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!
Then ask yourself 3 important questions. The answers to these questions will help you determine whether you should start or catch up with French.
Because you don’t want to just learn anything and waste your time and energy.
I wrote down those 3 questions down below, so you can add your own answers to them.
It’s a very simple exercise that helps you write things down and organise your thoughts – which sets the foundations for your motivation in the long run.
So scroll down that page and write your answers in the comments below – or in your own book.
This will help you clarify your thoughts, and realize what your motivations really are.
This page gives you access to free content to help you make the first steps, and learn French starting from the basics (reading, counting).
It also gives you access to an online shop where you will find methods and online dictionaries that will help you learn the language, no matter what your current level is.
- What do I want to achieve exactly?
With a clear and realistic objective in mind, things are so much easier. You’ll save yourself a lot of pain and unnecessary learning. - Do I have the right mindset?
With an open mindset, learning French isn’t hard. My best students are the ones who understand that there isn’t one way to look at things, especially when it comes to getting speaking asap. - Do I have the right method?
Chances are, you’ve tried traditional methods before and they haven’t made you fluent in French. Far from it.
You might remember the frustration and pain that came with something that you thought was going to be an enjoyable experience : learning French!
Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, click here to download my free ebook to help you clarify your objectives (1), getting into the right mindset before undertaking anything French (2), and see if my method is the right one for you (3).
Share in the comments below what is your biggest frustration when it comes to learning French.
Boring? Lack of long term motivation? Can’t find time to?
Learning French doesn’t have to be a frustrating process. Enjoy the experience.
Or: what’s wrong with traditional methods.
Think about it, most French methods out there are trying to ‘teach you French’, right ?
But there are so many ways this can be done.
One method could be:
‘You need to acquire vocabulary first, grammar second’.
This is usually how children learn their native language as well as their first foreign language.
You point at a cloud, and you say ‘cloud, cloud! – yes, it’s a cloud!’
You point at a nuage (cloud), and you say ‘le nuage, le nuage! – oui, c’est un nuage!’
Later on, where they have more abstract cognitive abilities, English natives get to learn the ins and out of English grammar, and later, the grammar of a foreign language.
This approach is designed for children, because they can’t grasp the reasons why a language is how it is.
Another method could be:
‘You need to immerse yourself in the language’.
Which means pretending to be a kid who picks up words and intonations and accents so quickly they don’t even realize.
Sadly as an adult, that is simply not the case. You aren’t that kid who’s like a sponge, absorbing everything in their environment to be able to develop language skills and survive.
Another method could be:
‘Learn how to speak first, no matter how well’.
Again, as an adult, you have the ability to abstract things. Instead of uttering words one after another and hoping it makes a sentence that people can understand, you put words in a certain order, because you want it to be comprehensible.
Example – compare:
New word difficult me understand.
And
I find new words difficult to understand.
See? You will be understood, yes, but how difficult are you making it for the people listening to you?
Also if the people around you are okay with you saying ‘new word difficult me understand’ (or worse, encourage it!), this will make it harder in the long run for you to change it into ‘I find new words difficult to understand’.
Trying to unlearn something you thought was correct is extremely difficult for the brain to do. And painful, as it lowers your self-esteem: you thought you were right, but you were wrong all the way. And you realize you’ve been doing that same mistake over and over again.
What this means for you
You’re not a baby anymore – you’re smarter!
Traditional methods tend to treat you like a baby, and I think that’s why so many people lose motivation quickly when learning French.
As an adult, you most likely:
- have other things to do in your life than playing around with toys and learning French
- lost some of the cognitive abilities you once had when you were 4 years old, and gained others (the ability to abstract, meaning you understand there’s a logic at work behind the apparent ease of speaking a language)
- want to be understood by the people you’re speaking French to, as opposed to speaking in a comprehensible way only
- want to feel cared for and that the people you’re speaking French with care about your efforts, and support you, and acknowledge the difficulty of the task
To achieve this, you need to start by defining your why :
Why are you trying to learn French?
Because you’re not a kid anymore, your time is limited: no fooling around for ages.
That’s why your why is so important.
Keeping the motivation alive in the long run is crucial to your learning.
Your why is only the first step towards getting into the right mindset for learning French (even before starting out). But I don’t want to make this post too long.
To find out about the other things you need to get the right mindset,
Check out the FREE ebook ‘The 3 pillars for French success’
Share your why below – that will increase commitment in your brain and send you some good motivation after having shared with others 😉
Why are you learning French?
What’s stopping you from being a fluent French speaker?