I’m not sure why but I’ve always thought learning languages was mostly fun.
On an intellectual level, I often hear people say it is stimulating.
Their brain gets on fire, and they gain a new perspective on things, on how they see the world.
But it is less common to hear people say it is fun.
The main reason why I find it fun is because:
Learning a language means trying to guess it.
To guess how it works, to play around with it, to treat it like something to experiment with, like a scientist does.
Like you did with your Play Doh as you were little.
You were experimenting with the world.
Now that probably takes you back to being a child too… 🙂
Not a helpless, inferior child (sadly, that’s how traditional French language methods make you feel…) – but a curious mind, who’s ready to treat French as something to play with (not something sacred and almighty – again, that’s the feeling you get from traditional methods: French is sacred, don’t play with it!).
What that means for you
You have that desire to learn more.
But you’re an adult now, and adults want to be treated as adults.
You don’t want to be told that entering in a French class is like entering a religious building, a place that’s sacred.
You didn’t come here to feel intimidated.
You came because you were curious about the French, about French speakers around the world.
You are curious about their culture, how they live, what they eat, what they do, what they love, what they hate.
That doesn’t mean these people are to be ‘sanctified’ – and neither does French language.
Becoming a fluent French speaker means you have managed to go beyond that point of:
Respecting the language too much.
Being fluent in French means you are happy to touch the language, to manipulate it, to play with it – just like that Play Doh (mettre photo de play doh).
Sure you do respect the French and their language, but not so much that you feel paralyzed or overwhelmed when speaking to them.
Play around.
Experiment.
Mix words together.
Make up funny words.
Observe how words look.
Feel them.
Look at their shape.
Look at how short they are.
Look at how long they are.
Look at how ‘sexy’ they are. (I’ve heard the word rue was particularly glamorous…)
Look at how ‘ugly’ they are (I’ve heard someone say they hated how the word beurre sounded – but maybe someone else will love that word for it!)
Let your emotions take over, whether positive or negative.
It is such a personal feeling, to love or hate a word, a sentence, a language.
It has to do with very strong connections in our brains, making language the essence of being human.
In a very primitive way, we were born to communicate through speaking, using all the emotions stored in our primal brains.
There is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to become a fluent French speaker.
Download my FREE ebook to know how to start and get into the right mindset – even before starting to learn any vocabulary or grammar!
Share in the comments below if you’ve ever felt a strong feeling towards a French word or a French expression! 🙂