I love helping my students on 1:1 because I can directly address their specific issues and make them save valuable time.
Every student is different.
They come from all around the world.
They all come with a different set of struggles.
However I’ve noticed that it usually comes down to a set of 3 patterns.
Let me know if you fall into one of them, or more than one!
Download my free ebook (LINK) to understand The 3 pillars of French learning success and solve these 3 problems TODAY!
- Confusion
I cannot blame you for this one.
It simply isn’t your fault (LINK).
The way French is taught in various school systems is bound to create confusion.
The teaching is usually based on beliefs on people who needed years and years to get where they are now as teachers.
The curriculum is designed in a way that says: ‘This is what you’re in for years to come’.
It would be a valid perspective if the results came on top of it.
Sadly, it only seems to create frustration, discouragement, and confusion from what I hear from my students.
Example:
– you might think learning French negatives is indeed hard – because you can’t seem to get around it: Je me ne pas réveille? Je ne pas me réveille? Je ne me réveille pas?… Sounds familiar?
Tip: It’s actually not. And the third one is right 😉
– you might think vocabulary is indeed hard to remember – because you can’t seem to remember that word… How do you say ‘tired’, again? I forgot!
Tip: you haven’t been using it in a sentence and that’s why you forgot about it. Context and situations will boost your French ‘memory’ skill through the roof.
Additional tip: It’s actually not about your memory 😉 And the word is fatigué 😉
– you might think prepositions are a lot of work: how do you say ‘in’? The teacher says, ‘It depends’, and you feel discouraged already, thinking it’s going to be so much work.
Tip: it’s actually about using them in a sentence that gives prepositions their value.
Remember: It’s all about your mindset (LINK)
2. Spending too much time on low value content
Your progress in French is slow because you’ve unconsciously made it slow (LINK it’s not your fault).
You’ve dedicated an insane amount of time to things you didn’t really need.
(that you didn’t know that you didn’t need).
See:
– country and city prepositions: en France, à Paris
– au, à la, aux
– du, de la, des
– direct vs indirect object pronouns: je le dis? je lui dis?
– spelling of /é/ sound: -er, -ez, -é
– getting the perfect pronunciation: an, in, on – you just didn’t know the power of the French rise (LINK)
– trying to get the difference between passé composé (j’ai mangé) and imperfect (je mangeais) just right, thinking you need that to be fluent in French
What you need is someone to break down high value content into digestible lessons.
See high value content:
– present tense (je mange)
– passé composé (j’ai mangé)
– near future (je vais manger)
– the power of the French rise (link)
– high efficiency vocab, such as connectives (mais, parce que, donc, après, etc.) – they will be the glu linking your sentences together
– the power of the « C’est + adjective » structure (C’est génial, c’est horrible, etc.)
And so much more.
There is so much I want to tell you about how to make your French learning time worthwhile.
I hate to see you waste your time and get discouraged.
It does break my heart to see students with the best intentions fall into a pattern of frustration/disappointment/lacking motivation/more frustration, etc.
All because there was something there weren’t aware of.
They simply trusted highly regarded institutions to tell them what to do.
Unfortunately it seems big companies or institutions don’t always get it right.
Your needs are different.
You aren’t ready to spend years and years studying French to finally utter a few sentences.
You need a process that’s more rewarding, and takes less time.
Of course there will be a few struggles along the way – but you are determined to not let them bring you down.
Keep reading for more…
Download my free ebook to set the foundations for the right kind of learning that brings success, up until French fluency. Click here (LINK)
3. Lack of repetition
While you think you’re making slow progress, the reality is: you’re « slow » because you keep coming back to square one every time.
Remember how they give you that advice of « 15 minutes of French a day, and making it part of your life »?
It is true!
Just like anything in life, your brain is in charge.
When not faced with repetition, your brain forgets.
And it’s only human.
To find more about how to trick your brain into long term motivation, download my ebook for FREE. Get it here (LINK)
Example:
you learn the word for tired is fatigué.
Chances are, if you simply learn it in a list and never see it again, your brain will throw this information to the bin.
Because it’s not needed.
Because it’s got other priorities (job, family, friends, various life commitments, etc.)
What that means for your French is: make it a priority, through repetition.
Repetition is a vast topic that I won’t go into here to keep this article short and sweet.
There are various techniques you can use to implement repetition.
One of my favourites is role playing the situation.
Self role play is a lot like acting to me.
I enjoy the feeling of imagining what it would be like to use the word with someone I know, or a stranger.
For the word fatigué, I’d picture a situation where I need to use it, and repeat it.
– Je ne sais pas pourquoi, je suis fatigué…
– Pardon ?
– Je dis: « Je suis fatigué… »
– Pourquoi ?
– Je ne sais pas. Je suis juste fatigué…
– C’est souvent ?
– Oui, je suis souvent fatigué.
– J’appelle le médecin.
– Non, ça va, merci. Je suis juste un peu fatigué…
Just count how many instances of fatigué there was in this dialogue.
That’s right, 5 instances.
2 of them were just the same: « Je suis fatigué », to help memorize « Je suis + adjective » structure.
The other 3 are essential for your brain to deal with word order.
See:
Je suis + WORD(S) + fatigué.
Je suis + JUSTE + fatigué.
Je suis + SOUVENT + fatigué.
Je suis + UN PEU + fatigué.
Now your brain just knows, instinctively, that things go this way.
Now your brain just feels like
Je suis + fatigué + WORD
sounds off, sounds wrong.
It doesn’t know why, but it doesn’t matter.
Repetition is a fascinating topic that I could talk about for hours.
It involves neurological processes that vary depending on age and exposure to other languages and structures.
The patterns of French language never cease to amaze me.
I am constantly trying to think – how to help my students?
How is French different from English?
What is it that my students need to know to help them make that distinction?
How, as a French native, did I even get there?
How did I make it something so natural that it became second nature for me?
How can I help my students do the same – switch from English patterns to natural French patterns?
Share your personal experiences with repetition.
Also with confusion and studying low value content.
This will help me to help my students.
I can only imagine the struggles from what I see with my students.
Maybe there’s another set of struggles you’ve encountered that I can help you with?
Download my FREE ebook to build the mental foundations right, and achieve your dream of French fluency.
One that could change your life.
Thanks for reading!