So we arent in France yet, but I am trying to find the best App for learning. I admit I havent gone much past the trial in some of these, but I wondered what others have found most useful? Or what combination of Apps? Here’s what I have samples so far and my thoughts on them
Pimsleur - I do think the speaking and pronunciation helpful, but I really felt it went over and over the same words so many times I found it a bit tedious…
Duolingo - I like this but I found it a lot like a game
Jumpspeak - I really found this a little overwhelming and thrown in at the deep end.
I did French at High School (too many years ago now) and I do remember a lot of the words and sentence structure, I can read at the beginner level most of the sentences and I can hear the correct words… its the pronunciation of words and I dont think I am really taking in sentences I am repeating as spoken. I get the feeling that one tool isnt really enough, but has anyone here with a basic high school level of french, found a combination that helped them get the understanding and confidence to speak it in conversation
I use Progress with Lawless French. (There’s also a plain Lawless French, but they are different programs.) I think that there is a free version, but I pay. If you have a background in French already, it might work for you. Maybe check out the free version?
We did Duolingo for 3 years. You can get a lot of vocab but some of the AI generated language is incorrect (both in the French and the American English translation) and it’s not helpful for conversation. It can also feel like a little slave driver, demanding your efforts and promoting/demoting you, and also encouraging you to game the system instead of learning. It has a use if accompanied by personal tuition that guides and encourages conversation, but it felt our French progressed much more usefully since stopping using Duo because our attention refocused to use of language.
I’ve tried many of these on and off over the years, for fun more then education. There is no substitute to dumping yourself in at the deep end and speaking French as much as possible. In the “heat of the moment” you forget all the stuff you thought you had learnt anyway Practice is everything.
One day in 1982 having been in France for nearly a year, when driving I found myself thinking in French, I thought “bingo” but with its nuances, the French language road is a lot longer than that I think one can also plateau at certain point.
That said, I think Babel is worth a daily visit and Duolingo (which my wife and I went right to the end of many years ago) is amusing. My wife was a subscriber to Lawless too, but dumped her. I can’t remember why. Nevertheless my wife now speaks excellent French (though will modestly deny that).
I think (sexist comment alert) that girls are more fastidious about grammar and accent than (us) boys.
Plus all the French classics. Such as, randomly, Louis de Funès, or L’Emmerdeur (with the wonderful Jaques Brel) or Le Dîner de cons and all the other great movies. EG Jean Gabin
Wonderful stuff. IMHO, if you don’t love this stuff you’re not really a Francophile. It’s like loving the Ealing comedies or Zulu or 617 Squadron if one is an Anglophile.
I liked Frantastique for its wide range of language and cultural exposure and Kwizik for its excellent explanations of the grammar and supporting exercises.
French TV and radio are also extremely useful. In terms of correcting pronunciation, you can’t really beat tuition with a native French speaker.
Thank you to everyone for your responses, I am thinking I need all the help I can get so will probably take a multiple avenue approach. I think I was just trying to find something that did everything and I see good in a lot of them.
In terms of what interests me I am not really big into TV or radio, but I love watching all the youtube videos on chateau renovations and the property adverts for Chateaux a lot of those are in french with translation (we are currently looking) and I try to read the property adverts in french rather than get it translated at the outset, though I do translate it afterwards to learn words I dont understand.
I did try speaking french in the shop when I went over there though, managed all the greetings and then I asked for some milk… my pronanciation was way off as she gave me garlic salt but we both laughed about it and I showed her the french du lait and she helped me pronounce it correctly… but I have to say she was lovely and everyone was so friendly!
I am perfecly prepared to make a complete fool of myself, but am sure I will get there. If I can learn computer languages, javascript, php, sql and python then I can definitely speak french with some serious effort and practice!
I decided when we moved here that I was going to embarrass myself, probably on a daily basis, and that I was just going to accept it and not stress about it. That decision has served me well.
I disagree - depends on the person and the context. OH speaks much more accurate French than I do, but his learning is bookish, not spoken and he is much more reluctant to speak in case he makes a mistake and also then can’t understand the reply. I, on the other hand, and several female friends are much happier to witter / gossip / say anything to be using what little we know, whether grammatically correct or not. May be no more than a comment about the weather, but it means I’m talking in French.
The second is to give your target French person a couple of moments to realise you’re speaking French. It would be useful to learn a short phrase to say « I’m sorry my French isn’t very good: you can see I need the practice », just to settle them into the idea that you’re speaking their language.
Keep your voice nice and loud, and don’t let it trail off at the end of sentences.
I am using Duolingo - yes it’s a gamification style App- good up to a point. I bought the Family product but to have the explanations there’s another fee.
I was regaining my French when living in Switzerland and using Alliance Français as a subscription - a CD and book arrived in the post (old fashioned) but excellent ! Can’t get the product any more.
I’m also trying out Babbel - nit sure about this model either. But Apps are good if you’re in the go. Our family did courses at Alliance Français centre in Sydney - excellent and pricey.
To be honest, I was using the most expensive version of Duolingo and there was still almost nothing in the way of explanations, which is why I started using Kwizik. It’s all very well trying to learn something on the basis of familiarity but when you don’t uunderstand why you got something wrong, it’s extremely useful to have decent explanations.
Yabla has a lot of videos, if it’s still going. It’s a bit like FluentU.
We’ve been here 9 months now. I spent a long time using various tools, ending up at C1 if Lawless is to be believed, but in reality with the conversational skills of a slow 4 year old. Don’t be disheartened if it takes time to feel you’re really communicating.
@Porridge I just finished C1 and have 100% in all levels, but I feel that in reality, I’m probably closer to B1. Since finishing, I’ve gone back to A1 and started the reading, writing, listening etc. exercises. I should have done them at concurrently, but I’m super competitive so I had to get to 100%.
InnerFrench podcast is all in French, but Hugo and Ingrid speak slowly and clearly, and if a word comes up they think you don’t know, they’ll use another form of words to explain the meaning. You can get a transcript which would be helpful to beginners.
For pronunciation, I trust Forvo. I registered as a user so I can ask to have specific words pronounced.
I agree, but with a warning, age, you don’t say how old you are @Denise_Field but my experience is that foreign language skills deminish with age. So get stuck in as soon as possible.
I find it more difficult to keep up with French spoken to me than I did over 20 years ago. I was plunged in at the deep end being all alone in the cab of a lorry and taking instructions by spoken phone calls. But now, there is no way I could do it.
Not sure if allowed, please delete if against rules
I used Duolingo, and as others said it is vocab heavy - which is good, but I don’t think it was helping me learn. I realized I wasn’t understanding anyone when I’d visit France before moving here. So I created a tool that breaks podcasts into short clips and sets to transcription (dictée) practice. The site is Frenchirl.com (as in French in real life)
I try to focus on French language podcasts for French people, so while I have listened to an episode of Inner French, it’s not really like French in the wild, that you hear everyday in France. I love Manager, Passerelles, Transfert, and I just discovered Les P’tits Bateaux - made for kids but actually perfect for learners.
First time poster, just discovered the community, love all the resources shared here thank you!
Practice is everything.
I think one can also plateau at certain point.
so will probably take a multiple avenue approach. I think I was just trying to find something that did everything and I see good in a lot of them.