How did you learn French?

[SwitSof]

For you guys who are native English speakers (so most likely not from Quebec province), but can speak French too, any tips how to learn it to be at least ok with daily life's conversation in a few months?
I know of course practice is important, being discipline in learning new vocabs everyday if you can even, listening to tapes, etc. since I got to learn Japanese to be able to take university's course in a year by studying 6 hours/day every weekday!
But the thing is with Japanese, pronunciation is easier since it's like German almost, what is written is what you say, so once you tackle the pattern in pronunciation, you can say things correctly even though you don't know the meaning.
There are no masculin nor feminin nouns either in Japanese.

Indonesian is even easier! No past nor future tense, no plural form, no verb changes according to the subject, no masculin nor feminin nouns, and pronunciation is more straightforward than German even!

Any advice is indeed welcome!

 

[Twila]

Wish I could help, but I only know cereal box french...

 

[Josephine]

I learned as a child...my father is a Frog!

I think it might be best to do the books on tape. They often have workbooks and reading books to follow, but the tapes are great to hear the language. The accent and the exact way the words are spoken are easier to learn when you can actually hear and repeat them...and if you don't have a teacher...go with a tape (CD...whatever!:smile

Good luck...it's much harder to learn as an adult then a child, but hey...if my father's dumb-ass wife can learn...anyone can!!!:lol:

 

[Twila]

Josephine, I detect a dislike for your fathers wife....Is she dumb or evil?

 

[Josephine]

Josephine, I detect a dislike for your fathers wife....Is she dumb or evil?

Ummm...I'd say a little bit of both!:lol:

Your basic evil step-mother...mean, insulting, cruel and scary!

 

[Twila]

So that means you'reCinderella! You know not everybody gets to be a princess....Lucky you.

 

[SwitSof]

So that means you'reCinderella! You know not everybody gets to be a princess....Lucky you.

I don't reckon she would snog her DAD that way though! :lol:

 

[eh1eh]

Once you study a bit and get some of the basics down, like 'I'll have a beer please' and 'Where is the bathroom' go somewhere and immerse yourself. You'll be forced to learn fast. You will also here the words pronounced in conversation. Sometimes that is very different than the school book says.:smile:

 

[annabattler]

I learned French Grammer and Literature through five years of high school.I ended up being able to read and write French with great ease...but,only after having lived in France for several weeks did it all come together for me...my verbal skills improved immensely...I even started to dream in French,lol.

 

[SwitSof]

Correct me if I'm wrong, it seems there are patterns for the adjectives, doesn't it?
Adjectives end with -t does have the adjective for feminin noun that ends with -te, like amusant(e).
Adjectives end with -eux does have the adjective for feminin noun that ends with -euxeuse, like ennuyeux(euse).

Is there a pattern on the spelling which vowels use these letters for example: é ê è ô etc.?

I have more but can't write all now, am sick cause of the blimey weather, or karma cause I was thinking to take the piss out of my colleagues with the clicking gag :angry3:

 

[SwitSof]

Can I say: elle ne parle pas anglais aussi.
The aussi is what I was wondering about.

 

[Machjo]

Is French your first foreign language? If so, good luck!

But by your mentioning German and Japanese, I take that it isn't.

And if it isn't, I'm surptised you don't know how to learn aforeign language yet.

If it is, then may I recommend one step at a time. First the alphabet. And then, go to the roots. Many skip that part. English roots function about as logically as a madman on crack. French roots on the other hand, while not 100% regular likewise, are still far more so than their English counterparts. Likewise with affixes. The morphemes really are the key to French. bear in mind though that French along with English is my mother tongue.

 

[SwitSof]

My first foreign language is English actually, then my second is Japanese which is not a European language thus doesn't have the same grammatical rules, even it's different to Chinese's grammar. I learned German just a little bit, but it's very basic and I don't remember much of it anymore, so my first European language would be English and I did link it with the grammar of my first language that has some similarities with English grammatically only much simpler.
My question was more of how English speakers learn French and whether there is pattern that can be applied to different things. I found there is pattern for the suffixes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd group of verbs according to the subject so that is a very good thing to know.
Now am trying to find out how if in the infinitive the special characters like é, è, ê, etc are not there, how these characters are inserted in the words that have suffix or prefix, are they put between silent sounded consonants or such?

 

[Machjo]

Learning paradigms can help too.

 

[Machjo]

What's your mother tongue by the way?

 

[Johnnny]

the girls at work know alot of french they always pay attention in school just ask, there helping me lol

 

[triedit]

The only french I know is how to order eggs at a Mcdonalds in Quebec...

 

[SwitSof]

Can I say: elle ne parle pas anglais aussi.
The aussi is what I was wondering about.

Machjo, do you use [aussi] to say [either] like in English when you speak in French?

 

[Machjo]

Machjo, do you use [aussi] to say [either] like in English when you speak in French?

It depends on context. Aussi, en plus, non plus, etc, depending on what you want to say exacly.

 

[Machjo]

I would say 'non plus' in that context.