You’ve probably met that girl who was fluent in 4 languages and thought:
‘I can only speak English – and she can speak 4 languages fluently!’
You’ve probably been impressed with that guy who was fluent in French and thought:
‘How does he do that? How does he get so many compliments on his French and got that perfect French accent? He seems to be on autopilot without even having to think about his grammar!’
Yes, this girl is real.
This guy is real, too.
They’re not out of this world.
They’re not something beyond your capabilities.
Do you want to know their secret?
Keep reading…
What traditional methods do
Traditional methods:
- put themselves as the almighty French teacher – they know everything, and they will tell you everything they know, or everything they’ve ever learned.
You can feel the sense of superiority coming out of their method – they’re happy to show you that they know more than you do - Put you in an inferior position – as the student, you are to be told, you are meant to feel inferior. There is nothing you can guess or play out yourself. As an individual, they make you feel powerless.
It is not a pleasant feeling: being treated like you’re inferior is the main reason why people lose motivation learning French – or even stop altogether, as they haven’t found a method where they feel like they are being treated as equals.
A method that lays out the foundations for you, but doesn’t make you feel inferior for not knowing what to do and how to do it.
The fluent French speaker’s secret
Fluent French speakers have been around for ages, long before the Internet came along the way.
What that means is that traditional methods have done their job, right?
Hmm… Yes and no.
Before the Internet transformed our lives, people who wanted to learn French needed to:
- Have a very good education (such as a prestigious school where they could have French speakers as friends and practice with them)
- Go to the library to learn more in between lessons and doing homework
- Be smart people who understood the underlying logic of the language (what we usually call ‘being naturally good at languages’)
Which one do you think is the fluent French speaker’s secret?
- A good education does help, no matter what. This is a valid assumption for most things in life – as for French, having been in a prestigious school means you have most likely studied Latin also, giving you that double edge and making things easier down the line.
- Going to the library also helps: the amount of time they spent working on their French surely helped them get better. Again, this is valid for most things. Don’t forget though that people… forget.
Not forgetting is key to long term success for French fluency – which means repetition is needed.
A good school does just that. - Now, are fluent French speakers ‘smarter’ than others?
Their secret, you asked?
They designed their own efficient ways to learn, even though their teacher or the methods they used didn’t mention them clearly.
They observed the language a lot.
They guessed.
They tried and failed.
They compared (most likely with English).
They tried to spot what was common between them, and what was different.
They made connections.
In other words, they did everything that no method told them to do.
They did everything right without following vague instructions.
They had their own ‘Eureka’ moments.
Sure, they did understand the grammar that was taught in a boring academic class, but that’s not what helped them speak.
What helped them speak was the confidence that what they were saying was right – or almost right, at least.
That confidence they got stems from that feeling of just knowing it’s right.
Why?
Because they did it all themselves: they observed, tried, made connections, fixed what was wrong, tried again – in other words, they experimented with French.
And the result of their experience was: it works!
And as long as something works, humans are keen to repeat it.
We are wired to repeat what works – and get rid of what doesn’t work.
What that means for you
Learning French doesn’t imply that you need to be ‘smarter’.
Learning French means you know the methods you are using have their limitations.
And you are determined to go beyond and above to reach your goal of French fluency.
But that doesn’t mean you should spend all your time and energy, and consume yourself in the process.
Instead of following a standard path that was designed to be followed, wouldn’t it be more fun to play out the rules of French yourself?
To assume things about the language just looking at it?
To feel the joy of learning doing that?
To have your assumptions confirmed or corrected, helping you improve quickly and being happy during the process?
To know how to prepare yourself for the process, download my FREE ebook:
The 3 pillars for French fluency.
You’ll find every useful piece of advice for getting into the right mindset before even starting to play with the language.
Share in the comments below if you know anyone who you think is a ‘language genius’, and you thought: ‘What’s their secret?
Here’s a powerful weapon in your French learning experience:
Successful students starting or catching up with French all have something in common:
– They understand and accept that French simply has different ways of working than English – in some regards (read the article further if you’re interested 🙂 )
– They are open to new experiences: they are open to the weird and wonderful ways French works – actually not so weird when you take a close look but still wonderful 🙂
The most successful students are the ones who understand this from the very start – and they unconsciously apply adequate learning strategies… without them even realizing. Because they don’t realize what they are doing, they are unable to share their ‘secret’ with other students.
In other words:
in this article, I will enter the mind of a successful student of French and help you understand how they work things out.
I think anyone starting or catching up with French should be given this prior to anything else :
7 things that make French different from English.
In other words:
7 things that make the heart and soul of French language.
7 things that will open your mind to new horizons.
7 things that will give you a new mindset and experience new horizons – and change your life.
Every one of these 7 things has its insider tips.
Knowing them will make your French learning experience so much easier.
Knowing them means giving you a broader understanding of not only the French, or French language, but of the world in general – as seen by the people of the world who have French language in common. They see the world differently. It shapes the way they see the world.
And soon, you will be able to absorb some of that way of looking at the world.
Understanding this means grammar won’t be so much a pain rather than a tool: something you use to access a new way of looking at the world – through ‘French language glasses’.
PHOTO LUNETTES
You will realize that there are more shades and nuances to the language than you could ever think.
You will even realize that your English is improving as you learn French! They mutually benefit from each other.
The process brings more subtlety to your English speaking and writing… because your brain has had to work for it!
As far as your learning is concerned… you will be grateful for allowing yourself to implement this mindset 🙂
Understanding things on a deep level means learning French faster, and better!
That doesn’t have to mean there is more to learn though – when you use the right method.
So scroll down to see what’s next…
Now imagine a world where…
PHOTO ALICE PAYS MERVEILLES
1. English has ‘CAnada’ – French has ‘CanaDA’. (stress)
2. English has ups and downs – French doesn’t. : monotonous (intonation)
3. English sounds nice – French sounds better. (syllabification – c/v alternation)
Not to boast but simply because of the way French works: A beautiful sound matters more than anything.
If keeping the language beautiful implies sacrificing letters along the way, or twisting grammar a little, they shall submit – It’s actually the very reason why it’s beautiful in the first place.
Beauty implies a bit of sacrifice. No pain, no gain.
4. English has both ‘I speak’ and ‘I am speaking’ – French doesn’t.
5. English has ‘I love you’ – French has ‘I you love’.
6. English has ‘he speaks‘ – French has ‘I speake‘, ‘you speakes‘, ‘he speake‘, ‘we speakons‘, ‘vous speakez‘, ‘ils speakent‘ – silent letters at the end of a significant number of words
Now that will not hinder your ability to speak as much as it looks.
7. English has ‘the’ and ‘a’ – French has variations of ‘the’ and ‘a’
And it’s not that a big deal.
If you wish to go further and discover the new ways to experience both languages… You’re in the right place. Use your curiosity and open your awareness of French – instead of relying on those painful textbooks.
Start your French learning adventure by downloading ‘Make French Simple’, my free guide to learning simply and making starting or catching up with French a no brainer.
Help me improve this article, by letting me know in the comments below if this has helped you.
If you already found that learning French has changed you and shaped you in a different way, share also in the comments.
Thanks!