to learn French.  It is important for you to keep these things in mind in order to learn French in a very fast and effective way.

First things first, if you really want to learn French, you have to want it badly so that all your effort will be put into learning it the best way that you can. An important investment that you have to put your money on is a good French/English dictionary. You should not scrimp when buying one because your success in learning French is very much dependent on the excessive translations you make especially at the beginning. In order to identify a good one, make sure that French part comes first before the English part.

Going through online French courses can greatly help you in your goal of learning French.  If you prefer the classroom type of having French classes, then going to a local school which offers this is highly recommended. Of course, you have to pay attention to the lessons that are being taught during these classes especially when verbs and its tenses are being discussed.  Listening closely will also be very vital because French has a good deal of nasality to it.

Reading and conversing in French is also beneficial in learning the totality of the language. By reading, you are enabling yourself to increase your vocabulary, as well as your understanding through the context of a particular reading material. Conversing with a native speaker of French will do you a lot of good because he can be able to correct you with your mistakes and you will be able to emulate the way he speaks his language.

An equally effective way to learn French is to indulge yourself in an immersion program to a French speaking country like Canada. By joining an immersion program, you will get a first hand experience in learning the language through an everyday setting.  It won’t even feel as if you are learning it because you are actually living it.

As a final note, learning a second language, in this case how to learn French, will take a lot of commitment on your part especially in the time and effort department.  Challenges will always be part of learning something new but a great attitude towards these challenges definitely makes everything easier to undergo.

Popularity: 9%

Learning French can be done through a variety of methods.  There are some people who opt for online classes.  Others prefer a classroom setting and enroll themselves into a French language course in their local colleges.  There are also people who are confident enough to only have a French/English dictionary and a French lesson book they got for a bargain price at their local bookstore for their study.  And there are also some who make use of French audio tapes that are sold in local record stores. But if you are wondering what the best way to learn French is, then you are looking for an answer that is probably the most expensive of all the available options in learning the language.

The best way to learn French effectively and quickly is to get involved in a French immersion course. This, as mentioned, is the most expensive method of learning French, but is undeniably the most successful in terms of striking accuracy and speed at the same time. Being in a French immersion course is like hitting two birds with one stone because aside from learning the language; cultural, historical and social influences are also learned in the process.

So, you ask why you should get involved with a French immersion course when there are other cheaper alternatives in learning the language. Simple, because a French immersion course will make you live the way French people live through their everyday life.  With an immersion course, you, along with other participants, will be brought to France to have a first-hand experience in the whole culture.

The experience will totally be different from sitting in your French class every single day trying to imagine what the words you have just learned meant.  There are certain activities in French that can be discussed in the classroom, but to become a part of these activities in the truest sense of the word makes all the difference.  Being able to actually see, feel, smell, and taste things that are merely discussed in the classroom setting is extremely helpful in giving you a better understanding of the language.

Interacting with native speakers of the language is something that cannot be traded for all those audio tapes, books, dictionaries, etc.  Talking with these people make all the practice conversations with other beginners pale in comparison because now this is the real thing, there are no instructors that will correct wrong grammar or sentence structure anymore, and the grade now lies in whether or not the person you were conversing with understood you.

A French immersion course is the best way to learn French because it definitely makes learning easier.  If you come to think of it, you did have an easier time to learn the things that you know now because of being constantly exposed to the information.  Being in an immersion program works the same way, it allows the participant to be surrounded by everything French in a designated span of time designed for the purpose of taking in everything related to the language.

Popularity: 14%

Learning a second language is a challenge for everyone.  It has always been that way with anything new and unfamiliar.  However, with persistence, patience, dedication and commitment, learning a new language is very easy to undertake. Take French for example - people think that it is a very complex language with all its verb tenses and nasality, but there are some methods proven to aid the budding French speaker or writer in effectively learning the language the fast and easy way.

One of the more popular methods in doing this is to learn French online. With the advent of the Internet, more people are looking for ways to brush up on their French through the web. It is very convenient to learn French online because many websites are offering online tutorials. Now, it is very easy to learn French through the online lessons that these websites are offering.

Because several websites are offering a wide range of French lessons, it is important that you, as a student, will be able to identify which lessons you need help on. What good will it serve you if you start from the basic principles of French when you know you are already in the intermediate level in the study of the language?  This will just be a waste of time – time which could have been used to learn more appropriate lessons.

Since most online lessons are audio files dealing with conversational French, one great feature of websites offering online French lessons is that they allow you to download an entire course and copy it to a storage device like a CD enabling you to learn French anywhere you go. There are also interactive programs such as tests and activities which will help you assess and further your knowledge in French.

Some websites also cater to the written aspect of the French language and deals greatly with grammar.  These websites are perfect for those who have a hard time learning French just by listening to the audio files.  The lessons in these types of websites thoroughly increases the student’s vocabulary.

Fun and games are also an interesting feature in the many websites offering online French lessons. These fun activities include online exercises, mind-benders, critical analysis, vocabulary games, web research, puzzles, etc. These activities provide a break in the seriousness of learning a language online but is still geared toward achieving the goal of being proficient in the language.

Most websites that offer their French courses often have a fee attached to the programs they are offering.  Remember, to go for the one that has its programs reasonably priced and comes with a money-back guarantee, lest you end up not learning anything at all. There are some that will offer a free trial of their program so it is wise to indulge in these types of trial sessions so that you will know what you are going into before actually paying for it.

It is also important to remember that Rome was not built overnight and so learning French is not something done in an instant.  It is a progressive process which needs a good deal of time, effort, and commitment invested in it for it to become a success.

Popularity: 21%

Bonjour!

My name is Jenny and the reason I have started this blog is to share my path to learning a foreign language, which in this case was French. The truth is, I didn’t even know why I wanted to learn French in the first place! I just wanted to do something completely different, I’m sure you have felt like that at some stage in your life, right?

Since the birth of our first child, I found I had a lot of spare time on my hands. My husband works a lot and all I was doing was looking after the house and our son Jack. I was watching a program on the TV and the person started to speak French and I thought to myself……WOW, wouldn’t it be great if I could do that too!

So I set myself a challenge and was so determined when I started, that nothing was going to deter me. I tried finding websites to learn from, which was OK but didn’t give me enough of a base to work with. I wanted more than basic phrases to learn, I wanted the whole she-bang! Like I say, when I start something, I won’t finish until I have achieved my target. We’re like that us women sometimes you know!

Anyway back to my story. I found a course on teaching French online and although I thought the money could be used better elsewhere, I took the plunge and ordered it. I managed to download it straight away, which was great because I immediately took action. I can honestly say I learned more in the first 20 minutes than I had for days. It was really easy to follow and nice and straight forward too. The course was called Rocket French and is available from that link.

If you’re like me and want to learn quick, then I recommend you take a real good look at Rocket French. I have even submitted my testimonial to them and will hopefully be appearing on the website soon. How good is that!

I hope I have managed to at least inspire you to take some action because believe me, if I can do something as daunting as learning a foreign language, then you have no excuses at all! I will be sharing some useful phrases and tips that helped me along the way, so please come back to this blog as often as you like. I truly hope you can manage to learn French as easily as I did because it is such a beautiful language.

Thanks for reading!

Popularity: 29%