Learning French is a fantastic idea. Learning anything is a great idea! Where should we start? We can begin with greetings, basic vocabulary, or something more specific. I've been listening to some French podcasts. News ones, and one specifically for beginners. An excellent strategy. Listening to podcasts is a great way to train your ear and learn new vocabulary in context. How have I been doing? I'm managing to keep up pretty well, but there are several specific things I'd like to improve.
In the beginner's one, I can understand better because the method is based on repetition of the context of the topic, saying the same thing, but in different ways. This method of repetition and variation is very effective, especially for beginners. It helps to fix vocabulary and sentence structure, as well as improve listening comprehension. This style makes it easier to internalize the language without needing to mentally translate. In the future, we can work on the topics covered in the podcast, expanding the vocabulary or practicing sentence construction, which will help you advance.
The problem has been with news podcasts, or even when I watch videos of real people on YouTube. This is normal, because news podcasts and videos of real people generally have a faster pace, use more varied vocabulary, and there's less repetition. Additionally, the context isn't always as clear, which can make understanding more difficult.
To improve in these areas, here are a few suggestions:
Repetition with Transcripts: Try listening to the same podcast or video several times. If possible, use a transcript to follow along. This helps to associate the sound with the written words.
Focus on Short Segments: Instead of trying to understand the entire video, focus on small sections, and repeat until you understand well. This can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Improve Vocabulary: Write down words and expressions that you don't know, and study them. The larger your vocabulary, the easier it will be to understand the content.
Listen to Different Accents: Different regions of France, and French-speaking countries, have variations in accents. Exposing yourself to these different accents helps to train your ear.
Visual Context: In YouTube videos, take advantage of the visual context to help understand what is being said.
Have you applied any of these techniques with a specific podcast or video? Can you share how it went?
I was thinking of getting some French text to read. Even if I don't understand everything. Any book recommendations? Are you familiar with Maurice Duron? I was thinking about the book The Boy with Green Thumbs. Maurice Druon is a super interesting choice! He is very well-known for the historical series The Accursed Kings, but The Boy with Green Thumbs (Tistou les pouces verts) is a special work, especially for me.
The Boy with Green Thumbs is a fable that tells the story of Tistou, a boy with the power to make plants grow wherever he touches. The book has a relatively simple and poetic language, as well as being full of lessons about kindness, peace, and nature.
Here are a few reasons why it would be a good choice for you:
Accessible vocabulary: Despite being a story for children, Maurice Druon uses vocabulary that can be a good starting point for practicing reading.
Engaging content: The plot is light and interesting, which makes reading more enjoyable.
Book length: It's not very long, so you can start without feeling like you're facing a big task.
Another option could be The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It's an equally poetic and simple story to follow, with many metaphors and philosophical reflections. Would you like to share more reading tips in French?
My native language is Portuguese. I learned North American English very early in my adolescence. Later as an adult, I learned Spanish. Before learning Spanish, and trying to learn French translated from English, I felt it was impossible to learn because I always pronounced the words in English. After learning Spanish, I feel it's easier to learn French through this language. Despite the difference in pronunciation, the way of articulating the objects and predicates of the sentences is more similar, than in Brazilian Portuguese.
And that makes total sense. Spanish and French are Romance languages and share many grammatical and lexical similarities, which can make the transition between them more natural. The structure of sentences, the agreement between genders, and even some verb tenses are closer between Spanish and French than between Portuguese and French.
On the other hand, English has simpler grammar, but the rhythm and pronunciation are very different from French, which can cause this difficulty of "turning off" English when learning French.
Learning French through Spanish can, therefore, be a great path for you, as Spanish acts as a kind of linguistic "bridge". Additionally, the similarities between Romance languages help to recognize patterns, which accelerates learning. And over time, the French pronunciation will naturally adjust.
And you, do you know any exercise comparing sentences in Spanish and French? Do you think these highlighted similarities make this process even easier? What do you think?