Is It Possible to Learn French Online?
There are so many online resources — are they good enough?
Is it possible to learn French online? Sure, at least to a certain extent. You can learn a lot of vocabulary and grammar, and even get a pretty good sense of pronunciation, but if you want to learn to speak French with actual people (gasp!) then at some point you will have to study with actual people. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take a class (though I do recommend it) but you have to talk and listen and learn. You have to, there’s just no way around it, unless all you really want is to learn how to read and write French.
So with that caveat firmly in place, here are some tips and tools to help you learn French on your own.
Start with the basics
Totally obvious, right? But you’d be amazed at how many people want to start learning by reading books or watching movies without knowing a word of French. Whatever your ultimate goal may be, you’ll get there faster if you first put some time into learning basic French vocabulary and grammar. My French for beginners self-study checklist can help.
Listen, listen, listen
There is a huge disconnect between written and spoken French: what you see can be very different from what you hear. Many long-time French students continue to struggle with listening comprehension, so jump in right away and listen as often as you can.
Be realistic
Learning French is a marathon, not a sprint. Fluency is a long way off, but you’ll get there if you stick with it.
Keep things interesting
Once you have some grammar and vocab under your belt, try reading on topics that interest you. If you like classic literature, great! But if not, don’t hesitate to read about sports or food, dive into current events or comics or even watch TV — anything that keeps you from getting bored.
Practice
This is a no-brainer, but it bears repeating: the more you put into your French learning, the more you’ll get out of it. Study and practice a little every day and your French will just keep getting better.
Don’t believe the myths
Other people will try to convince you that learning French is too hard or that Spanish is easier — don’t listen to them. If you make a real effort, you can and will learn French — it’s as simple as that.
Learn about learning
Take some time to learn about the most efficient learning techniques and your own personal learning style to make the most of the time you spend learning French.
Track your progress
Keep a journal to track your progress — jot down what you studied, how you did on that pop quiz, whatever you like. And sign up for Progress with Lawless French, a quiz-based system that will create your personalized study plan and track your progress all the way from A1 to C1 (explanation of levels).
Bon courage !
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Originally published at www.lawlessfrench.com on May 28, 2016.
